Marcel Gascoin

French designer Marcel Gascoin (1907-1986) was one of the leading furniture designers of the post-war era. He is recognized for the vital role he played in the reconstruction of France after the Second World War, when his modular storage units and matching sets of wooden furniture, which focused on clean aesthetics and functionality, became a staple for French households. During the post-war housing crisis in France, Gascoin worked as an interior architect and designer for the French Ministry of Reconstruction and Urbanism, designing and building homes as well as the furniture to go inside them. He drew on his long-held love of wood, his childhood fascination with compact and efficient nautical interiors, and his training as an interior designer and cabinetmaker to create a new standard for furniture.