Vitra Chaise Tout Bois chair, natural oak

Vitra’s Chaise Tout Bois chair, designed by Jean Prouvé in 1941, borrows its functionalist form from Prouvé’s iconic Standard chair. Made entirely of wood, Chaise Tout Bois was born out of necessity. As metal was scarce due to World War II, the metal parts of the Standard chair were replaced with wood, thus resulting in Chaise Tout Bois, “all wood chair”.

The clear-lined design language and robust rear frame construction of Chaise Tout Bois are inspired by Prouvé’s background in engineering and his insight into the structure of a chair: as most of the weight is carried by the chair’s hind legs, Chaise Tout Bois is designed to be particularly sturdy at the point where the backrest and the seat meet, as that is where the structure is subjected to the greatest weight. Prouvé developed the design of the chair during the war and created several prototypes in search of the perfect structure. Vitra’s Chaise Tout Bois is based on a version developed in 1941 that does not require a single screw to assemble.