Willy Guhl Loop Table

About the Item

The Willy Guhl Loop table is an icon of Swiss modernist furniture design. The Loop Table (also known as the Beach Table) was designed by Swiss industrial designer Willy Guhl in 1954. An extremely versatile piece with its free-flowing modernist shape. The Loop Table perfectly compliments the curves and height of the Loop Chair pictured here. Willy Guhl's Loop Table quickly became a classic of 20th century furniture design. The Willy Guhl Loop Table (and it's matching Loop Chair, sold separately) is the eternal classic outdoor garden or patio table. The Loop Table is a modern side table that compliments any indoor or outdoor space in which it is placed. Our Willy Guhl Loop Table is handmade and imported from Switzerland. The Willy Guhl Loop table is made of natural fiber cement. Fiber cement ingredients are: cement, powdered limestone, cellulose and synthetic fibers, water and air. Because fiber is combined with cement you get all the benefits of a durable concrete outdoor table without the weight. The concrete like material withstands weather and is frost proof when used properly (no standing water). It resists heat, rain, and snow while still being light and fireproof.

Creator:
Willy Guhl (Designer)
Dimensions:
Height: 9 in (22.86 cm)Width: 15.25 in (38.74 cm)Depth: 29 in (73.66 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Cement
Place of Origin:
Switzerland
Period:
2000-2009
Date of Manufacture:
2004
Condition:
Repaired: epoxy repair to underside of table. Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Los Angeles, CA
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU1853324706782
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Willy Guhl

Decades prior to the mass popularity of neo-industrial cement floors and furniture taking shape, there was Willy Guhl. The Swiss creative is considered one of the first “industrial” designers in his home country. He pioneered a rugged, organic style of modern furniture and decor — stylish planters, shapely seating and lots more — that remains widely coveted by many today.

Guhl was born in 1915 in Stein am Rhein and worked as a carpenter before beginning studies at the Zurich School of Applied Arts (known today as the Zurich University of the Arts), where he would go on to teach for nearly 40 years.

While Guhl is well-known for his range of provocative garden elements as well as his patio and outdoor furniture, today’s legion of mid-century modern enthusiasts are likely familiar with the designer’s iconic Loop chair (introduced in 1954). For this sculptural seat and other furnishings, Guhl tended toward industrial materials, which he bent and shaped into organic forms for a striking juxtaposition. Much of his work is crafted from either concrete or Eternit, a mixture of cement and asbestos developed by the Belgian company Etex, which, in the 1950s, commissioned Guhl and his students at the School of Applied Arts to conceive planters in the material. The resulting vessels — some hourglass-shaped, some in the form of handkerchiefs, all suitable for indoors or exteriors — remain some of Guhl’s most collectible pieces.

Guhl’s affiliation with the Swiss “neo-functional” movement centered on the idea of simplifying design without sacrificing form. According to Guhl, his mission was “achieving the most with the minimum of effort.”

In addition to his work as a designer, Guhl left his mark on subsequent creatives through his 39-year tenure at his alma mater, where he was instructor to the likes of Robert Haussmann, Kurt Thut and Bruno Rey. Modern-day shoppers at IKEA owe Guhl a debt of gratitude too. He was an early advocate of flat-pack furniture, championing its ability to make good design more widely accessible.

At its core, though, Guhl’s work was inherently human-centric: “At the center of my efforts, I put people and their living requirements,” he once said. “My products must be useful to people.” Guhl died in 2004 at the age of 89.

Find a range of vintage Willy Guhl furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.