Winter is an exciting time of year here at EventStable. I know it sounds weird, but a lot of the time this is when we start seeing the fruits of our product development efforts. This January is no different.
New to the warehouse floor and ready for spring events, are our Madison Bentwood Chairs
These chairs are amazing.
The finish is incredible. The quality of the craftsmanship? Like nothing I've ever seen mass produced.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's learn just a little bit about the bentwood style.
The Man Behind the Bentwood Chair
Michael Thonet
By unbekannt, okänt, unknown - "Möbeldesign", Public Domain
Bentwood chairs wouldn't exist without this gentleman to the left, Michael Thonet.
Thonet was a German-Austrian cabinet maker who lived from 1796-1871.
Relatively early in his career, he started experimenting with bending wood to make furniture by way of gluing thin slats together.
It was when he developed the steam-bending method of bending solid wood that things changed, and his popularity grew.
In 1859, Thonet's company designed what they called the "No. 14" chair.
This chair was one of the world's first pieces of mass-produced furniture, with over 50 million units sold prior to 1930!
Now I know I am a chair nerd, but you have to admit, this is all pretty incredible.
If you want to learn more about Thonet or the No. 14 chair, check out the listings on wikipedia here and here
The original Thonet No. 14 Chair
The Rise in Popularity for Weddings and Special Events
With 50 million chairs sold before my grandfather was born, and undoubtedly millions more in the last 90 years, saying ''rise in popularity'' sounds pretty ridiculous.
The bentwood style bistro chair is already incredibly popular just about everywhere you look - cafes, restaurants & designer homes.
For weddings, we are seeing a lot of popularity for these chairs in Europe and in Australia.
A quick Google search for these chairs will reveal a lot of the "hire" companies (that's fancy for "rental") are carrying these for weddings.
In the US though, you just aren't seeing this style very much. We are betting that the reason for that is simple, rental companies and event venues just can't buy bentwood chairs here!
That changes now.
Buy Bentwood Chairs Online at EventStable
We felt it was too hard to find somewhere to purchase bentwood chairs.
So we thought "Hey, let's manufacture our version of one of the most popular chairs of all time."
"And, while we are at it, let's make it stackable so it makes sense for the special event market."
I know, I know - we are some special geniuses over here.
You'll find these bentwood chairs in stock in three attractive colors:
Natural
Cognac
Ebony
Bentwood Chairs for Special Events
If you've read anything else we've written, you know that we care about stackability and portability.
For special event use, chairs need to be able to stack to be effective.
Wedding venues - you probably can't leave the chairs out all the time. They need to stack so you can store them, and move them efficiently between events.
Party rental companies - you're basically a warehouse that moves stuff in and out. Chairs need to stack to save space, and then you need to put them on a truck for deliveries.
Stackable Bentwood Chairs
So obviously, we made our chairs stackable.
To do this, we changed the shape of the seat. There are cut-outs at the back of the seat (not unlike a chiavari chair) that allow the legs of the chair on top to slip over and around.
Then, the end of the curved leg supports rest on the seat below! (Bonus: there are pads on the leg supports to protect the chair underneath)
Highest Quality Craftsmanship
When I tell you the quality is amazing, I am not kidding. Hopefully these photos do these chairs justice. From the finish, smoothness, jointery - the value on these Madison Bentwood Chairs is absolutely unparalleled.
Just a slight matte finish for a great initial appearance - but more important for easy maintence down the line.
Joints to connect bentwood are in standard places and symmetrical.
Your guests won't see this, but it matters. Braces on 4 legs and additional supports under the seat. All perfectly joined.
Are Bentwood Chairs Right For You?
If you're looking for the next great chair for your business, bentwoods might be the ticket.
Tent & Party Rental Companies
If you have a party rental company and are looking for a new chair this year, you should definitely be considering bentwood chairs.
Our initial research is showing an average rental rate of $11-12 per chair.
At the current delivered pricing, that's a 20% return on each rental.
**In other words - you get your money back after 5 rentals!**
Wedding Venues and Banquet Centers
If you have it, a bride didn't have to pay to rent it. And you didn't have to rent it yourself.
The ROI is the same.
If you had to rent these chairs, you'd spend the $11-12, plus delivery, plus damage waiver...
By the time you're done, you are spending $15 a chair - for every event.
Plus, I've always argued that a venue that has chairs included has so much more value to a client (one less thing to worry about).
Bentwood chairs will not disappoint.
Ok, I'm sold!
Author: Will Murphy
Will is one of the owners here at EventStable. He lives in Florida with three amazing ladies and a boxer named Frank. A former party rental operator, he cannot resist the urge to turn over a chair out in public to see who made it. "Dad, you love folding chairs", is the common response.
