Vintage L07 daybed by Pierre Chapo, France 1963s

Pierre Chapo, L07 extendable daybed or bench, elm, France, 1963. This ingenious piece could also be used as a bench, even further my preferred option is for it to be used as a coffee table. In 1963 Chapo had the idea to create a modular structure that allows to be transformed from a bench or single daybed into a daybed for two people. The clever system lets two slatted benches to be moved apart up to a depth of 140cm without mechanical intervention. Pierre Chapo (1927-1987) was born in a family of craftsmen and trained as an architect in Paris. After spending many years traveling through south and North America he and his partner Nicole set up Société Chapo, an architectural research consultancy and interior design firm. In 1958, they opened their famous gallery at 14 Boulevard de l’Hopital. Chapo’s work originated by means of special commissions that could later be adapted to universal needs. Chapo was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s balanced lines, Corbusier’s research on proportions and Bauhaus. Société Chapo was a design workshop and gallery in one where Nicole presented ceramics, textiles and other design by the great designers of the day. The three principles that motivated Pierre Chapo were ’material, form, and function.’ He measured his furniture by means of golden ratio and used elmwood as his preferred material.