Cansado Bench In Mahogany By Charlotte Perriand, Steph Simon Circa 1960

In the late 1950s, Charlotte Perriand was commissioned to undertake the design and furnishing of Cansado, a town in Mauritania. This mining settlement was purpose-built to house the personnel of the Mauritanian Iron Ore Mines Company, known as "MIFERMA," and was structured with an industrial logic, comprising three distinct quarters for "workers," "supervisors," and "executives." By the 1960s, Cansado had become home to nearly 5000 residents.

The featured daybed adorned the residences of executives in Cansado. It boasts a base crafted from black lacquered metal, complemented by 13 slats made of mahogany, and a storage compartment enveloped in a sleek gray laminate. The mattress and backrest have been reupholstered in a refined gray wool fabric sourced from Nobilis.

Manufacturer : Steph Simon, Circa 1959- 1967.
Bibliography : Jacques Barsac, Charlotte Perriand, Un art d'habiter, 1903-1959, Paris, 2005, page 440.
François Laffanour, Steph Simon, Rétrospective 1956-1974, Paris, 2007