Jean Prouve Design

"Prouvé combines the soul of an engineer with that of an architect" -Le Corbusier

A previous focus on the works from Charles and Ray Eames and Hans Wegner have been and gone, today it is Jean Prouve. 

Jean Prouve was a self-taught architect and designer. Born in France, Jean Prouve completed his training as a metal artisan before opening his own workshop in 1924. Due to disagreements with majority shareholders, he left his own company in 1953 and served as a consultant on a number of important architectural projects in Paris.

Prouve’s designs were highly sought after on the contemporary auction market. In 1971, he played a major role in selecting the design of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers for the Centre Pompidou as a chairman of the competition jury. 

Whilst not as eye-catching or iconic as other designers, Prouve focused on the structural integrity and construction of his works first and foremost and his works were loved for that reason. 

The Gueridon Table

The Gueridon Table was designed and engineered by Jean Prouve for the University of Paris and was a change in Prouve’s material philosophies as he normally worked with steel and glass. This wooden table is a clear demonstration of structural integrity and is suitable for not only a domestic setting but also furnishing of cafes and restaurants. An example of the table can be found here.

Table Solvay

Commissioned by the Solvay Chemical Company, Jean Prouve executed a number of design pieces for Solvay and this was perhaps his most telling contribution. Again like the Gueridon, it demonstrated his construction methods: its structural details focus on taking away the forces and stresses on the joints in the table yet ensuring that the table displays a sense of refinement.

Prouve Standard Chair

Prouve strove for the most efficient designs and the Prouve Standard Chair exemplified that. Not the most eye catching, the Standard chair was created with respect to attention to construction, use of honest materials, functionality and mass production. The straight back legs bear the brunt of the ‘heavier’ consumer and the tubular front legs provide just enough support for the rest. The shaped seat surprisingly conforms quite nicely to the body. 

Patrick Doan is the Managing Director of Dash Designed.