Le Corbusier Table

As seen in Sharp Magazine June/July 2011 Issue.

This table was presented as part of the “Equipement intérieur d’une habitation” at the Salon d’Automne des Artistes Décorateurs, Paris 1929. It was constructed with an elliptical tube which was used in airplane construction. It is obvious that the material was chosen not merely for the beauty of form but for its symbolic association with the epitome of the modern age.

Very little is known of the origins of this table. According to Heidi Weber, Le Corbusier made it clear in 1959 that the table no longer interested him. Perhaps, in 1928 the table was a pretext for using a futuristic material and, perhaps, the material lost its fascination when it ceased to be used to build airplanes. At any rate, Le Corbusier was generally not given to the clever use of unusual materials. The table was not put into production by Thonet in 1929. This was probably due to the fact that the tube was relatively difficult to obtain and the execution of the table required a great amount of skilled welding and polishing. In addition, the design was very advanced for its time and one can understand how Thonet did not anticipate a commercial success with the general public from such a radically new design statement.