Pierre Guariche, Pair of fireside chairs in metal and orange fabric, 1950’s

Pierre Guariche, in the style of.

Pair of fireside chairs with back and seat covered with an orange fabric and standing on four squared section legs in black lacquered metal. Stretchers link legs in each side of the fireside chairs.

Work realized in the 1950’s, in the taste of the fireside chairs of Pierre Guariche edited by Airborne in the 1950’s. Original Upholstery.

Dimensions : H 66 x W 56 x D 64 cm.

Reference : LS3781281

Pierre Guariche (1926-1995) was a French designer who made his studies in French Ecole Nationale supérieure des Arts decoratifs(* French National Superiori School of Decorative Arts) where he was graduated in 1949. He made an internship with the famous designer Marcel Gascoin and began his career in 1950 by creating his Rotaflex lamp. He edited his own models that he exhibited in differents Salons (Salon des Arts Ménagers, Salon des Artistes Décorateurs) and then was noticed by editors such as the Galerie MAI, Pierre Disderot or Steiner that edited his furniture.
Then, he associated with two other decorators, Michel Mortier and Joseph-André Motte,and founded with them the Atelier de Recherche Plastique “A.R.P.” (Plastic Research Workshop) in 1954 to create furniture series for the editor Charles Minvielle. They wanted to create practical furniture finding their place in small spaces. The A.R.P. ended in 1957 and Guariche took the direction of the furniture department of the Belgian society Meurop and explored interior architecture. He realized some development projects : the General Council and the Prefecture of Essonne, the winter station La Plagne, the Firminy hospital, the High Court of Créteil, etc. He received the René Gabriel Prize in 1965, rewarding a creator of qualitative and economical serial modern furniture. During his career, Guariche was essentially interested in series furniture, practical, simple, well proportionate, playing with different materials such as wood, metal or molded plastic.
His creations are actually reedited by Maison du Monde ans Sammode since 2018.

Airborne is a furniture edition society founded by Charles Bernard in the 1950s and still existing today. Charles Bernard, back from his military service in 1926, wanted to have a career in decoration after his meeting with the decorator and futur ceramist Pol Pouchol. He hosted him and presented him to the Maitrise of the Galeries Lafayette, where he was hired as an assistant and discovered the art of model constructions and decoration orders.
He settled as an independant in 1933 and was welcomed in the Société des Artistes Décorateurs (Artists Decorators Society) in 1934. During a fair in 1946, he noticed club armchairs edited by Airborne Upholstery Limited and associated with his founder to develop this armchair and create the Sobrega society. At the death of the original associate in 1950, Charles Bernard bought the name “Airborne” for the entire world, except anglophone countries and settled in Montreuil (France) to be dedicated to the furniture manufacture.
The company was specialized in the use of steel and round iron.The company was creative by calling young talents : the A.R.P. and then René-Jean Caillette, Antoine Philippon and Jacqueline Lecoq. Pioneer in the modern and comfortable armchair, Airborne participated to great projects for communities. In 1959, Olivier Mourgue became the iconic creator of the company with a first model, Joker, followed by Tric-Trac, Whist, Bouloum… From the 1960’s, models were less coherent and sales decreased.
In 1969, a last success, the Patate living room, generated so many requests that he got the company into trouble and rushed its fall. In 1974, Airborne, already fragile was hitten by the petrol crisis and file for bankrupcy. It endured msince any successive buyouts because of financial problems. Two French women bought out the company in 2010, continued to editate iconic models and invited many designers to join the adventure to keep Airborne alive and still remain an important French furniture editors of today.

Sources :

• P.FAVARDIN, Les décorateurs des années 50, Editions Norma, 2012
• P.KJELLBERG, Le Mobilier du XXe siècle. Dictionnaire des créateurs, Les Editions de l’Amateur, 2001, Tours, pp.285-286