Large Two-Tier Lucite & Chrome Coffee Table, France circa 1970

This large two-tier coffee table exemplifies the refined elegance of French modernist furniture design in the early 1970s. The interplay of transparent Lucite uprights, polished chrome stretcher bars and clear glass shelves creates a piece of considerable visual lightness — one that occupies its space without imposing upon it, allowing the materials themselves to do the decorative work.

The structure is built around four substantial Lucite corner columns, each of a brilliant clarity that catches the light and creates subtle internal reflections. These are united by horizontal chrome rods at both the upper and lower levels, forming a precise rectangular framework of notable quality. The upper surface bears a large clear glass top, while a second glass shelf at the lower level adds both practical storage and a layered visual depth to the overall composition.

At 128 cm in length and 78 cm in width, this is a generously proportioned coffee table suited to a living room of scale. The height of 40.5 cm places it exactly at comfortable sofa-side level, while its transparency ensures it never feels intrusive however large the room. Its size and lightness make it an ideal centrepiece for an interior in the modernist spirit of the period.

Two-tier coffee tables of this construction — Lucite, chrome and glass — were produced by a number of the finest French furniture houses during the 1970s and have since become canonical pieces of the period’s interior aesthetic. This example, in good vintage condition with a fine natural patina to the chrome work, represents a compelling specimen of this enduringly desirable form.