Rolf Fehlbaum, Chairman of Vitra once acquired a vintage Antony chair designed by Jean Prouvé in the 1980s, which marks the beginning of the most extensive collection of furniture and objects by the designer, all housed in the Vitra design museum.

Apart from the Jean Prouvé designs in the Vitra design museum, Vitra made an agreement with the Prouvé family to set up the Prouvé furniture production. The collaboration started in 2000 and took place in close conversation with Catherine Prouvé, Jean Prouvé’s youngest daughter.

Over the past 20 years, Prouvé’s designs have become true icons far extending the borders of France that are timeless and exist beyond trends.

Jean Prouvé designs and the importance of color

Jean Prouvé designs are recognizable for their attention to detail, joints, proportions, overall construction, and the processing and execution of the materials themselves with the color being the final touch to the design.

According to Jean Prouvé, only the parts of the furniture that are in danger of corroding should be painted, to allow the nature of the material to shine. That’s why he left wooden and aluminum elements used in furniture production in an untreated state whenever possible.

Jean Prouvé did develop a beautiful range of colors for his architecture because beyond the practical application of colors to protect from corrosion, he knew he could use colors to create a certain aura around his furniture designs.

Vitra is now expanding the original colors (deep black, Japanese red, and Blanc Colombe) with 4 new colors and an unpainted steel variant in which the Jean Prouvé designs can be produced.

Prouvé Bleu Marcoule

Marcoule bleu refers to an important client who ordered a great range of furniture from Ateliers Jean Prouvé and this blue used to be part of the corporate identity of Marcoule at the time. Below you can see the Fauteuil Direction Pivotant desk chair combined with the Compas direction desk both in Bleu Marcoule.

Prouvé Bleu Dynastie

Dynasty blue is inspired by the cobalt oxide in the blue and white porcelain from Ming dynasty times. In the picture below, you can see the Fauteuil de Salon in the new color Bleu Dynastie shot in Jean Prouvé’s personal home in Nancy with the iconic metal doors visible in the picture.

Prouvé Blé Vert

Blé vert (or green wheat) refers to the fresh color of young green wheat just before it turns yellow and is ready to be harvested. Below you can see the famous Standard chair in Blé Vert.

Prouvé Gris Vermeer

Vermeer grey refers to the famous Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (Vermeer grey) who when taking a closer look at his paintings, used a lot of grey undertones from which Jean Prouvé took inspiration. Below you can see the Cité armchair in the new color Gris Vermeer shot in one of the prefabricated houses Prouvé designed.