Elm Sideboard R13 by Pierre Chapo, 1960s

High R13 sideboard or buffet entirely realized in elmwood The sideboard presents eight drawers (seven on a side and one large frontal drawer) and two doors revealing on the inside some shelves. The R13 sideboard was designed by the French designer and craftsman Pierre Chapo and was realized in France during the 1960s.

Pierre Chapo was first interested in painting, his encounter with a shipbuilding carpenter in 1947, introduced him to wood and woodworking; and led him to architectural studies at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. After traveling through Scandinavia, and Central America and working for a year in the United States, he returned to Paris and pursued his interest in wood, crafting furniture mainly out of solid oak, elm, ash or teak with a double concern for contemporary design and traditional know-how. He opened a gallery on boulevard de l'Hôpital in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, where along with his own creations, he displayed the work of other craftsmen or artists such as Isamu Noguchi with whom he shared a sculptural and organic approach to design. Special custom orders started coming in, Samuel Beckett was among his first clients; for him, he created the ‘’Godot bed’’ in his Clamart workshop. In 1960 he received the gold medal from the city of Paris. Influenced by the work of Charlotte Perriand for the Alpine ski resort of Les Arcs, his participation in the 1967 Société des artistes décorateurs' show brought him a bronze medal. That same year he moved to Gordes, near Avignon in Provence, and started his furniture business, producing his own bold, rugged designs anchored in tradition. Along with his steady work on the design, he also gave lectures in France and abroad, on cabinet-making, joinery, wood, tradition and creation.