Thonet chairs grace The Birnam Brasserie at Gleneagles, Scottish Interior Pictures

Thonet chairs grace The Birnam Brasserie at Gleneagles

Hotel Restaurant Interior in Scotland, UK – Products & Classics

9 Oct 2017

Thonet chairs grace The Birnam Brasserie

A famous name deserves the finest in furniture

A name famous in the world of hospitality, The Gleneagles Hotel has enjoyed a recent renovation which includes the creation of the elegant new Birnam Brasserie, designed in classic Parisian style. Naturally, the design team were keen to choose the most chic and authentic furnishing for the restaurant, including a full complement of iconic Thonet chairs.

Susanna Kingston, head designer on the project, took inspiration from the traditions of the great Parisian brasseries, renowned for offering both relaxed informality together with highest standards of service and culinary expertise.

“Every element of the design is a nostalgic nod to the buzzy and stylish glamour of these brasseries,” says Susanna, “while the scheme is also conscious of the location’s Scottish heritage and Gleneagles’ own traditions. We selected suppliers of the finest quality and luxury, the name Thonet being intrinsic to the traditional ‘cult’ of furniture makers that are famous within the restaurant industry. The new space is a warm and atmospheric setting, including features such as a Winter Garden and vaulted ceiling emporium.”

The Thonet chairs chosen for The Birnam Brasserie include sixty of the famous 214 chairs, in a walnut finish with caned seats and open hooped backs, plus forty-three of the 215, the version of this chair with a caned insert at back. A further twenty-six of the classically elegant 210 Thonet bentwood chairs with their distinctive curving arms (a favourite of architect Le Corbusier) also grace the new restaurant.

The Birnam Brasserie offers all-day dining, serving delicious French-American dishes using seasonal and locally-sourced Scottish produce. The Gleneagles Hotel first opened its doors in 1924 and continues to offer all the luxury of a five-star hotel, plus three championship golf courses, an award-winning spa, and the only restaurant in Scotland to hold two Michelin stars.

Thonet – future-oriented furniture design with a long tradition
The unique success story of Thonet began with the work of master carpenter Michael Thonet. Since establishing his first workshop in Boppard on the River Rhine in 1819, the name Thonet has stood for high-quality, innovative and elegant furniture. The breakthrough came with the iconic chair No. 14, the so-called Vienna Coffee House Chair: the pioneering technique of bending solid beech wood for the first time enabled the mass production of chairs.

The second milestone in design history was the tubular steel furniture by the famous Bauhaus architects Mart Stam, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer in the 1930s. At the time, Thonet was the world’s largest producer of these tubular steel furniture designs, which are considered timeless today.

For the company today, the continuous process of innovation stands in the foreground alongside a focus on tradition and fine craftsmanship. Thonet collaborates with renowned national and international designers – in addition, some of the furniture is designed by the in-house Thonet Design Team. All of the furniture is produced in the company-owned manufacturing facility, and, following the motto “Individuality is our standard”, custom-tailored solutions are part of everyday life in Frankenberg.

Chief Executive Officer Brian Boyd together with Chief Operating Officer Michael Erdelt and Creative Director Norbert Ruf manage the company at the corporate head offices and production site in Frankenberg/Eder (Germany). The descendants of Michael Thonet, the fifth and sixth generations, are actively involved with the company’s business as partners and sales representatives.

Thonet chairs grace The Birnam Brasserie at Gleneagles images / information received 091017

Website: ThonetThonet

Location: Auchterarder, Perthshire, Highlands – central Scotland