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Total Filling Station (1969) Prouvé's attractive gas station, with its clear glass facade, demonstrates a key aspect of his work—the idea that furniture and architecture require the same thinking process. The joints of this polygonal structure recall something you may see in his furniture designs.
Total Filling Station (1969) Prouvé's attractive gas station, with its clear glass facade, demonstrates a key aspect of his work—the idea that furniture and architecture require the same thinking process. The joints of this polygonal structure recall something you may see in his furniture designs.
MASSIMILIANO and DORIANA FUKSAS Francesca Molteni writes, "A table, a window, a royal square, statues and horses. In Paris, Place des Vosges, Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas’s home. Original Jean Prouvé furniture, and masses of artworks, from Fontana to Paladino. On the threshold, antique warriors stand guard over the house and protect it, like custodians awaiting the return of its traveling architects." Photo by Aki Furudate.
MASSIMILIANO and DORIANA FUKSAS Francesca Molteni writes, "A table, a window, a royal square, statues and horses. In Paris, Place des Vosges, Doriana and Massimiliano Fuksas’s home. Original Jean Prouvé furniture, and masses of artworks, from Fontana to Paladino. On the threshold, antique warriors stand guard over the house and protect it, like custodians awaiting the return of its traveling architects." Photo by Aki Furudate.
Maison Tropicale (1950) Probably Prouvé's most famous prefab structure—made so after hotelier Andrew Balazs reportedly paid nearly $5 million for a model a few years ago—this metal prototype was built to provide housing in France's African colonies. According to his grandson Serge Drouin, a special "box-in-box" construction technique created ventilation for the home as the metal facade warmed in order to provide comfortable living in the hot African climate.
Maison Tropicale (1950) Probably Prouvé's most famous prefab structure—made so after hotelier Andrew Balazs reportedly paid nearly $5 million for a model a few years ago—this metal prototype was built to provide housing in France's African colonies. According to his grandson Serge Drouin, a special "box-in-box" construction technique created ventilation for the home as the metal facade warmed in order to provide comfortable living in the hot African climate.
Combining old and new, Renaldi and Boyd placed the latter’s family piano and a painted metal Jean Prouvé bench in the entryway, each a fine counterpoint to the filigree of Magnes’s screen.
Combining old and new, Renaldi and Boyd placed the latter’s family piano and a painted metal Jean Prouvé bench in the entryway, each a fine counterpoint to the filigree of Magnes’s screen.
After World War II, the Ateliers Jean Prouvé reinvigorated their research into “demountables,” a new type of assembly-required chair akin to what we might call “flat pack” today.
After World War II, the Ateliers Jean Prouvé reinvigorated their research into “demountables,” a new type of assembly-required chair akin to what we might call “flat pack” today.
Les Jours Meilleurs House (1956) The "better days" house was inspired by the plight of a homeless woman and child, who passed away in the cold on a Paris street in 1954. After an appeal by the famous priest Abbé Pierre to solve the social housing crisis, Prouvé developed this 50-square-meter, low-budget prototype, which boasted a kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms.
Les Jours Meilleurs House (1956) The "better days" house was inspired by the plight of a homeless woman and child, who passed away in the cold on a Paris street in 1954. After an appeal by the famous priest Abbé Pierre to solve the social housing crisis, Prouvé developed this 50-square-meter, low-budget prototype, which boasted a kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms.
The Demountable chair CB22 resembles Prouvé’s Standard chair from 1930 quite closely. Gallerist and collector Patrick Seguin relates this era of industrial design to Prouvé’s similar efforts in prefab architecture: “Like his houses, kit-manufactured and ready to be inhabited, this piece [CB22] seemed utopian back then. Today it looks like an ideological, social, and political future.”
The Demountable chair CB22 resembles Prouvé’s Standard chair from 1930 quite closely. Gallerist and collector Patrick Seguin relates this era of industrial design to Prouvé’s similar efforts in prefab architecture: “Like his houses, kit-manufactured and ready to be inhabited, this piece [CB22] seemed utopian back then. Today it looks like an ideological, social, and political future.”
