Refectory table with profiled legs, 1936
In 1936, the Ateliers Jean Prouvé added a canteen table to their range of furniture for the public sector market. Often suggested as an alternative to the monobloc base of the Cité table, the new model, with its four tapered, bent steel legs connected by a welded tube frame, was presented in response to calls for tenders1 in 1936–1938. In 1939, thirty canteen tables were provided for the seaside vacation spot at Saint-Brévin-l’Océan (J. et M. André, architects). Based on the earlier model, the design was adapted to local climatic conditions—humidity in particular—by galvanizing all metal parts. The tops were made of Granipoli fibrated cement and mounted with special brass screws. The exposed square-tube frame was reinforced with bent steel crosspieces at each end, one of them fitted with tubular napkin holders. The same concern with functionality was evident in another large order of the same period: refectory tables for an aeronautics factory near Marseille. The lacquered metal frame, with tapered legs and chrome “shoes”, was fitted with drawers (including a bottle compartment) and hooks. The top was also Granipoli fibrated cement. This would seem to be the last time this frame was used. After the War it was replaced, for this type of project, by variants of the Dactylo table desk or the new Flavigny base.
1. Tenders relating to the Lycée Fabert, the École Nationale Professionnelle in Metz, and the Toulouse Francazals aerodrome.