Jean Prouvé (1901-1984) is best known as a designer of buildings and furniture, but he trained first as a metalworker. World War II had hit his family’s finances hard, forcing the young Frenchman to abandon his childhood dream of becoming an engineer. The move proved pivotal; Prouvé’s most iconic designs are underpinned by a deep understanding of how metal behaves under stress. This prompted him to design the angular, tapered legs that became his signature, made famous by his innovative ‘Standard Chair’ (1934).
Prouvé understood that a chair is most likely to break at the point where it carries the weight of the torso, typically the back of the seat. His solution was to oversize these components, creating a joyful contrast with the steel tubes that formed the rest of the frame.
With the ‘Fauteuil Direction Pivotant’ (1951), he created a task chair that follows a similar logic. First known as ‘Chair 353’, it was part of a family of furniture developed in the 1940s and 50s for the offices of a French industrial company.
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The initial design was for a seat with a four-point star base (rather than today’s five), with tapered pieces providing the desired strength. A gentle angle was also incorporated into the tubular metal frame, providing additional support to the sitter. The result was a design with a strong visual sense of balance and solidity, completed by timber armrests and a generously padded seat and back cushions.
More than 60 years later, this swivel chair found an unlikely champion in denim label G-Star Raw. In 2014, the Dutch company chose to furnish its newly completed Amsterdam headquarters with Prouvé furniture. This led to a collaboration with the designer’s daughter, Catherine Prouvé, and to furniture manufacturer Vitra giving 17 classic pieces a contemporary upgrade.
Now a star of Vitra’s collection, the updated ‘Fauteuil Direction Pivotant’ pairs its distinct aesthetic with the latest ergonomic technology, allowing easy seat-height adjustment and a comfortable backwards tilt. Available in a range of satisfying mid-century-inspired colour combinations, it makes an eye-catching addition to any workplace. From £2,871, vitra.com
