Le Corbusier: Architect and Furniture Designer of the Modern

Movement

Today, if you wanted to become somebody in the field of furniture

design you need to study at a design school and apprentice yourself to
an established designer. But as anybody with a rudimentary knowledge
about the industry's history would tell you, modern furniture design is
built on the backs of those who were never trained to do so. One such
man is the Swiss-French designer Le Corbusier.

Although he is acknowledged as one of the early pioneers of modern

furniture, Le Corbusier is an architect by trade and was initially
recognized for his modernist concepts in architecture. Born on October
1887 in the Swiss border town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Corbusier
(whose real name is Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris) began working as
a metal engraver like his father before his architecture teacher, René
Chapallaz, encouraged him to pursue architecture. By the time he was
18, the young Corbusier had already designed and built a house on his
own. Then in 1910, he entered the studio of world-famous architect
Peter Behrens as an apprentice. It was during his stay at Behrens'
office that Le Corbusier learned about industrial design and the
processes involved. It was also during this period that he became
acquainted with fellow aprrentices and architects Ludwig mies van der
Rohe and Walter Gropius, who would also later become influential
furniture designers in their own right. Finally, in 1917 Le Corbusier
settled in Paris and established his own architectural practice with his
cousin, Pierre Jeanneret.

Before Le Corbusier made his down designs, he relied heavily on third-

party manufacturers (notably the furniture company of Michael thonet)
to provide furnishings for his architectural projects. But in 1928,
Corbusier began experimenting with several furniture designs and
invited the designer Charlotte Perriand to come and work with him in
his studio. This collaboration by Le Corbusier with Perriand resulted
with three tubular steel chairs that were later used in the interiors of
Maison la Roche and the pavilion of Barbara and Henry Church in Paris.
The chairs were then expanded into a collection and displayed at the
prestigious 1929 Salon d' Automne under the Equipment for the Home
installation.

Known for their light, simple construction and functionality, Le

Corbusier's furniture designs are now considered as classic examples
of modern furniture design. Several of his creations, such as the Grand
Comfort armchair and the LC tubular steel sofas, are included in the
New York Museum of Modern Art as well as in other art museums
around the world.