Chaise Tout Bois

Overview

The Chaise Tout Bois is dated 1941 and is, in Vitra's words, the only chair by Jean Prouvé that is made entirely out of wood. It comes in light oak or dark-stained oak.

Construction

• Seat and backrest of moulded plywood veneer in oak
• Non-stackable base of solid oak, in the same wood as the shell
• Solid oak (Quercus robur) from Croatia, veneer from the USA
• Vitra says its construction does not require a single screw

Specifications

• Fact sheet drawing: 460 mm wide, 490 mm deep, 805 mm high (the drawing names no axes)

Wood instead of metal

Vitra's page says the design is very similar to Prouvé's Standard chair, but wood replaced the metal base because metal was scarce during the Second World War. Several prototypes were built during the war to test the structure, the joints, the leg position and the connection between seat and back.

Image source: Vitra — Chaise Tout Bois · © Vitra and the respective rights holders. Quoted to accompany INTEBEE's independent design commentary and research. · View official product page ↗ · Image use & copyright policy

The 1947 award

In 1947 Prouvé won an award for the chair in the "Meubles de France" competition, which sought attractive, high-quality, mass-produced furnishings for the post-war needs of society.