In line with strict environmental policies of both companies, materials and manufacturing processes have been carefully selected both for their minimal impact on the environment and for their cost.

‘Muji manufactured by Thonet’ is a collection of simplified, stylised Thonet designs made of bentwood and tubular steel, manufactured to Thonet’s customary high standards at their Frankenberg HQ and available exclusively at Muji stores in Japan, Germany, Paris and the UK.

The tubular steel series was created by Konstantin Grcic and comprises a chair and desk in three sizes. Three polypropylene drawers can be suspended beneath the MDF table top.

By uniting the design heritage, skilled craftsmanship and manufacturing capabilities of Thonet with the streamlined design aesthetic of Muji, not to mention its youthful, design savvy audience, beautiful designs gain new relevance for today’s modern, urban lifestyle. The beech bentwood collection takes Thonet’s most famous bentwood chair, No. 14, as its inspiration. (This design – now called the 214 chair – still features in the Thonet collection, this year celebrating its 150th birthday.)

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The beech, bent wood collection was designed by Milan-based, British creative director of Thonet James Irvine and features a single panel supporting the back of the chair, which aligns with the accompanying table top.

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There are plans to enhance the collection in the near future. Both Muji and Thonet have collaborated with international designers in the past. What is ground breaking for both companies is their decision to work together with named designers to reinterpret important design masterpieces from Thonet’s historic back catalogue, making them accessible to a younger, broader, ‘Muji’ marketplace.

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to Muji

With a stone base

Bd Barcelona, the Spanish company which was founded in 1972 by the well-known architect Oscar Tusquets, presented a range of new tables at this year´s Salone del Mobile designed by Konstantin Grcic. The collaboration seemed to be a real hit and the results are remarkable. Once more Bd Barcelona was able to underline its special production abilities when it comes to extruded aluminium profiles.

With a wooden construction

Grcic has been inspired by classic Bd pieces, such as the Hypóstila shelf unit (in production since 1979), in developing a tabletop of extruded aluminium with a minimal profile and for lengths of up to 360 cm. The table board can be mounted on a stone, metal or wooden base. A nice and for the designer typical detail is the open profile on the short side of the table board, which can be closed if required, though.

With a closed profile and on a metal base

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The wooden construction refers to the artisan roots of the Italian manufacturer

After ‘Miura’ and ‘Myto’ it is the third chair that was developed in cooperation between Plank and Konstantin Grcic. The stackable chair, which clearly refers to Scandinavian classics, combines a wooden construction with an injection molded backrest. 

Application areas:Contract, Gastronomy, Living and Office.

Technical details: Armchair, ash wooden structure – natural lacquered or stained- lacquered in black or wenge. Backrest in polypropylene in the colours in black, grey white, traffic red, wine red, light blue, yellow green. Stackable.

How plain can it be?

The back-/armrest in plastic moulding serves the chair’s structure

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