Colour, form and matter in the furniture designed by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand are just three aspects into which Cassina carries out detailed research. Its mission is to discover original features in the works of these proponents of modern rationalism and to recount their innovative verve in all its authenticity. A series of updates and new details have been added to the iconic models that the company exclusively produces at international level in the “Cassina I Maestri” collection. This upgrading process has been carried out in close collaboration with Le Corbusier Foundation and through the analysis of original documents and drawings belonging to the designers. The result is an even more vibrant and contemporary vision.
The overriding theme is colour, around which Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand develop essential reflections. Today, alongside the better known chrome-plated pieces in black leather, Cassina enhances the seven tones established for its metal frame structure. The company proposes them in innumerable combinations with a fabric collection approved by Le Corbusier Foundation, and the heirs of Jeanneret and Perriand. The collection comprises a series of combinations that can be recreated virtually at www.cassina.com/LCcolour. A specific web configurator gives visitors the chance to see a preview and evaluate the aesthetic effect of combinations in order to choose the ideal pairing. This versatility increases the usage possibilities of each item of furniture, according to the authentic spirit of Le Corbusier.
The design idea of deconstructing the seat into its base elements of supporting frame/cushions is further enhanced. The LC2 model is now also proposed with down padding, whilst the versions in dacron® in both the LC2 and LC3 models are even softer. All elements are designed to highlight the relationship between cushion/content and metal frame/container. The result is a product with an even richer and pleasantly lived-in look.
Cassina has also worked on the textures of the upholstery materials. In the basic covers of category X leather, a new extremely soft and pleasantly tactile leather is introduced. Its sensorial qualities make every piece of furniture even more welcoming and attuned to individual desires.
As well as the distinctive symbol of authenticity of the Cassina brand (which includes a progressive production number, the signatures of the designers and the Cassina I Maestri logo) found on all models, the Cassina signature will now also be visible on the base of the metallic frames of the LC2, LC3 and LC4 seats. This logo indicates that Cassina is the only company with exclusive international rights to reproduce Le Corbusiner furniture. This is in accordance with Fondazione Le Corbusier and the heirs of the codesigners that, since 1964, have chosen Cassina as their exclusive spokesperson due to its sensibility and respect for the original project, as well as its consolidated production expertise.
Cassina rediscovers the furniture from the Villa Church Pavilion, going back in time in a creative play of authentic and free interpretation.
Cassina reissues the first versions of the LC4 chaise-longue and LC2 armchair. Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand designed the models in 1928 for the interiors of the innovative Villa Church Pavilion, a house near Paris, designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret for an American couple. Both were experimental prototypes helping to hone the definition of the furniture that was officially presented the following year at the Salon d'Automne (1929). This stimulating exploration taps the beginning of the creative process of ‘interior fittings,’ which became icons of modern living. Functional models that meet the desires of the user. After the re-release of the LC1 Villa Church armchair in 2011, Cassina continues to rediscover the evolution of the great classics of modern rationalism in a constantly open dialogue, subject to continual studies and variations. This version demonstrates the principle shared by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand that every instrument of living, in its many possible variants, must respond functionally to the tastes of the client-user, while upholding the design intuition that generated it. Cassina has created these new editions in a worldwide exclusive working in close collaboration with the Le Corbusier Foundation and Pernette Perriand-Barsac, daughter and sole heir of Charlotte Perriand.
LC2 Villa Church armchair, 1928 Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand – Cassina I Maestri Collection
The LC2 armchair designed for the Villa Church Pavilion has also become the object of experimentation. Research has been particularly focused on colour, a study conducted in first person by Charlotte Perriand who was very sensitive and attentive to the influence of details and finishes in the relationship between user, space and decor. Each of the LC2’s cushions has two different shades and can be removed and freely rotated for a more versatile and interactive use allowing one to obtain a new and different armchair each time. Today Cassina offers a two-tone finish in satin and canvas rather than leather; using the palette designed by Charlotte Perriand, which includes colours such as brown, blue, and shades of grey and green, these become even brighter and more sophisticated with satin upholstery. The frame’s base is grey, almost blending into the shadow cast by the armchair on the floor, whilst the rest of the structure is in blue, with an overall effect that enhances its light form. The LC2 Villa Church is an invitation to the public to establish a personal relationship with the armchair based on free interpretation, following the original intentions of the three authors.
Designer: Pierre Jeanneret Le Corbusier Charlotte Perriand
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