Pierre Guariche was a French designer, interior decorator, and architect. He was born in 1926 and died in 1995. He may be best known for the lights he made for Pierre Disderot in the 1950s, but he was also an innovative architect and furniture designer.
Early Years
Pierre Guariche was born in Paris in 1926. His parents were both goldsmiths. René Gabriel taught him at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs, where he studied. In the spring of 1949, he got his diploma. He joined the Union des artistes modernes (UAM). He went to work in the studio of Marcel Gascoin, who was also one of his teachers. He started showing his own work at the Salon des Arts Ménagers and the Salon des Artistes Décorateurs. From 1939 to 1945, after World War II, there was more interest in using new methods and materials to make a lot of furniture quickly. Salons of the Société des artistes décorateurs were paid for by companies that made things like Formica, plywood, aluminium, and steel. During this time, Guariche, René-Jean Caillette, Joseph-André Motte, Jean Prouvé, Charlotte Perriand, Antoine Philippon, and Jacqueline Lecoq were among the designers who showed their experimental work at the salons.
Biography
Guariche was discovered quickly. He had some of his furniture on display at the MAI gallery before joining the newly founded company Airborne, which was established in 1951. As for his first project for Airborne, Guariche suggested a full set of furniture for a home that he called “Prefacto.” He designed tables, chairs, and modular storage units for the various rooms of a house out of wood and metal tubes. For Airborne, he also created a line of extremely popular chairs, armchairs, and sofas.
Guariche and Steiner, another significant manufacturer of furniture, started working together in 1951. He created the ground-breaking “tonneau” chair, which was first produced in plastic and aluminium in 1953 and then in bent plywood in 1954. The “tonneau” was cheap, simple to make, and a huge commercial success. During the same time frame, Guariche produced a wide variety of hanging lights, standing lights, and table lamps for the lighting producer Pierre Disderot. He was searching for a straightforward, contemporary, and affordable alternative to the prewar modernists’ hard chic and the traditional French designs’ opulence. A counterbalance was frequently used in the lights to bring harmony to the form. They might be the things for which people remember him most.
The floor lamp g23
The floor lamp G23, as the word list of the manufacturer Pierre Disderot names it, is one of the greatest French light producers who has edited all the lights by Pierre Guariche. This one is unique in the world for its design with a system where the second arm works as a counterweight for the first one, which creates an astounding balance.
Guariche founded the Atelier de Recherche Plastique (ARP: Plastic Research Workshop) in 1954 with Michel Mortier and Joseph-André Motte, whom he had met in the Gascoin studio. Guariche founded the Atelier de Recherche Plastique (ARP: Plastic Research Workshop) in 1954. For the manufacturer Charles Minvielle, over a period of about three years, the ARP created a wide variety of living rooms, parents’ bedrooms, and kids’ bedroom furniture. Charles Minvielle’s office furniture was also created by Guariche. Guariche was appointed artistic director of the Belgian furniture manufacturer Meurop in 1957. He created furniture for Meurop that was both elegant and very affordable. Guariche regarded himself as primarily an architect, and his furnishings demonstrate his interest in form and volume. He also created a number of private residences. He also worked on office and retail interiors in the 1960s. He contributed to the interior design of the Firminy hospital as well as a station in the ski resort of La Plagne. The Caisse des dépôts et consignations, Société Nationale de Construction de logements pour les Travailleurs (Sonacotra), and Ogirep hired Guariche as a consulting architect. Additionally, he served as an instructor at Tournai, Belgium’s Ecole Supérieure d’Architecture, and Paris’ École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs. The René Gabriel prize was given to Pierre Guariche in 1965. He died in 1995.
Sources
Wikipedia contributors (2022, January 17). Pierre Guariche In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:31, August 20, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pierre_Guariche&oldid=1066286735



Design Books – Amazon
* This website may contain affiliate links and I may earn a small commission when you click on links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon and Sovrn affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
-
Mid-Century Modern Design: A Complete Sourcebook
-
Down to Earth
-
A Theatre History of Marion, Ohio: John Eberson’s Palace & Beyond
-
Coming Home: Modern Rustic: Creative Living in Dutch Interiors
-
Dutch Interior Design
-
Building Better Bathrooms
-
The House of Glam
-
Scandinavia Dreaming: Nordic Homes, Interiors and Design