Standard Chair - / By Jean prouvé, 1934 - Metal & wood by Vitra Natural wood

Treat yourself to an ORIGINAL iconic piece by Vitra. An original will always retain its value. An original will stay with you for your whole life and will outlive you, being passed on to the next generation. In 1934, Jean Prouvé, a French designer, architect and engineer, created the Standard chair. Entering the pantheon of design, the Standard chair is now part of the heritage of French design. Jean Prouvé started with a simple observation: on a chair, the weight of the body is carried mainly by the back legs, while the front legs are not used much. In 1934, he therefore designed a chair whose rear legs were reinforced, transmitting the load to the ground. While a steel tube is enough for the two less heavily loaded front legs, the back legs of the chair are made of large hollow bodies that transfer the load to the floor. The side view of the rear legs formed from a thin sheet of folded steel resembles an aeroplane wing which widens to the maximum at the seat frame - where the load is greatest. The upward narrowing of the hollow body of the seat frame also determines the angle and position of the backrest. The chair was introduced in 1934 as “Chair No. 4” and subsequently developed into different versions under the name “Standard”. This work is the perfect example of what’s at the centre of Jean Prouvé's many creations, namely an uncompromising orientation on the requirements of construction. Through its shape, the Standard Chair expresses Prouvé's intention to provide additional strength in the rear legs and in the transition between seat and back, where the human anatomy exerts the greatest load. Originally, the Standard chair was made in Jean Prouvé's own factory. Most of the time, the legs and frame were made of metal, while the seat and back were made of wood. There were also models made entirely of metal or, in particular during the war years when metal was scarce, entirely of wood. The model known today as the Standard Chair, manufactured by Vitra, combines a moulded plywood backrest with a lacquered sheet steel structure.