The magic curve. Beech and rattan furniture

At the end of the 19th century, the heating of wood, which could then be bent and, under certain conditions, hold the desired new curved shape, was considered to be almost magical. All wood can be curved, but beech and rattan were used because they are especially flexible and solid materials, very well-suited to making furniture.

Between the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the production and consumption of curved beech furniture developed all over Europe, with companies like Thonet Brothers and Jacob & Josef Kohn. At a national level, Valencian manufacturers led a production that found a warm welcome in Barcelona, and by extension throughout Catalonia, everywhere from wealthy homes to popular cafés. Today, well into the 21st century, the magic of the curve is sought-after once more, now using rattan wood.