In the 1960s, the “Cassina I Maestri” collection reissued classic, highly prized furniture of the preceding decades, compounding the original designs with an intense, in-depth analysis of their meanings. Image source: https://www.smow.com/en/manufacturers/cassina/lc-collection/lc8-swivel-stool.html LC Collection Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, better known as Le Corbusier, described the houses he built as machines for living in. And one of his most famous pieces of furniture, the LC4 Chaise Longue, later became known as a “relaxing machine” because of the way its curves mirror those of a lounging body.

Fortunately, the design of side chairs, armchairs and other lounge furniture — since what were, quite literally, the early perches of our ancestors — has evolved considerably. Born in Switzerland in 1887, he adopted the name by which he is better known in the 1920s. It was an adaptation of his grandfather’s name Lecorbésier, making it a play on “crow-like” (the French for crow being le corbeau). Le Corbusier would later become renowned for his concrete buildings, some of which remain controversial to this day. Salvador Dali said his designs were the “ugliest and most unacceptable buildings in the world”. But Le Corbusier believed passionately that modern life demanded, and had been waiting for, a new kind of plan for both the house and the city. Swiss-born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, best known by his adopted name Le Corbusier, was a highly influential architect, designer, painter, urban planner and writer whose career spanned almost five decades.

Popular versions

Having designed useful houses, Le Corbusier felt that they needed useful furniture to go in them. He had originally used ready-made pieces by Thonet to furnish his projects but, in 1928, he set up a partnership with his cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand, who would later become an influential designer in her own right, working with Sori Yanagi, who created that other great classic, the butterfly stool. Thanks to this, it is now possible for Cassina to revisit these products with all new editions. They can perfectly reflect the original vision while at the same time updating them with innovative technologies and materials. Additionally, the collaboration with Filippo Alison in 1972, undertook a strict methodology to fully bring out the finesses and details of each original author and associated design. Moreover, the collection is fully monitored by the Fondation Le Corbusier and the heirs of Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret. Image source: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/45a91bd8-032c-4d0d-a46d-a83d1a1ab14d by Harvinder Chandigarh Widely considered one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, Le Corbusier is credited with revolutionizing the face of modern urban architecture and updating it to fit into the technological age. As a result, his legacy translates into a strong sense of purpose, which met the needs of a democratic society dominated by a machine .

We know that price is important. And while all of our designs follow the recommended retail prices (RRP) from our suppliers, we’re determined never to be bested. They came up with the simple, tubular designs and called them “equipment d’habitation” – or functional furniture – fit for those machines for living in. Le Corbusier argued that furniture should be “extensions of our limbs and adapted to human functions”. Their designs were based on the golden mean, a system of proportion based on the male body.

lc4 chaise lounge replica

With entire areas of our homes reserved for “sitting rooms,” the value of quality antique and vintage seating cannot be overstated. Furniture designed by Le Corbusier in collaboration with Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand — a gifted innovator who was initially dismissed by the French architect but was later tasked with creating furniture and interiors — was originally produced by Austrian manufacturer Thonet. But in 1964, the Italian furniture company Cassina acquired the production and sales rights to the LC4 chaise longue, and the LC collection, as it was christened, has been in production there ever since. The collection originally included 19 pieces, each titled in the same alphanumerical style — LC1, LC2, LC3 and so on — that encapsulated a full range of furniture, from armchairs to dining tables. With respect to the latest obsessions in design, cane seating has been cropping up everywhere, from sleek armchairs to lounge chairs, while bouclé fabric, a staple of modern furniture design, can be seen in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles.