The Artist of Utility
Jean Prouvé (1901-1984) was a French blacksmith turned architect and designer. Born into a family of artists, with a sculptor-painter father and a pianist mother, Prouvé developed an early appreciation for the creative pursuits. His father was a member of the École de Nancy, a collective of artists aiming to bring social consciousness and accessibility to art, which led Prouvé to acquire their ideals and beliefs.
Starting out as a blacksmith, he translated his engineering skills and intimate knowledge of metal into aesthetic creations. His work eventually earned him praise from world renowned architects, with Le Corbusier famously pronouncing him a ‘constructeur’ due to his industrial approach. A renowned self-taught designer and architect, Prouvé transformed the industry by designing prefabricated buildings and furniture. Skillfully merging the beauty and the function, ensuring mobility and accessibility. His revolutionary designs, such as Maison Tropicale or The Standard Chair, remain unparalleled to this day.
18 October 2014
Collaborations
Prouvé RAW: Furniture Done Raw
Logic, balance, and purity – the foundations of Jean Prouvé’s philosophy. These principles are just as relevant now as they were almost a century ago. Like the French furniture designer, we are fascinated by the fusion of utility and aesthetics. Together with the famous Swiss furniture manufacturer Vitra, we’ve updated his classic pieces with a contemporary look and feel. Resulting in two limited-edition capsule collections.
Modernist Designs Revived
In our first collaboration with Vitra in 2011, we created a reinterpretation of Prouvé’s furniture classics, named Prouvé RAW. Inspired by our mutual passion for his iconic modernist designs, we worked together to translate them into our visual language. And rediscover the charm of his lesser-known works. The Prouvé RAW collection consists of 18 design classics that embrace the essence of the architect’s work. Updated with contemporary colors, textiles, and details.
In our first collaboration with Vitra in 2011, we created a reinterpretation of Prouvé’s furniture classics, named Prouvé RAW. Inspired by our mutual passion for his iconic modernist designs, we worked together to translate them into our visual language. And rediscover the charm of his lesser-known works. The Prouvé RAW collection consists of 18 design classics that embrace the essence of the architect’s work. Updated with contemporary colors, textiles, and details.
Back to The Office
The Prouvé RAW: Office Edition line is our second crossover collection with Vitra. It revives a series of furniture and lighting originals designed by Prouvé: 11 pieces, including office chairs, lamps, and tables. Originally created in the 1940s for French industrial offices. The limited-edition collection comes in the green colorways of classic industrial machinery. Featuring necessary adaptions for the modern man and office. From increased desk heights to hidden spaces for laptop cords. Constructed from steel and solid timber and finished in leather and premium fabrics. Together with Vitra, we engineered contemporary functionality, true to the quality and aesthetic of Prouvé’s original pieces.
The project was initiated as custom pieces to furnish our newly-constructed headquarters in Amsterdam; designed and built by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in 2014. Inspired by Prouvé’s construction approach and material use, this was the perfect opportunity to revive and update his renowned design office furniture. “It’s wonderful to see that individual pieces are returning to the office,” the architect’s daughter Catherine Prouvé says. “The place for which they were originally designed.”
The Prouvé RAW: Office Edition line is our second crossover collection with Vitra. It revives a series of furniture and lighting originals designed by Prouvé: 11 pieces, including office chairs, lamps, and tables. Originally created in the 1940s for French industrial offices. The limited-edition collection comes in the green colorways of classic industrial machinery. Featuring necessary adaptions for the modern man and office. From increased desk heights to hidden spaces for laptop cords. Constructed from steel and solid timber and finished in leather and premium fabrics. Together with Vitra, we engineered contemporary functionality, true to the quality and aesthetic of Prouvé’s original pieces.
The project was initiated as custom pieces to furnish our newly-constructed headquarters in Amsterdam; designed and built by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) in 2014. Inspired by Prouvé’s construction approach and material use, this was the perfect opportunity to revive and update his renowned design office furniture. “It’s wonderful to see that individual pieces are returning to the office,” the architect’s daughter Catherine Prouvé says. “The place for which they were originally designed.”