March 2010

The Thonet 404 H Barstool by Stefan Diez wins iF gold award 2010 for its “honest design and perfect proportions”

Design: Stefan Diez, 2009

“Excellent design always stands out through honesty and perfect proportions. This barstool meets all the criteria that you could possibly apply to good design in a brilliant and convincing manner”. This was the enthusiastic iF product design award 2010 jury statement regarding the unique design of the Thonet 404 H barstool by Stefan Diez. These exact qualities won the barstool one of the sought-after iF gold awards this year. The iF gold award label is only presented for outstanding achievements in design. The awards ceremony was held at the Hanover CeBIT on 2 March.

For more than five decades, the iF product design award has been an internationally renowned marker for excellent design. This year, the 404 H barstool by Stefan Diez received the highest award presented by iF: the iF gold award (in the category furniture / home textiles). The 50 gold award winners were selected from 2486 entries from 39 countries. The selection criteria of the jury, made up of renowned design experts, included quality of design and finish, choice of materials and degree of innovation.

Thonet – an amalgamation of tradition and modern technology: the seat of the barstool is particularly striking; it is reminiscent of a horse’s saddle. There is an unexpected surprise waiting for you as you lower yourself onto the stool, as the thin, sculpted wooden seat sinks slightly downward. Stefan Diez has once more proven that it is possible to interpret the Thonet heritage of longstanding tradition in wood working in a contemporary and unconventional manner.