Living Spaces: 12 responses to “bent.”

12 responses to “bent.”

i kind of think of bentwood bistro chairs as classic old friends that never really go out of style, they just get reinvented. they’re a bit like a pinstriped button-down shirt worn with a funky necklace — an unexpected conservative piece paired with something bold perfectly juxtaposing each other and together looking great. bistro, bentwood, or maybe you call them cafe chairs, have been around a long while — i picture them in every saloon in the wild wild west (cowboys liked to break them over each other’s heads — what a waste!). and thonet made this beauty, the Model No.18 chair around 1876, becoming the most popular design manufactured in the 19th century. now i see them mixed and matched around mid-century modern saarinen tables, farm tables or even used beside for books. whatever you call them, and whether they’re glossy black or painted in pretty pastels, i think they’re happily sticking around for good (just keep the cowboy’s away).