Pierre Chapo Early B17 Bookcase in Solid Elm

Pierre Chapo, bookcase model ‘B17’, solid elm, France, 1967

This is a rare and large model of the 'B17' bookcase designed by Pierre Chapo. Four shelves hang on two fixation slats. Special feature is the way Chapo arranged the geometrical brackets not under the shelf but above it. He therefore transformed the usually for constructive reasons needed brackets into decorative bookends. This shelf can be used to display books or showcase decorative objects. Made in Chapo’s favoured material elm, the piece shows a beautiful warm color and the natural grain of the wood.

Pierre Chapo (1927-1987) was born in a family of craftsmen and trained as an architect in Paris. After spending many years traveling through South and North America his partner Nicole and he set up Société Chapo, an architectural research consultancy and interior design firm. In 1958 they opened their famous gallery at 14 Boulevard de l'Hopital. Chapo's work originated by means of special commissions that could later be adapted to universal needs. Chapo was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's balanced lines, Corbusier's research on proportions and Bauhaus. Société Chapo was a design workshop and gallery in one where Nicole presented ceramics, textiles and other design by the great designers of the day. The three principles that motivated Pierre Chapo were 'material, form, and function.' He measured his furniture by means of the golden ratio and used elmwood as his preferred material.

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