The architect Pierre Guariche was one of the leading modern furniture and lighting designers of postwar France. Guariche can, in some ways, be thought of as the French version of Charles Eames: with his lean and angular chairs and slender, sculptural table lamps, he helped introduce a new aesthetic to the country’s interiors — and he was an eager pioneer in the use of new industrial materials and production techniques that emerged in the 1950s.
Guariche studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris (the national design academy) under René Gabriel — a designer known for his quality, mass-produced furnishings, who served as a director of the postwar Ministry of Reconstruction. Two years after graduating in 1949, Guariche opened his own design firm, and he was soon creating pieces for numerous companies, including the lighting manufacturer Disderot.
Wood and metal were rationed in the years following the war and Guariche learned to do more with less. His chairs of the early 1950s include several designs with narrow, softly angular wooden frames; others, like the Tonneau chair, feature a single piece of molded plywood set atop metal legs. His lamps of the period are likely his best-known works. They include delicate compositions of slender steel tubes, and more flamboyant pieces such as the Kite lamp, with its curved metal reflector panel.
Always on the lookout for new materials, Guariche spent several years in the mid-1950s operating a firm making furniture in fiberglass and other plastics, along with Joseph André Motte and others. After 1957 — when Guariche was named head of design for the Belgian company Meurop and given a brief to create stylish, up-to-date chairs and cabinets — he began to look to America for ideas.
In the mid-1960s, Guariche produced several lines of deeply upholstered, rounded lounge chairs inspired by the Space Age look, and gave them names like Jupiter, Polaris and Luna. While Guariche always kept pace with his times, throughout his career he showed a consistent talent for producing elegant, eye-catching forms using a minimum of materials.
Find vintage Pierre Guariche furniture today on 1stDibs.
G21 Floor Lamp by Pierre Guariche
By Pierre Guariche
Located in Los Angeles, CA
The G21 reading lamp is the perfect source of precise, intimate accent lighting. Available with a black/white or white/white lampshade and in a slightly perforated version, this mode...
Aluminum, Steel
Large G1 Floor Lamp by Pierre Guariche
By Pierre Guariche
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large G1 floor lamp by Pierre Guariche. Designed and manufactured in France. Enameled aluminum, metal, brass. Wired for U.S. standards. This is a current production of the magisteria...
Aluminum, Brass, Metal
Model 312/2 Floor Lamp by Angelo Ostuni for Oluce
By Oluce, Giuseppe Ostuni
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Model 312/2 Floor Lamp by Angelo Ostuni for Oluce, Italy, 1950s This articulating floor lamp by Angelo Ostuni for Oluce reflects the functional refinement and material discipline th...
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
Alzabile by Ignazio Gardella for Tato
By Ignazio Gardella
Located in Los Angeles, CA
An Italian design masterpiece born from the pencil of the maestro Ignazio Gardella (1905-1999). Conceived in 1948 in a Milan in architectural and ideological turmoil, Alzabile (lit. ...
Marble, Aluminum, Brass
Rare LTE 5 Floor Lamp by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena
By Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Azucena
Located in Los Angeles, CA
LTE 5 floor lamp by Luigi Caccia Dominioni for Azucena. Designed and manufactured in Italy, 1953. Slender enameled brass floor lamp with sharp conical shade and ...
Brass, Steel, Enamel
Model 201 Floor/Table Lamp by Ostuni & Forti for Oluce
By Angelo Ostuni, Oluce, Renato Forti
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Model 201 telescopic floor/table lamp by Angelo Ostuni and Renato Forti for O-Luce. Designed and manufactured in Italy, circa 1950's. Painted metal, brass, cast steel base and a rare...
Metal, Brass
Pierre Guariche Floor Lamp
By Pierre Guariche
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Rare Pierre Guariche "Cerf Volant" floor lamp model G30. France, 1951. Black lacquered metal feet, brass stem, black and white re-lacquered small metal shade, brass fixings. Bibliography - Patrick Favardin, "The decorators of the 50s", Éditions Norma, Paris, 2002, similar model reproduced on p.213 - C. & D. Krzentowski, "The Complete Designer's Lights II, 35 years of collections", Éditions JRP Ringier, Zürich, 2012, similar model reproduced on p.106 - Delphine Jacob, Lionel Blaisse, Aurélien Jeauneau, Pierre Guariche, Luminaires- Furniture-Interior Architecture, Éditions Norma, 2020, model reproduced pp...
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
"G30 - The Kite" Floor Lamp by Pierre Guariche, France 1950s
By Pierre Guariche
Located in Utrecht, NL
Pierre Guariche is one of the most important designers of the French post-war period. Guariche is best known for the luminaires he designed, many of which feature details like hidden light sources, perforated metal surfaces and slender leg structures. With its clever construction, the “Kite” is a great example of the designer’s endless interest in technological innovation. Officially called model “G30”, this floor lamp was designed in the early 1950s. Guariche’s mid-century lights were created between 1951 and 1959, and are innovatively designed with a visible joy of experimentation. This is especially apparent in this model, featuring elements that may appear purely decorative, but on closer inspection turn out to be absolutely functional. The design is defined by the reflector, which also inspired the model’s nickname. Its white lacquered, perforated sheet metal reflector resembles a boat’s sail, and creates a filtered and soft light. This hidden illuminant and the glare-free light flow by means of the clever reflector provides atmospheric ambient light, while also giving the lamp a sculptural appearance. The light “sail...
Metal, Brass
French Mid-Century Modern Prototype Floor Lamp Attr. to Pierre Guariche
By Serge Mouille, Pierre Guariche
Located in New York, NY
A rare, important French Mid-Century Modern floor / standing lamp attributed to Pierre Guariche, circa 1950. The piece is likely a prototype, not commercially produced. The piece is...
Metal
Rare 1960s Floor Lamp by Italiana Luce
By Italiana Luce
Located in Victoria, BC
A sculptural and rare Mid-Century Modern floor lamp by Italiana Luce, made in Italy circa 1960s. This elegant and refined piece features a ...
Steel
Large Pierre Guariche 'G1' Floor Lamp for Sammode Studio in Chalk
By Sammode, Pierre Guariche
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large Pierre Guariche 'G1' Floor Lamp for Sammode Studio in Chalk. Originally designed by Pierre Guariche in 1951, this iconic floor lamp is newly produced authorized re-edition by...
Aluminum, Brass, Steel
Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamp by Pierre Guariche, France, Circa 1950
By Pierre Guariche
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Adjustable and folding lamp, with an iron magazine rack with cable cords and a bronze lamp support, attributed to Pierre Guarriche (1926 - 1995). Fra...
Metal, Iron
