A design with a long argument behind it

Josef Hoffmann drew the original A811 for the Vienna workshops in 1930, and it has stayed in production at Bystřice pod Hostýnem ever since. The proportions are unchanged: a light frame, a round cane back and a seat that sits low enough to be comfortable through a long meal.

Seat and back options

The seat can be specified in cane weave, in moulded veneer or fully upholstered, and the cane backrest can take a supporting mesh where the chair will be used hard. Every version shares the same frame, so a fitout can mix them across a room without the furniture looking mixed.

Steam-bent solid wood

Every TON piece starts as solid wood that is steamed until it will move, bent over a form and held while it dries. The technique is the one Michael Thonet worked out at this factory in 1861, and the hardest bends are still made by hand. Wood is chosen piece by piece for strength, flexibility and appearance, and frames are hand sanded before finishing.

Wood and finishes

TON finishes to a shared catalogue palette: natural varnish and natural oil, stains including Coffee, Dark Wenge, Dark Chocolate, Nougat, Granite, Honey, Black Grain and Forest Green, and pigment lacquers including White, Cloud Grey, Moon Grey, Grey Shadow, Steam Blue, Graphite Blue, Factory Red and Resin Yellow. Upholstery is specified from TON’s fabric and leather ranges, or in your own fabric.

Warranty and testing

TON gives a 10 year warranty on its furniture, excluding parts bought in from outside suppliers such as cane weave. Its seating is certified to ČSN EN 1022, ČSN EN 16139 and ČSN EN 1728 under certificate 040-083093 from the Technical and Test Institute for Construction Prague, and the wood is FSC certified.

About TON

TON makes its furniture at Bystřice pod Hostýnem in the Czech Republic, in the factory Michael Thonet built in 1861. It is the oldest bentwood works still running, and the only one still making these chairs where they were invented.

Where it works

Cafes, restaurants, hotel dining, bars, workplace breakout and meeting rooms.

Key features

• Steam-bent solid beech frame
• Cane weave, veneer or upholstered seat
• Side chair, armchair and barstool in one family
• Barstool in 610 or 780 mm seat height
• Tested to 110 kg
• 10 year warranty