While the first name that comes to mind when thinking of bentwood furniture might be Thonet (maker of the iconic Thonet No. 14 chair or “bistro chair”), Michael Thonet and his subsequent studio, the Gebrüder Thonet (Thonet Brothers), had a strong competitor in 19th-century Vienna: Jacob & Josef Kohn (also referred to as J. & J. Kohn).
Founded in 1849 by a father and son with the motto “Be one step ahead,” Jacob & Josef Kohn created modern furniture for indoors and out from Austrian beech. At the turn of the 20th century, after establishing itself with mastery of everything from chairs to coatracks and even doll furniture, J. & J. Kohn began working closely with the Wiener Werkstätte, the artisan cooperative cofounded by Austrian architect and designer Josef Hoffmann (Gustav Klimt and Koloman Moser were also members). Through this partnership, J. & J. Kohn produced an array of furniture in bentwood, cane and upholstery, which it sold through showrooms across Europe and North America. Its designs throughout the first decade of the 20th century reflect the Art Nouveau movement that was quickly gaining traction across Europe.
Price wars and mergers ensued during the First World War. Changes in the organizational structure of Thonet included a merger with Viennese company Mundus in the early 20th century, which followed Mundus’s becoming a majority stakeholder in J. & J. Kohn — these mergers yielded the formation of Mundus-Kohn and later, in 1922–23, Thonet-Mundus. The new conglomerate went on to produce examples of its bentwood furniture in keeping with the modern style of the Vienna Secession. While Thonet rebuilt, rebranded and expanded in the United States and elsewhere after World War II, J. & J. Kohn never produced furniture under that name again.
On 1stDibs, find a variety of antique J. & J. Kohn furniture including bentwood wingback chairs designed by Josef Hoffmann and other seating, side tables, beech nesting tables and more.
Vintage 1910s Josef Hoffmann Easy Lounge Chairs, Style of Gatsby
By Jacob & Josef Kohn, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Store Heddinge, DK
Two Elegant Josef Hoffmann Chairs made by Manufactor Jacob & Josef Kohn. Early 20th-Century Armchairs in Great Gatsby Style. Crafted around 1910 Jugendstil , these armchairs r...
Fabric, Beech
Original Gustav Siegel Bentwood Rocking Chair / Lounge, Jacob & Josef Kohn
By Gustav Siegel, Jacob & Josef Kohn
Located in New York City, NY
A fabulous and important original Vienna workshop, bentwood rocker, model# 824, Schaukel Fauteuils by designer Gustav Siegel, manufactured by Jacob & Josef Kohn, Austria 1905 Illust...
Bentwood
Original Otto Wagner & Kohn Jacob & Josef & Koloman 'Kolo' Moser Ensemble, 1901
By Otto Wagner, Koloman Moser, Jacob & Josef Kohn
Located in Vienna, AT
As pioneer and master of the Modern, Otto Wagner seized the then rather new technique of bending wood for his furniture designs. Occasionally These furniture are attributed to Koloma...
Fabric, Bentwood
$1,980
H 18.51 in W 15.75 in D 15.75 in
Stool Model 616 / S, designed by Otto Wagner for Jacob & Josef Kohn
By Jacob & Josef Kohn, Otto Wagner
Located in Vienna, AT
Beech bentwood or plywood designed about 1905 by Otto Wagner for Kohn. Original condition newer restored.
Beech, Plywood
Salon Set by Josef Hoffmann, 1910s, Excellent Condition
By Josef Hoffmann
Located in Praha, CZ
Art nouveau sofa set Thonet, J/J Kohn, upholstered in genuine leather, designed by architect Josef Hoffmann for the Fledermaus cabaret in Vienna, Austria, completely restored, newly ...
Leather, Bentwood
Original Josef Hoffmann, Chair, Model# 330 from 1900
By Josef Hoffmann
Located in Vienna, AT
Exhibition: chairs for a dining room in: Winter Exhibition of the Austrian Museum for Art and Industry, Vienna, late 1901; exhibition in Saint Louis, 1904, beechwood, stained to simu...
Beech
Josef Hoffmann 795 Barrel Ensemble , by J. & J. Kohn
By Woka Lamps, Jacob & Josef Kohn, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Vienna, AT
A rare Variation of Hoffmanns ‘720 Half-Barrel Settee Lit.: Die Wiener Werkstätte 1903-1932, Gabriele Fahr Becker, Taschen Verlag S. 106 Material: Bentwood and Plywood.
Beech
Vintage Bentwood Rocking Chair Att. to Thonet
By Thonet
Located in New York, NY
Unusual bentwood and cane rocking chair, in the Vienna Secessionist style, probably mid 20th C vintage, Thonet - made in USA, unsigned. The chair is slightly smaller in scale, a vari...
