About myself
I have been dealing in Antique Furniture since 1971. Starting with my cousin Ian before branching out on my own in 1979. I was based in Bermondsey Street near London Bridge and sold mainly to the Japanese market for many years.
Over that time i saw a lot of unusual items, chairs, tables, dressers, mirrors and much more, but the Bentwood chairs that i sold in huge quantities counted amongst the most interesting. These beautiful chairs seemed to come in all shapes and designs, with many different manufacturers, Thonet being the most well known but many others including Fischell, Mundus, J and J Kohn and Emefes.
Robert Whitfield
This website is going to be a record of the more interesting bentwood chairs that i have put aside for my own collection. I hope, in time, to make this site a resource of information and photos of the lesser known multitude of companies producing Bentwood chairs that appeared after Michael Thonet's patent expired.
I'll be adding more photos and information when I get time as I'm still active in the furniture business, supplying old and antique furniture to many pubs and restaurants in the UK and around the world.