Three Faux Bambou nesting tables; France, c. 1960.

Three Faux Bambou nesting tables; France, c. 1960.
Chromed metal with natural patina and smoked glass top.
Measurements: 38 x 44 x 33 cm (smaller); 41 x 50 x 37 cm; 44 x 52 x 42 cm (larger).
These three faux bambou nesting tables, produced in France around 1960, are an example of how 20th century design reinterpreted exotic references. The structure is made of chrome-plated metal worked to imitate the segmented texture of bamboo, a decorative resource much appreciated in Europe since the late 19th century and which had a resurgence in Hollywood Regency aesthetics and postwar French design. The smoked glass tops reinforce this sophisticated and slightly theatrical atmosphere.
These pieces dialogue with a decorative tradition that blends reinterpreted oriental influences, the so-called chinoiserie taste, with the industrial precision of chromed metal. France, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s, was a key center for this type of furniture, where designers and workshops explored the combination of luxury, exoticism and modernity.