table solvay
Design Jean Prouve,
1941
Solid wood top & base, powder-coated tubular steel strut
Jean Prouvé developed Table Solvay during the Second World War and due to the scarcity of metal at that time, he designed the elegant piece with wooden legs. The solid wood components in a choice of natural oak, dark smoked oak or American walnut lend the table a sense of ease and refinement.
1800W*900D*740H
2200W*900D*740H
2400W*900D*740H
Jean Prouvé (1901-1984) was a self-taught architect and designer who first apprenticed as a blacksmith and metalsmith. He grew up in Nancy, France surrounded by the ideals and energy of "l'école de Nancy," the art collective to which his father, Victor Prouvé, belonged. Its goals were to make art readily accessible, to forge links between art and industry, as well as between art and social consciousness. It would have a powerful influence on him. His designs reveal knowledge of the materials at hand, a commitment to collaboration between artists and craftsmen, and an attention to evolving technical developments. In 1947 he built the Maxéville factory where he produced furniture and undertook extensive architectural research on the uses of aluminum. Though he used sheet metal extensively, he rejected the use of steel tubing which was popular with the concurrent Bauhaus movement.
Vitra is a Swiss company dedicated to improving the quality of homes, offices and public spaces through the power of design. Following in the tradition of Charles & Ray Eames, who have influenced Vitra’s approach to sustainability in many ways, product longevity is central to the company’s contribution to sustainable development; short-lived styling is avoided at all costs. This can be seen most clearly in the classical pieces of furniture that have been used for decades, had several owners and have then even ended up as a part of a collection.