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REDEFINING AN ICON
JS . THONET – A Personal Interpretation by Jil Sander
written Amanda Mortenson
Certain names shape the way we see objects. Thonet, with its pioneering tubular steel furniture, and Jil Sander, with her legendary approach to purity and precision in fashion, have each left a lasting mark on the culture of modern design.
Now, these two forces meet in JS . THONET – A PERSONAL INTERPRETATION BY JIL SANDER, a collaboration that sees the acclaimed designer translate her unmistakable visual language into the world of furniture. Jil Sander, globally celebrated for her minimalist aesthetic and unwavering pursuit of quality, has stepped for the first time into the sphere of furniture design, selecting the iconic Thonet S 64 P as her canvas.
S 64 P Serious 03 graphite green - Detail
MARCEL BREUER* 1929 / 1930
Edited personally by Jil Sander, 2025
S 64 P Serious 03 graphite green
MARCEL BREUER* 1929 / 1930
Edited personally by Jil Sander, 2025
Originally conceived by Marcel Breuer in 1929/30 (artistic copyright: Mart Stam), the S 64 was already a symbol of Bauhaus innovation, pairing steel with wood and the graphic lightness of Viennese canework.
Sander’s interpretation, created for the Signature Collection JS . THONET – A PERSONAL INTERPRETATION BY JIL SANDER, does not seek to disrupt the past, but rather to renew it—amplifying what makes the classic truly timeless.
Two design lines define her approach. SERIOUS and NORDIC. In the SERIOUS edition, the S 64 P takes on a new presence with a titanium-like gloss on the frame, high-gloss lacquered wood details, and seat and backrest options in four nuanced shades of leather or a deeply stained Viennese canework named DARK MELANGE. Sander draws inspiration from the lacquer of Steinway grand pianos, the soft leather upholstery of vintage English automobiles, and the understated sheen of matte nickelsilver found in architecture. The result is a chair that feels meticulously crafted and unmistakably contemporary—a new level of sophistication for a Bauhaus classic.
The NORDIC version offers a lighter touch, with gentle woods and calm surfaces that evoke the clarity and balance of Northern European design. Both lines express Sander’s core philosophy; reduction without compromise, elegance in every gesture, and material quality that is felt before it is seen.
S 64 P Serious 03 graphite green
MARCEL BREUER* 1929 / 1930
Edited personally by Jil Sander, 2025
S 64 P Serious 03 graphite green
MARCEL BREUER* 1929 / 1930
Edited personally by Jil Sander, 2025
S 64 P Serious 03 graphite green
MARCEL BREUER* 1929 / 1930
Edited personally by Jil Sander, 2025
This vision extends to the complementary B 97 side table, another Thonet classic reinterpreted by JS . THONET – A PERSONAL INTERPRETATION BY JIL SANDER. Originally designed in 1933, the B 97’s newly adapted construction includes an open side, allowing the tables to be pulled over sofa, armchair, or bed, or nested efficiently when not in use. The table tops are finished to match the chairs, available in high-gloss lacquer in four shades or in Nero Marquina marble, providing continuity and a sense of holistic design. Every piece in the JS . THONET collection is discreetly engraved with Sander’s facsimile signature—a subtle mark of authenticity and creative exchange. This is a meeting of legacies, each detail testifying to Sander’s conviction that true luxury lies in restraint and attention.
JS . THONET – A PERSONAL INTERPRETATION BY JIL SANDER is a study in transformation. The S 64 P, through Sander’s eyes, becomes something at once deeply familiar and refreshingly new: a piece of living history, distilled and elevated for a contemporary audience. It stands as a quiet but powerful invitation to rethink the classics—through a deep and reverent dialogue with the past.
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