Thonet – Cantilever Armchair in the Style of Erich Dieckmann and Gilbert Rhode

This tubular steel cantilever armchair attributed to Thonet dates to the early 1930s and reflects the technical and aesthetic innovations of the Bauhaus movement (1919–1933). The frame, composed of continuous bent tubular steel, supports cushioned upholstery in checked fabric, creating a dialogue between industrial material and domestic comfort.

The chair’s form relates closely to the work of Erich Dieckmann and Gilbert Rhode, whose designs for cantilevered seating explored spatial tension, balance, and human ergonomics. The structure’s seamless looped construction embodies the ideal of functional purity central to the Bauhaus ethos, while the generous seat and backrest provide practical comfort within a minimal silhouette.

Thonet’s mastery of tubular steel fabrication made such designs iconic expressions of Continental Bauhaus Modernism, democratic, efficient, and visually precise. This example captures the enduring synthesis of material innovation and modernist philosophy that defined interwar design.