Thonet MR side tables

Design: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

The side table: Thonet MR 515 . 516 . 517

A versatile classic rediscovered: On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Bauhaus, the Thonet company has reissued the MR 515 round side table. The side tables consist of tubular steel and a glass top, the height of the legs and the diameter of the top vary. The original version by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was found in the Thonet tubular steel furniture catalog in 1935, with a tubular steel frame and a glass top. This practical table was probably created around 1928 in connection with the houses of Esters and Lange, which Mies van der Rohe built in Krefeld.

Modern Bauhaus

Based on the original, the Besau Marguerre studio has developed two further designs of the MR 515. The two adaptations MR 516 and 517 reflect the elegance of this table. The designers combine today's requirements with the classic from the 1920s - technical details fuse with the contemporary touch. Marcel Besaus and Eva Marguerres stay close to the original, the difference is in the details of the furniture: the crossing of the table legs is more elegant. During their research, the designers discovered the original idea of an optional shelf, which gives the design more functionality and cosiness. The revisions are subtle and are based on technical requirements.

The Besau-Marguerre Studio

Since 2011, Studio Besau-Marguerre has been working in Hamburg in an interdisciplinary manner with a holistic approach to design combining product design and interior architecture. Eva Marguerre and Marcel Besau work together with interior designers, textile, graphic and product designers. The office was also commissioned with the furnishing of the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall. Besau-Marguerre work for renowned companies such as Thonet, Vitra and Fürstenberg and have been awarded numerous prizes for design.

The Thonet GmbH from 1819

The carpenter Michael Thonet (1796-1871) began experimenting with bentwood in his workshop in Boppard in 1830. In Vienna in 1859, he developed the famous Viennese coffee house chair, chair no. 14, with which the company's unstoppable economic rise began. With the production of tubular steel furniture according to the Bauhaus designs, the company achieved world fame. The manufacturer Thonet is still a family-run company based in Frankenberg.