In 1830, Michael Thonet began experimenting with what was soon to be known as "bentwood" furniture and it was not long before Thonet and his sons were producing this furniture on an industrial scale. The name Thonet quickly became synonymous with a high standard of exquisite craftsmanship and Thonet's bentwood products soon joined the ranks of the most famous and most imitated furniture products of modern times. 

In 1987 Shelby Williams, purchased Thonet Industries U.S.A and Thonet's US business formally came of age and separated from its European parent which remains under the control of the Thonet family in Germany.Here in the US the Thonet brand along with Shelby Williams is an integral part of the CF Group portfolio which includes the Falcon and Howe brands. To learn more about CFGroup, visit mycfgroup.com.

Supported by all the resources available within the CFGroup, Thonet now adds a new chapter to this rich history, creating distinctive, innovative furniture designs which are hand built by skilled craftsmen in our workshops right here in the US.

Environmentally Responsible

Thonet operates in an environmentally and socially responsible manner at all worldwide operations and takes great care to insure similar standards from our vendor partners. Our Corporation’s manufacturing facilities continuously reduce waste, minimize our carbon footprint, and use recycled and recyclable materials. Here are just a few specific examples of the many initiatives which insure that we remain responsible employers, respected members of the communities where we operate, and continuously improve our stewardship of the planet’s resources:

• The majority of our wood products feature FSC hardwoods and we can supply formaldahyde free substrates,
  bio based foam or linoleum components to any customer who wishes to earn additional LEED points for their project.
  
  
• Powder coat paint overspray is reclaimed for reuse. Our corrugated material is 46% recycled.
  
  
• In 2009 our production facility in Europe was certified ISO14001 compliant, requiring some of the most rigorous environmental standards in the world. Over the past 35 years our state of the art North American metal casting foundry has recycled engine components from more than 50 million automobiles to make table bases.  These bases can in turn be safely recycled at the end of their useful life.  We use mostly recycled aluminum, steel, and iron for our metal parts.

However, there are some fundamental principles which have guided Thonet’s business and which avoid the environmental, social, and reputational hazards of the many ‘throwaway’ products which flood our market today.  Thonet is a responsible manufacturer of high quality, comfortable, and classic furniture designs.  All of our employees are proud of the fact that we provide exceptional value, years of trouble free comfort, and an exceptionally low total cost of ownership.  Thonet will continue to adhere to these fundamental principles, which have served us well for more than 60 years of operation.