Raymon Loewt for Copagnie d'Esthetique Industrielle.

RAYMOND LOEWY (Paris, 1893 – Monte Carlo, 1986) for Copagnie d’Esthétique Industrielle.
“DF 2000” chest of drawers, 1967.
Thermoformed plastic, laminated MDF, and aluminum
Manufacturer: DOUBINSKY FRÈRES.
Measurements: 65 x 104 x 40 cm.
The DF-2000 chest of drawers, designed by Raymond Loewy for the Compagnie d’Esthétique Industrielle and manufactured by Doubinsky Frères around 1967, is one of the most representative pieces of French Space Age design. Conceived during a period of intense formal and technological experimentation, it reflects the desire to incorporate new industrial materials into home furnishings through an innovative and highly modern design language. The piece combines a solid dark wood frame with six drawers whose fronts, made of molded white plastic, feature handles integrated into a single continuous line. This solution, revolutionary for its time, gives the piece a fluid and aerodynamic appearance, reinforced by the characteristic arched base that seems to visually lighten the overall design and accentuates its futuristic look.
True to the philosophy of Raymond Loewy, considered one of the great pioneers of 20th-century industrial design, the DF-2000 demonstrates how functionality can coexist with a refined and avant-garde aesthetic. The use of state-of-the-art synthetic materials is driven not only by technical criteria but also by the desire to express optimism, innovation, and progress—values that defined the design of the 1960s.
Raymond Loewy was one of the most influential industrial designers of the 20th century and a key figure in the consolidation of modern industrial design. Trained as an engineer in France, he spent most of his career in the United States. His famous “MAYA” principle (Most Advanced Yet Acceptable) advocated for the creation of innovative designs that were always understandable and appealing to the public. Over the course of seven decades, he designed some of the most recognizable icons of contemporary material culture, from the Shell logo and Lucky Strike packaging to Greyhound buses, locomotives, household appliances, Studebaker cars, and projects for NASA.