ambassador’s residence

Thonet’s 520 upholstered chair features in ambassador’s residence in Vienna

Viennese interior designers Behan & Thurm have redesigned an elegant ambassador’s residence in the Döbling district of the Austrian capital. Built in 1870, the villa boasts spacious rooms and came with elegant herringbone parquet floors, ornate stucco ceilings, double-winged doors and lavish glass chandeliers, as well as many historical pieces of furniture. “Our brief was to find the synergies between these historical pieces and new yet classic design,” explains designer David D. Tekeli. “When it came to the dining room, Thonet’s 520 upholstered chair was precisely what we were looking for. Marco Dessí’s design is a beautiful take on traditional bentwood technology that is both modern and comfortable.”

With this 520 design the Vienna-based Italian designer Marco Dessí has created a contemporary interpretation of an upholstered chair that is quintessentially Thonet: the chair exudes a timeless elegance that embodies the culture and history of the classic bentwood armchair made in Frankenberg/Eder, Germany. Dessí has replaced the open spaces between the bentwood elements with comfortable upholstery, thus combining the lightweight design of the classic Thonet chair with ultimate comfort. It’s a chair that works in a range of settings – around a home dining table, for seating in an elegant restaurant or even in a boardroom. The upholstered chair is available with or without armrests in a wide variety of different colours and materials.

Interior designer David D. Tekeli, who knows Marco Dessí personally and has huge respect for his work, selected the 520 PF version with armrests, a dark-brown stained beech frame and brown-beige cover fabric. “The dining room already featured some colour in the curtains and since you can also see through the double doors into the living room from here, we deliberately chose a subtle hue for the dining room chairs,” adds Tekeli.