A set of "Bastille Chairs" by Dutch architect Piet Blom (1934 - 1999). Blom is most known and famous for his unusual cube houses in Rotterdam and Helmond, which were realized in the early 1970s (see in last image)
These Bastille Chairs Blom designed in 1964 for the mensa/canteen of the Technical University in Twente, Netherlands. Only about 400 were ever manufactured. After renovation of the university 200 pieces survived. This set of chairs was amongst the few that were salvaged and restored, and was then used in the university of Delft. In the present time these chairs are considered rare Dutch design icons.
In the 1960s Piet Blom designed the ''Bastille'' canteen to become an exciting castle full of stairs and corridors where students could meet. The building was baptized ''Bastille'' as a reference to the famous Parisian prison fortres, with its massive stone facades and high positioned windows were little light came through. The Bastille had a square vertical core with a stairwell, and Blom placed four large concrete blocks around it. The complex placement of the building components created a true labyrinth in the interior with no less than thirteen level differences. The twelve mezzanines had dozens of balustrades, walls, niches and stairs. Blom believed that if students experienced his building as a small town, it would promote their social well-being.
These modernist chairs blended in perfectly in the architectural design of the university, as illustrated in the last photographs.
Design Period
1960 to 1969
Production Period
1964/1965
Country of Manufacture
Netherlands
Style
Vintage, Mid-Century, Modernist
Detailed Condition
Good — This vintage/antique item may have some wear such as scratches and other signs of ageing.
Restoration and Damage Details
One has the original metal plate underneath the seat, the other one lost the plate but it is still clearly visible where it used to be.