Cane, Bentwood
Josef Hoffmann Chair for Jacob and Josef Kohn Furniture
By Josef Hoffmann
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Josef Hoffmann Chair Model 725 circa 1903-1905. Rare variation with caned seat and back. Usually found with upholstered seat and back. Chair is sometimes said to be by Gustav Siegel ...
Cane, Beech
$42,670 / set
H 29.5 in W 22.75 in D 17.5 in
Josef Hoffmann 'Fledermaus' Chairs Model No.728, Set of Ten
By Jacob & Josef Kohn, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Dallas, TX
A scarce set of ten early first edition "Fledermaus" chairs designed by Josef Hoffmann for the Wiener Werkstatte and featured in the J. & J. Kohn catalogues as model no. 728. Hoffman...
Leather, Wood
$1,120Sale Price|20% Off
H 26.5 in W 19.5 in D 20.75 in
1 Vintage Thonet Josef Hoffmann Style Bauhaus Chair
By Josef Hoffmann
Located in Pasadena, TX
Josef Hoffmann (Austria, 1870–1956) The Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann was a central figure in the evolution of modern design, and a leader in an aesthetic movement born in Europe in the late 19th century that rejected florid, extravagant ornamentation in favour of a new emphasis on simplicity of line. As a founder of the turn-of-the-century Wiener Werkstätte (in English: the Viennese Workshops), a design cooperative that produced superbly crafted furniture and housewares, Hoffmann was a pioneering practitioner of what would become a fundamental principle of modernism: that good design is a way of life. One vintage Josef Hoffmann Bauhaus style chair Classic Hoffmann style...
Bentwood
Armchairs by Gustav Siegel for Kohn
By Jacob & Josef Kohn, Gustav Siegel
Located in Vienna, AT
Armchairs by Gustav Siegel for Kohn (model no. 715) Beech, bent wood, curved, brown stained. Inside of the seat ring inscribed.: J. & J. KOH...
Brass
Office Chair nr.714 by Otto Wagner for J.J.Kohn
By Otto Wagner
Located in Hronská Breznica, Banskobystrický kraj
Office chair nr.714 by Otto Wagner for J.J.Kohn. Excellent original condition with signs of usage.
Leather, Bentwood
Original Wiener Werkstätte, Josef Hoffmann Chair, 1912
By Wiener Werkstätte, Woka Lamps, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Vienna, AT
An excellent example of the more decorative phase of Josef Hoffmann, before the WW1. Carpenter Jakob Soulek for the Wiener Werkstätte. Exhibited first in 1912 at the Museum für Kunst...
Pearwood
Pair of Josef Hoffmann Attr. Stools
By Woka Lamps, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Vienna, AT
Pair of puristic stools, ebonized beech wood.
Beech
Sold
H 26.5 in W 22.75 in L 26.5 in
Josef Hoffman Pair of Secessionist Bentwood Barrel Back Arm Chairs for J&J Kohn
By Jacob & Josef Kohn, Josef Hoffmann
Located in Philadelphia, PA
These lounge chairs from the early 1900s have an unusual bentwood design that makes them extremely rare. They have been totally refinished and reupholstered.
Beech
Sold
H 40.95 in W 21.66 in D 35.44 in
Art Nouveau Gustav Siegel Designed Jacob and Josef Kohn Bentwood Rocking Chair
By Jacob & Josef Kohn, Gustav Siegel
Located in Highclere, Newbury
Beautiful and sinuous dark stained Art Nouveau bentwood rocking chair, model 824, by Austrian designer Gustav Siegel and produced by Jacob and Joseph Kohn circa 1900. In very good antique condition with original screws, fixings and part label to the base of the seat. Many of the great Bauhaus designers of the 20th century drew their inspiration for their metal cantilever design chairs from both the RW Winfield...
Beech
Gustav Siegel, Viennese Secession Rocking Chair, Bentwood, circa 1900
By Jacob & Josef Kohn, Gustav Siegel
Located in Munster, NRW
A bentwood rocking chair, by Austrian Art Nouveau designer Gustav Siegel for Jacob & Josef Kohn, circa 1900. Good condition, perfectly functional, minors wares due to use and age.
Bentwood
Joseph Kohn, Black Bentwood and Caned Pair of Chairs, 1900s
By Jacob & Josef Kohn
Located in Chicago, IL
A stunning black bentwood and caned settee by Joseph Kohn. Tapered legs, a curved form and an original label that bears the Kohn name; it reads “Jacob & Jo...
Cane, Bentwood
Pair of Thonet Cafe Daum Bentwood Armchairs No. 4
By Jacob & Josef Kohn, Michael Thonet
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Rare pair of Jacob and Josef Kohn for Michael Thonet "Cafe Daum" armchairs no. 4. featuring a black lacquer ebonized finish. Originally designed fo...
Cane, Bentwood, Lacquer