Pair of Square Chrome & Glass Low Side Tables, circa 1970

This striking pair of low side tables occupies a fascinating intersection between functional furniture and decorative sculpture. Produced in France around 1970, they demonstrate the period’s appetite for experimental forms that challenged conventional expectations of what a table should look like. The square glass tops — thick, clear slabs that seem to hover above the floor — lend the pieces an almost architectural quality.

The bases are the defining feature of each table: four slender chrome corner legs are united by a series of curved chrome stretchers that sweep between them in graceful arching curves, forming a decorative lattice that is both structurally robust and visually captivating. The sweeping geometry recalls the spirit of campaign furniture translated into the modernist idiom — a sophisticated marriage of historical reference and contemporary production technique.

At 36 cm in height and 56.5 cm square, these tables work equally well as low side tables flanking a sofa, as accent pieces beside an armchair, or grouped together as part of a low coffee table arrangement. Their modest height gives the room a horizontal emphasis while the transparent glass tops ensure they never feel heavy or obstructive.

Pieces of this character — combining quality chrome-work with a truly distinctive structural concept — are seldom found as a matched pair in this condition. The coherence of this set, with the natural patina of well-aged chrome that comes with fifty years of careful use, makes them a compelling acquisition for the discerning collector of 1970s French decorative arts.