Vitra Jean Prouve Side Chair

About the Designer
Jean Prouve France (1904 - 1984)

Jean Prouvé, born 1901 in Paris, was trained as a metal artisan under Emile Robert, Enghien und Szabo in Paris. In 1924 he opened his own workshop in Nancy and began to produce his first furnishings made of formed sheet steel in 1925. He was a founding member of the Union des Artistes Modernes (UAM) in 1930. In the following year he established his own manufacturing firm, Les Ateliers Jean Prouvé. During the 1930s, the company produced numerous furniture designs, as well as some of the first prefabricated architectural elements, including components for the Maison du Peuple in Clichy (in collaboration with the architects Beaudoin and Lods), whose steel-and-glass structure attracted a great deal of attention. Due to the scarcity of steel during the Second World War, Prouvé constructed wood furniture and developed simple houses made out of prefabricated parts. Active in the French Résistance, Prouvé was elected mayor of Nancy after the city was liberated. He designed and constructed residential buildings for the homeless. In 1947 he established the Maxéville factory, a facility of 25,000 square meters in which furnishings, prefabricated homes and schools were produced by 200 employees. In order to meet the increasing demand for furniture, this division came under the direction of Steph Simon as a separate division with exclusive marketing rights in 1949. Due to disagreements with the majority shareholders, Jean Prouvé left the company in 1953. He designed and built his own residence in 1954. After working as head of the construction office of the Compagnie Industrielle de Matériel de Transport (CIMT) in Paris between 1957-68, Prouvé ran his own architectural consulting firm in Paris from 1968-84. He taught as professor at the Conservatoire des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) from 1957-70. As chairman of the jury for the Centre Pompidou architectural competition in 1971, he played a major role in selecting the design of Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. Between 1980-84, Prouvé again turned his attention to the further development of his furniture designs. He died in Nancy in 1984. In many of his works, Jean Prouvé achieved the goal of uniting functional requirements, the honest use of materials and economical concerns with the complex demands of mass production. Beginning in 2002, in close collaboration with the Prouvé family, Vitra has devoted itself to the re-edition of numerous designs by this great constructeur.

Chairs take the most strain on their back legs, where they bear the weight of their user's upper body. Prouvé took this into account very succinctly in Standard Chair. Tubular steel piping is enough for the front legs that take relatively little strain, whereas the back legs are made of voluminous hollow sections which pass the strain on to the floor. Choose from five frame/seat color combinations which will dramatically add to the decor of your home.

Features:

• Jean Prouve collection
• Powder-coated sheet steel and tubular steel frame
• Seat and backrest in untreated oak or oak with dark stain
• Varnished oak for natural wood effect

Specifications:

• Overall Dimensions: 35.75" H x 16.5" W x 19.25" D
• Seat Height: 17.75"

Design:

• Design is the process by which almost all objects in Vitra's surroundings are instilled with a specific design and function - from cars to paper clips, from clothing to chairs. And design does not just mean giving things a shape. Design creates the basis which enables things to function in the desired manner. It is a process in which complementary but often mutually contradictory requirements have to be met (comfort, technology, ergonomics, ecology, economics, aesthetics). Design can be successful only when the balance of all these factors is attained.

Quality:

• Once in the factory, Vitra staff manufacture furniture to precise standards, individually ensuring the quality of each product
• Vitra has been certified for DIN EN ISO 9001: 2000.
• Vitra's focus on quality does not end at the factory door - they believe that providing clients with exceptional service is just as important as manufacturing furniture. In order to make certain Vitra clients enjoy consistently high quality in all Vitra products, they have set up their own test center which monitors products against criteria that are far more stringent than the statutory standards.

Ergonomics:

• Ergonomics is an applied science that studies the relationship between human beings and machines. Vitra produces furniture that responds to the ergonomic requirements of the body and as a consequence has a positive effect on health and well-being. All Vitra products (except for the experimental series Vitra Edition) have been tested by independent institutions. They comply with prescribed standards under the European Directive on VDU Work and are marked with the GS seal (= Geprüfte Sicherheit or Tested Safety, seal of the independent certification company LGA).

Ecology:

• Vitra's contribution to ecological conservation does not stop with a close examination of materials and processes. All aspects of the company's work involve ecological thinking.
• In 1991, Vitra set up an internal ecology committee to discuss environmental topics. This team identifies new tasks, and its project teams work together to find solutions.
• Vitra uses only non-CFC foams and adhesives free of toxic solvents; all possible materials are recycled. Wherever possible, Vitra uses recycled materials.
• Vitra's goal during production is to minimize noise and emission levels as well as to reduce waste. Packaging materials are kept to a minimum and re-used as often as possible.

NOTE: This is a special-order item. As such, orders for this item cannot be cancelled once placed. To ensure your satisfaction, please call us with any questions you have prior to ordering.