The Standard Chair is one of several office chairs designed by Jean Prouvé from 1930 in the course of his investigations into furniture for the Cité Universitaire de Nancy. Trained as a blacksmith, Prouvé went on to create products using the folded sheet metal technique he developed in his Nancy workshops. Noticing that chairs take most of their stress on the back legs, he used his folded sheet metal technique on several chairs, including the Standard Chair. While steel tubing suffices for the front legs, the back legs are made of voluminous hollow sections that transfer the load to the floor. Now reissued by Vitra, this chair is once again available to those who love functional furniture with simple shapes. It is perfect either around a dining room table or as a small desk chair.
Color
Noir
Colour
black
Material
wood
Dimensions
l 42cm x D 48.8cm x H 82cm, Seat H 45cm
Matériaux
chêne naturel, acier finition époxy, la finition métal brut présente une surface brute irrégulière
Availability
6 to 8 weeks
Finish
folded sheet steel and round tube, epoxy finish, varnished natural oak
Born in Paris in 1901, Jean Prouvé apprenticed as a silversmith with Emile Robert in Enghien and Szabo in Paris, before continuing his studies at the Ecole Supérieure de Nancy. From 1923 onwards, he established himself as a builder-designer through a body of architectural and furniture work that advocated an aesthetic of necessity. In 1930, he co-founded the artists' association "Union des Artistes Modernes" (U.A.M.), and in 1931 he created "Les Ateliers Jean Prouvé". It was here that many pieces of furniture were created in the 1930s, as well as the first prefabricated architectural elements. His university furniture, Cité (1931) and Antony (1954), ingeniously manage utilitarian aspects, respect for and economy of material and the demands of mass production. For some years now, Vitra has been reissuing the finest examples of its furniture production. Among his greatest design classics is Antony, a unique armchair. The latter stands out for its surprising structure, which Jean Prouvé combined with a strikingly dynamic form. Another example is the Potence swivel wall lamp designed in 1950 for the "Tropique" house, rightly considered to be the designer's purist masterpiece.
2.
VITRA
Vitra was founded in 1950 by Willi Fehlbaum and Erika Fehlbaum. The design furniture company Vitra is based near Basel, Switzerland. Starting in 1981, the design brand Vitra grew and opened many subsidiaries worldwide. The founders had spotted Eames Lounge Chairs by Charles and Ray Eames during a trip to New York, USA. They were immediately captivated and therefore requested a license to produce these pieces of furniture in Europe. In 1956, Vitra acquired this license, which became one of the keys to the brand's success.