Architects’ Furniture, 1960-2020

What I have always found intriguing about architect’ furniture, is tracing their architecture thinking in the object. An exercise I often hand my students is identifying whether a piece of furniture was designed by a fashion designer, industrial designer, artist, or architect. It teaches them how to look, think, and create.

Now, a new exhibition, ‘Architects’ Furniture, 1960-2020′ at the Cité de l’architecture & du patrimoine in Paris comes to explore this territory. It seeks to ‘discover how architects fit into the decorative arts with the design of furniture, objects and luminaires,’ through objects from various permanent collections of museums in Paris. What I find mostly compelling about this show, more than the theoretical thesis, which I find somehow thin (‘some see furniture and the luminaire as miniature architectures and insist that their mission should encompass this activity aspect, which is intrinsic to their practice), is the brilliant selection of objects, representing an enormous diversity of personal expressions. These objects, furniture, lighting, and others should be utilized as an exercise in training your eye, sharpening your taste, and challenging your knowledge. If you travel to Paris, make sure to visit this fabulous show. 

Above:  Marc Held, fauteuil Culbuto et son repose-pieds, 1967, Knoll © Knoll International

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Isabelle Serre, chaise longue, 1983 avec l’aimable autorisation du Mobilier national © Collection du Mobilier national-photo. Isabelle Bideau

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Eero Saarinen, fauteuil Tulip n150, 1956-1957, Knoll © Knoll International

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Alessandro Mendini, banquette Kandissi, 1980, Alchimia © photo Design Museum Gent

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17. Aldo Rossi, service Tea and Coffee Piazza, 1983, Alessi © Alessi

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Frank Gehry, fauteuil Power Play, 1992, Knoll © Knoll International © Frank O. Gehry-Cnap Crédit photo. Bruno Scotti

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Jean Nouvel, low chair Milana, 1995, Sawaya & Moroni © Sawaya & Moroni, Milan, Italy © Adagp, Paris, 2019

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Gaetano Pesce, chaise Dalila, 1980 © Courtesy of Gaetano Pesce’s office

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Sophie Dries, Marble shade, 2017 © Piet Albert Goethals

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Christian Biecher, Flying dots, exposition Light Prose, 2008, Saazs ® Morgane Le Gall – Saazs

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MAL – Daniel Widrig et Guan Lee, chaise Ecoire, 2017 © MAL-Daniel Widrig and Guan Lee

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Paulo Mendas da Rocha, fauteuil Paulistano, 1957, Objekto © Objekto

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17. Kazumasa Yamashita, service Tea and Coffee Piazza, 1983, Alessi © Alessi

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Paulo Mendas da Rocha, fauteuil Paulistano, 1957, Objekto © Objekto

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Ron Arad, chaise Schizzo 1 et 2, 1989, Vitra © Vitra

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Carlo Ratti Associati, Lift-Bit, 2016, with the support of Vitra © Carlo Ratti Associati, photo : Max Tomasinelli

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Mario Botta, fauteuil Seconda, 1982, Alias © Aldo Ballo