Cesca Chair (B32)
Marcel Breuer Cesca Chair
Designed by Marcel Breuer in 1928, the Cesca Chair is a defining piece of Bauhaus design - celebrated for its clean lines, cantilevered form, and innovative use of tubular steel.
Cane with Mod Restoration
At Mod, it’s all about the proper cane work for the Cesca chair. We offer both hand-caning and machine caning, depending on the era of the chair. We also carefully refinish the wood frame to bring back its original tone and depth. Click below to get an instant quote for your Cesca chair or stool.
Original Production (Late 1920s–1940s)
Marcel Breuer’s very early Cesca chairs (originally produced by Thonet in the late 1920s/early 1930s) used true hand-woven cane (hand caning). This method involves weaving individual strands of cane through drilled holes in the frame—labor-intensive and more refined in appearance.
Transition to Machine Cane (Mid-20th Century)
As production expanded in the 1940s and 1950s, manufacturers—including the Italian company Gavina—shifted toward using pre-woven cane sheets (machine cane). This cane was either pressed into a routed groove and secured with a spline (commonly known as pressed or machine cane), or hand-laced along the edges to mimic the appearance of hand caning without weaving each strand individually. These methods are much faster, neater and more cost-effective.
Knoll Production (Post-1960s)
When Knoll began producing the Cesca Chair in 1968 after acquiring the rights, most chairs featured machine-woven cane secured with a spline. More recently, Knoll has reintroduced a hand-laced detail - hand-tying the cane along the edges to replicate the look of traditional hand caning. This approach is often referred to as the hybrid cane method, as it combines machine cane sheets with the traditional hand cane edges.
Did you know
The Cesca chair was named after Marcel Breuer’s daughter, Francesca.
Today
Most vintage and modern Cesca chairs you see are machine-caned, especially from Knoll and later mass production.
Hand caning is typically reserved for early originals or high-end restorations—and it’s considered more authentic and valuable. Mod Restoration does both methods depending on your chair's existing method or our client's personal preference.
Quick way to tell
Hand cane → visible holes around the perimeter, individual strands woven through
Machine cane → smooth groove with a spline (no visible holes)
I like to think that my work has not been a ‘style,’ but rather an attitude.
— Marcel Breuer
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