Seaters
16 most prized pieces of furniture from the Chandigarh project by Le Corbusier
FEB 8, 2017 | By Ashiesh Shah
L-R:A chair used in the High court in Chandigarh designed by Le Corbusier and Jeanerret;Desk from an administrative building;A pair of lounge chairs used in the High court in Chandigarh designed by Le Corbusier and Jeanneret;Folding screen from the Administrative Buildings in Chandigarh by Pierre Jeanneret; Book case designed by Perriand and Jeanneret;An outdoor light fixture from the Chandigarh Zoo.
L-R: Pierre Jeanneret's Caned Teak Easy Chair; Le Corbusier designed manhole cover for Chandigarh, depicting the new city's grid layout;Pierre Jeanneret's Demountable desk from the High Court;9;Pierre Jeanneret’s Standard Lamp.
L-R:Pierre Jeanneret's teak and rope chair designed for a private residence in Chandigarh;Sandoz stool by Charlotte Perriand;Work table and the iconic Clerk's chair; Stool's from the architecture school.
Having received the brief to plan and design a new state capital for the Punjab, Le Corbusier, true to form, delivered a striking urban entity. During the Chandigarh project Le Corbusier designed several pieces of furniture for his architectural projects with his colleague and cousin Pierre Jeanneret. Charlotte Perriand also considered a seminal figure in 20th century design often collaborated with the architects.
The furniture they designed for India’s first postcolonial city has very much shaped the idea of modernist design in India. The pieces combine the modernist aesthetic with local Indian craftsmanship and materials like solid teak and rosewood. The modernist emphasis on the idea of the utilitarian was an integral element in their designs and the geometry of the work itself serves to underscore the highly rational layout of the city. I am listing down some of their most iconic pieces of furniture.
Also read: Francois Laffanour’s recreation of the Chandigarh project
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