Table E-1027 - Eileen Gray (1927)
A design icon that combines functionality, beauty and a personal touch.
This is one of those pieces of furniture that even those who don't give a damn about design will recognise. But probably fewer know that it is the creation of one of the first internationally recognised women in the field of industrial design, Eileen Gray. She was a pioneer whose work inspired modernism and Art Deco and who always remained on the sidelines, whether as a Japanese lacquer artist, a furniture designer or an architect.
This table E.1027made of glass and tubular steel, is a real eye-catcher. 20th century design icon.
A height-adjustable table that is an example of rationality and functionality. Nothing is superfluous, nothing is missing. And it is so perfect because it is the fruit of love. Yes, she created it to please her sister, who loved to have breakfast in bed when she visited her at her famous villa "Maison en bord de mer", E. 1027 in Roquebrune, near Saint Tropez. And why this name? You see: the E for Eileen, the 10 for the J and the 2 for the B (the tenth and second letter of the alphabet, respectively, and which form the initials of her partner, Jean Badovici), and the 7 for the G, for Gray.
Thus originally conceived as a bedside tableis also very useful as a side table in dining rooms, living rooms, offices and even terraces, as it is made of highly durable materials. If you look at this table and the Cesca Chair by Marcel Breuer They follow the same argument: to escape from the conventional four legs and explore the vast possibilities offered by tubular steel. However, Gray was not as concerned with industrial techniques as his contemporaries of the European modern movement, for what mattered most and only to him was visual perfection. And he succeeded.
There are plenty of replicas on the market, but you can get your hands on an authentic one. here. You will do well if you spoil yourselves a little bit and from time to time indulge in the healthy habit of having breakfast in bed....
