Guéridon Bas Coffee Table

Artistic Wooden Coffee Table

The " Guéridon Bas " is one reason why Jean Prouvé is known almost more as a structural engineer than as a designer. Today, the coffee table is produced by Vitra . In the early 1940s, Jean Prouvé began to turn increasingly to wood as a material. The steel shortages of World War II and difficult production conditions forced designers to rethink their approaches, as the modern materials and manufacturing methods of the Bauhaus era were no longer available. So Prouvé set out to create furniture that was still modern, using classic materials and simple construction. The French designer achieved this by skillfully combining various design elements: In the “ Guéridon Bas ” coffee table, a heavy tabletop rests on three legs made of solid oak or solid walnut. The elements are connected by a structure made of folded sheet metal. The legs stand out visually and serve as a focal point. Thanks to its structural clarity, the “ Guéridon Bas ” coffee table appears very contemporary despite its traditional materials—then as now.