E1027 side table
E1027 side table
Eileen Gray
1927
The E1027 side table was designed in 1927 and is a superb example of form and function colliding beautifully. Currently produced by Aram, the E1027 side table was the brainchild of Irish architect Eileen Gray who gained fame for her sleek forward-thinking designs. It features plate glass encased within a polished chromium plated tubular steel frame that can be raised to sit at different heights and pivoted around. Rumour has it, Gray wanted a bedside table for her new seaside villa in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin (also named E-1027), so she could eat her toast in the comfort of her bed without worrying about the crumbs.
After graduating from the Slade School of Fine Art, Gray first experimented with lacquerware furniture before creating theatrical, immersive interiors for a discerning clientele, deftly juxtaposing unexpected textures with one another. By the mid-1920s, her aesthetic had pared back to become more industrial, reflecting her growing interest in modernism.
Gray was a champion of the Modern movement along with contemporaries including Le Corbusier, Adrienne Górska and her lover Jean Badovici – whom she dedicated her beloved villa and side table to. The name is a coded message spelling out their combined initials: E (for Eileen), and the numbers 10, 2 and 7 which correspond to the letters J, G and B of the alphabet. The E1027 table has remained a permanent fixture in New York’s MoMA since 1977 and has gone on to become one of Gray’s most replicated designs.
