Jules Wabbes, “Cintree” desk, circa 1960

Jules Wabbes, “Cintree” desk for Velca Legnano, circa 1968. Signed on the leg pads. Executive desk - Belgian design - 1960s Kinnarps mobile drawer units sold separately. W 180 cm x D 76 cm x H 75 cm. Table thickness: 3 cm. Weight: approximately 70 kg Jules Wabbes (1919-1974), desk, laminated wood top and asymmetrical structure made of double chrome-plated steel slats resting on four adjustable glides. Manufacturer: Velca Legnano, circa 1968. Jules Wabbes (1919-1974) was a Belgian furniture designer, architect and professor. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he did not train as a designer or architect, but instead took up design out of pure necessity. At the age of 24, he opened an antiques shop where some furniture needed to be restored. He then set up a small workshop where he taught himself furniture restoration. Alongside this activity, he began designing furniture. His work, aristocratic and modest, is characterized by a sensual use of materials and a clear, almost architectural tectonics. Wabbes developed a line and language all his own, contrasting with the playful and dynamic style of many other post-war furniture designers. Influenced by American designers such as Edward Wormley, Wabbes chose to craft his furniture from solid wood, giving his creations not only a luxurious appearance but also an authentic, timeless, and sophisticated aesthetic.