Villa Bilthoven

Thonet S 64 cantilever chair features in Utrecht (NL) villa renovation

The owners of a classic villa in the Dutch village of Bilthoven outside Utrecht were looking to combine a more homely, warmer feel with a contemporary look for their home. Working closely with interior designer Frieda May, a specialist in creating voguish indoor spaces, they succeeded in updating every aspect of the detached property without sacrificing any of its inimitable period charm. In a perfect expression of their desire to link the past with the modern day, the owners selected Thonet’s S 64 cantilever chair for their new dining room.

The remodelling project stripped the house back to its core, adding a modern extension with extensive glazing looking out onto the back garden. This new section of the house now accommodates the dining room, in which gentle, natural tones are enhanced by the daylight pouring through the huge windows, establishing a calm ambience. Thonet’s S 64 cantilever chairs, their place in the history of design firmly fixed, are the secret stars of this space, providing comfortable and eye-catching seating around the large table. Harmonising with the villa’s elegant new interior, the sleek lines add to the atmosphere. With canework backrests, they appear featherlight and transparent.

The S 64 is a classic of the tubular steel genre that is at home in many different settings. It suits uncompromisingly modern interiors as well as a varied mix straddling eras and styles. The combined use of traditional bentwood and Viennese canework with the contrasting revolutionary (when first designed) tubular steel is symbolic of the S 64’s beguiling connection of old and new. The solid wood and canework of the seat and backrest represent tradition, while the frame is a modern, forward-looking design. For a house like this villa in Bilthoven, where tradition and modernity merge, the S 64 is the perfect choice.