Vitra’s Massive New Book Is a Treasure Trove of Furniture Design History
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Designer and engineer Jean Prouvé developed the EM Table around 1950 for Maison Tropicale, an early prefabricated home. The table adheres to the aesthetics of necessity, and even its smallest details are determined by its construction. The canted legs are connected by a crossbar, illustrating the structural forces and flow of stresses in a way that is typically seen only in engineered structures.