De Coene Sideboard in Rosewood and Walnut

Studio BBPR for Olivetti, 'Spazio' sideboard, coated steel, plastic, glass, vinyl, Italy, design 1959/60, production, 1960s. In 1954, Olivetti, the Italian office equipment manufact...

Studio BBPR for Olivetti, 'Spazio' sideboard, coated steel, plastic, vinyl, Italy, design 1959/60, production 1960s In 1954, Olivetti, the Italian office equipment manufacturer, hired BBPR to design their New York showroom on Fifth Avenue and to create their first series of office furniture, called Spazio (1959/60). This line included chairs, shelving, cabinet systems, and desks, just like the one shown here. It won the Compasso d'Oro Award in 1962. The cabinet contains compartments with drawers secured on both sides. The top is furnished with dark brown vinyl which adds a sturdy touch the overall industrial appearance. Studio B.B.P.R. was an Italian architectural partnership founded in Milan in 1932 by Gianluigi Banfi (1910-1945), Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso (1909-2004), Enrico Peressutti (1908-1976) and Ernesto Nathan Rogers (1909-1969) who had studied at the Politecnico di Milano. B.B.P.R. was thus an acronym formed from the first letters of their family names. The architects found each other in their opposition to fascism in Italy in the 1930s and 1940s during Mussolini's autocratic regime. The architects therefore believed in developing a style that would have no references to contemporary politics. During the Second World War, they all joined the resistance. However, Rogers, a Jew, fled to Switzerland and both Belgiojoso and Banfi were deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, where Banfi died in 1945. Despite the immense loss of Banfi, their architectural practice continued in the same name as before after...

De Coene, showcases, teak, steel, glass, Belgium, 1960s Modernist showcases with lockable doors, accompanied with a steel frame and wooden shelf. The vitrines feature the Brutalist...

De Coene, showcase, teak, steel, glass, Belgium, 1960s Modernist showcase with lockable doors, accompanied with a steel frame and wooden shelf. The vitrine features the Brutalist characteristics of De Coene. The showcase was originally designed for a governmental building in Brussels. The Kunstwerkstede De Coene was invited to design the interior project in the late 1950s-1960s. De Coene designed several high-quality pieces exclusively for this building, among others these vitrines. For the design of these pieces, De Coene was inspired by the previous furniture in this building, which were designed by master designer Jules Wabbes. This is reflected for example in the steel frame. De Coene was founded in 1887 in Kortrijk (Belgium) by Jozef de Coene, who was at that time 13 years old. In 1895, his younger brother Adolphe joined the company. In their early years, De Coene was inspired by Henry van de Velde, Art Deco and the Arts & Crafts movement. The company made many custom made furnishings which leads to an expansive growth. After world war one, the brother visited the United States where they became acquainted with laminated wood production, and purchased a wood-stripping machine. They were the first company that made triplex in Belgium which led to the ability to mass produce. In 1954 they received the right to produce Knoll furniture. But although the company produced on a large-scale, their were still world famous for their meticulously detailed, high-quality and Art Deco inspired furniture.