• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.140-149
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• 2004

The bentwood technique was introduced for the Windsor chair for the first time in the 18th Century. It was Michael Thonet who produced the bentwood chair in Austria around the 1870's, and it has changed the perception of architects and designers since then. The bentwood chair suggested a new and eccentric way of manufacturing furniture and the process of producing materials for it. Moreover, the method of furniture assembling, with screw nails, made a positive contribution not only to the convenience of transport and distribution of furniture to anywhere in the world, but also to the development of mass production of furniture for the multitudes. The bentwood technique of Michael Thonet was developed much further by Alvar Aalto, who inferred a soft curve from nature and developed the beauty of modern laminated bentwood by using birch, a plentiful resource of Finland. This study will help us to understand the functions and process of bentwood furniture, and help to develop technical skills for diverse furniture design. It will also confirm that diverse bentwood furniture design will be possible by applying materials, technical skills and the design process of bentwood according to the characteristics and concept of furniture design.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.222-231
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• 2009

At researching the history of furniture design, furniture based on the bentwood technique was often seen. There are different bending ways of wood. Among others the steam bending technique had been used since long time, but it's detailed method has been much less studied in Korea yet. The aim of the present study was to investigate the theoretical approach and making ways & process of the steam bending technique, and furthermore to utilize it for the works of the students majoring furniture design. This intends that the steam bending technique will be widely distributed by doing a mock up and it will be diversely used for development of more different furniture designs.