THE FAMOUS BISTRO CHAIR IS AN ICON First manufactured in 1876, model no. 18 with the striking “hairpin” in its backrest returns to the Thonet portfolio with clear and reduced aesthetics as 218. Along with the chairs no. 14 and no. 56, chair no. 18 was one of the bestselling models of the Thonet production. The so-called export chair of Gebrüder Thonet was often sold for use in restaurants and cafés – especially in South America. Disassembled into its individual parts, 36 chairs fit into a sea chest, allowing the chairs to be sent on long journeys without any problem and in large quantities. Now, the 218 – formerly no. 18 – is once again being produced in Frankenberg. Model 218 without armrests is available with a wicker cane seat, with leather or textile cover, or with a moulded plywood seat shell. All wooden parts are made of stained beech.