c. 1925, Edition Aram Design, London, 2002, manufactured by ClassiCon, Munich, maple veneer on MDF, metal label: EILEEN GRAY 1925/CABINET D’ARCHITECTE/ No.12/AUTHORIZED REPRODUCTION FOR LIMITED/EDITION OF 25 – BY ARAM DESIGN - LONDON/ EXCLUSIVE TO CLASSICON - MUNICH, height 121 cm, length 205 cm, depth 37/49 cm. (DRAX)

No. 12 from the now-closed edition of 25.

In 1925, only two examples were produced on the basis of Eileen Gray’s design. The first was in her apartment in rue Bonaparte in Paris and a second was made for the architect Henri Pacon.
The cabinet is furnished with numerous differently sized drawers for storing utensils and documents and featured a folding top. Swinging or sliding drawers receive drafting materials and sketches, an upright compartment makes it possible to stow rolls of paper, and two smaller cabinets are for storing equipment.
The “Cabinet d’Architecte” anticipates the volumetric methodology of Eileen Gray’s villas. Starting from a simple, rectangular prism, parts are cut out and shifted along the orthogonal axes. Theoretically, one could thus slide the two distinct cabinet halves together. In addition, the writing surface in the space created between these two volumes folds down.

Provenance:
private collection, Ravenna.

Lit.:
cf. Ph. Garner, Eileen Gray. Designer and Architect, Köln 2006, p. 90/91 - P. Adam, Eileen Gray Architect Designer, Thames & Hudson, 2000, pp. 154/55.