René Gabriel, furniture of the post-war reconstruction

René Gabriel (1899-1950) designed the furniture an entire French generation lived with without knowing it. A committed designer and professor at the École Boulle, he devoted the post-war years to designing 'series' furniture intended to equip the war-damaged homes of the Reconstruction. His credo? That good design should not be a privilege. So came sideboards, wardrobes, tables and chairs in solid oak, with refined lines and balanced finishes, that populated French interiors for two decades. A democratic body of work, today rediscovered for what it is: great French design.