Manufactured by Vitra, this Standard Chair in a black powder-coated steel and wood finish by Jean Prouvé is a French design classic that showcases perfect, minimalist style with its optimum weight distribution and masterful balance.

An engineer, architect and designer all at once, Jean Prouvé called himself ‘le Constructeur’ or ‘The Factory man’ and was driven by systematic design and industrial processes.

Designed in 1934, the Standard Chair reflects his simple insight that seating designs take the most strain on the back legs; solving this weight distribution issue, Prouvé created lightweight tubular powder-coated steel front supports and stronger, more voluminous hollow steel back legs that transfer the sitter’s weight into the floor.

Finished with an ergonomic wood seat and backrest, the Vitra Standard Chair in black epitomises comfortable, clean-lined design that endures through the years.