“There is no difference between building furniture and building a house.” —Designer Jean Prouvé
“There is no difference between building furniture and building a house.” —Designer Jean Prouvé
F 8X8 BCC House (1942) Prouvé's skill at constructing and adapting to different situations wasn't limited to metal. While collaborating with Pierre Jeanneret during WWII, he helped fashion this mostly wooden structure meant to ease housing shortages and provide shelter for refugees, all built around an axial portal frame.
F 8X8 BCC House (1942) Prouvé's skill at constructing and adapting to different situations wasn't limited to metal. While collaborating with Pierre Jeanneret during WWII, he helped fashion this mostly wooden structure meant to ease housing shortages and provide shelter for refugees, all built around an axial portal frame.
6X6 Demountable House (1944) Prouvé created these temporary bungalows as postwar housing for Lorraine, France, via a commission from the Ministry of Reconstruction and Town Planning. To reinforce the ease with which these structures were assembled and dissassembled on site, one model was built and then taken apart every day during Art Basel Miami 2013.
6X6 Demountable House (1944) Prouvé created these temporary bungalows as postwar housing for Lorraine, France, via a commission from the Ministry of Reconstruction and Town Planning. To reinforce the ease with which these structures were assembled and dissassembled on site, one model was built and then taken apart every day during Art Basel Miami 2013.
The Balancing Barn in Suffolk: On the edge of a nature reserve a few miles from the Suffolk coast, the MVRDV-designed Balancing Barn cantilevers over the surrounding meadow.
The Balancing Barn in Suffolk: On the edge of a nature reserve a few miles from the Suffolk coast, the MVRDV-designed Balancing Barn cantilevers over the surrounding meadow.
Here, a Jean Prouve-inspired entry table sits in front of a large-scale photograph by Massimo Vitali.
Here, a Jean Prouve-inspired entry table sits in front of a large-scale photograph by Massimo Vitali.
In the quiet eating nook, a custom bench sidles up to a Saarinen Side Table and Vitra Standard chair by Jean Prouve.
In the quiet eating nook, a custom bench sidles up to a Saarinen Side Table and Vitra Standard chair by Jean Prouve.
New interior finishes, furniture, and a guesthouse were part of the restoration/renovation of John Lautner's Chemosphere, a 1960s house that makes frequent cameos in film and television.
New interior finishes, furniture, and a guesthouse were part of the restoration/renovation of John Lautner's Chemosphere, a 1960s house that makes frequent cameos in film and television.
Green wall paint marks the bar area of the tasting room, where Warren Platner-designed chairs from Knoll encircle a Jean Prouve-designed table.
Green wall paint marks the bar area of the tasting room, where Warren Platner-designed chairs from Knoll encircle a Jean Prouve-designed table.
Choosing not to make a big to-do of itself, this cottage blends in with its surroundings. A wall of glass on one end allows a merger of the outdoors with the interiors, while white trim leaves the appearance of a snow-kissed façade year-round. Berlin, Germany. By Atelier st Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH from the book Rock the Shack, Copyright Gestalten 2013.
Choosing not to make a big to-do of itself, this cottage blends in with its surroundings. A wall of glass on one end allows a merger of the outdoors with the interiors, while white trim leaves the appearance of a snow-kissed façade year-round. Berlin, Germany. By Atelier st Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH from the book Rock the Shack, Copyright Gestalten 2013.
Transformer or beach hut? Positioned in a coastal erosion zone, this holiday retreat for a family of five is completely capable of being relocated. An oversized shutter allows for protection from the elements when not in use and opens to allow sun in during the winter or provide shade on hot summer days. Waikato, New Zealand. By Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects, from the book Rock the Shack, Copyright Gestalten 2013.
Transformer or beach hut? Positioned in a coastal erosion zone, this holiday retreat for a family of five is completely capable of being relocated. An oversized shutter allows for protection from the elements when not in use and opens to allow sun in during the winter or provide shade on hot summer days. Waikato, New Zealand. By Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects, from the book Rock the Shack, Copyright Gestalten 2013.
The ever-changing, lush wooded surroundings of Minnesota, such as those experienced at this 8,000-square-foot Type Variant House outside of Minneapolis designed by Coen and Partners, are right near the small town of New Richland.
The ever-changing, lush wooded surroundings of Minnesota, such as those experienced at this 8,000-square-foot Type Variant House outside of Minneapolis designed by Coen and Partners, are right near the small town of New Richland.
A Chilean home’s dramatic stained-pine exterior references local vernacular architecture.
A Chilean home’s dramatic stained-pine exterior references local vernacular architecture.
The second Jean Nouvel-inspired staircase lives outside, clinging to the side of the house and leading up to the roof deck, where there's a hot tub shaded by sun sails.
The second Jean Nouvel-inspired staircase lives outside, clinging to the side of the house and leading up to the roof deck, where there's a hot tub shaded by sun sails.
The Museum for Architectural Drawing in Berlin, designed by Russian firm SPEECH Tchoban & Kuznetsov, has a wooden door that mimics the structure's textured concrete exterior.
The Museum for Architectural Drawing in Berlin, designed by Russian firm SPEECH Tchoban & Kuznetsov, has a wooden door that mimics the structure's textured concrete exterior.
“Never design anything that cannot be made,” Prouvé once said.
“Never design anything that cannot be made,” Prouvé once said.
Shulman's shot of Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House No. 22 in 1960 became one of the most iconic photographs of modern U.S. architecture and many felt like it encapsulated Los Angeles during at that time. Shulman ultimately photographed 18 of the 26 Case Study Houses commissioned by Arts & Architecture magazine. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. Julius Shulman Photography Archive, Research Library at the Getty Research Institute
Shulman's shot of Pierre Koenig’s Case Study House No. 22 in 1960 became one of the most iconic photographs of modern U.S. architecture and many felt like it encapsulated Los Angeles during at that time. Shulman ultimately photographed 18 of the 26 Case Study Houses commissioned by Arts & Architecture magazine. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. Julius Shulman Photography Archive, Research Library at the Getty Research Institute
Women in Architecture Survey: According to the results of the Architect’s Journal Women in Architecture survey, the pay in the architecture field is still unequal and discrimination is common.
Women in Architecture Survey: According to the results of the Architect’s Journal Women in Architecture survey, the pay in the architecture field is still unequal and discrimination is common.
The Andersen Architectural Collection’s Eagle windows and doors provide the panes and passageways of the home.
The Andersen Architectural Collection’s Eagle windows and doors provide the panes and passageways of the home.
Jean Prouve
Jean Prouve
Jean Prouve
Jean Prouve
Architectural ispiration and exhibition posters fill the walls of Juhl's home office. Two chairs of Juhl's design are placed on the side of his desk, designed in 1945.
Architectural ispiration and exhibition posters fill the walls of Juhl's home office. Two chairs of Juhl's design are placed on the side of his desk, designed in 1945.
Milman Road Renovation The Syte Architecture team referenced the past while assembling the two-story addition, cladding the exterior in zinc and reused brick from the original wall so it blended with the express chimneys and surrounding structures. Photos by Syte Achitecture
Milman Road Renovation The Syte Architecture team referenced the past while assembling the two-story addition, cladding the exterior in zinc and reused brick from the original wall so it blended with the express chimneys and surrounding structures. Photos by Syte Achitecture
Jean Prouve, Maison Tropicale
Jean Prouve, Maison Tropicale
The U.S. State Department has just announced the representatives for the American pavilion at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale: New York's Storefront for Art and Architecture, helmed by the inimitable Eva Franch i Gilabert, will be programming the U.S. pavilion alongside Ashley Schafer of PRAXIS Journal and Ana Miljački, from MIT's architecture program. The trio—with input from Natasha Jen of Pentagram, Architizer, CLOG, and Leong Leong, who will design the pavilion's physcial space—will stage an "active, experimental architectural office that researches, studies, and remakes 1,000 projects designed by American architecture firms and exported abroad." To learn more about the players involved, take a trip with us through the Dwell archives.
The U.S. State Department has just announced the representatives for the American pavilion at the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale: New York's Storefront for Art and Architecture, helmed by the inimitable Eva Franch i Gilabert, will be programming the U.S. pavilion alongside Ashley Schafer of PRAXIS Journal and Ana Miljački, from MIT's architecture program. The trio—with input from Natasha Jen of Pentagram, Architizer, CLOG, and Leong Leong, who will design the pavilion's physcial space—will stage an "active, experimental architectural office that researches, studies, and remakes 1,000 projects designed by American architecture firms and exported abroad." To learn more about the players involved, take a trip with us through the Dwell archives.
Jean Prouve, demountable house
Jean Prouve, demountable house

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