LC2 Armchair Alivar Italy 1990s

Does anything sound more comfortable than a “cushion basket”? That’s what Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (1887–1965), a.k.a. Le Corbusier, and his collaborators, cousin Pierre Jeanneret (1896–1967) and Charlotte Perriand (1903–99), dubbed the LC2 Petit Confort chair (as well as the rest of the similarly shaped seats in the LC series), the group’s modern take on an age-old form: the club chair.

The LC2 Petit Confort chair quite literally inverts the traditional construction of a chair (or any piece of furniture, really) using an exoskeleton of chromed tubular steel instead of hiding the construction inside, prioritizing an emphasis on function that boldly declared their modernist approach. Meanwhile, thick leather cushions make the seat exceptionally comfortable and lend it a boxy appearance that is compatible with the architecture and design of the International Style in which the group worked.

The trio conceived the cube-like seats in the LC collection in 1928 for exhibition at the 1929 Parisian art fair Salon d’Automne, and Austrian manufacturer Thonet was producing the group's designs at the time. Decades later, in 1965, when the designers’ modernist style had become widely popular, the LC2 Petit Confort chair was issued by Italian manufacturer and high-end furniture company Cassina, which continues to produce it today, along with the stylistically similar LC3 collection.

The LC2 armchair was born of a period of experimentation with tubular chrome by the Le Corbusier group — archival sketches authored by Le Corbusier and Perriand are demonstrative of a two-year collaborative process, while Le Corbusier's brief identifies the latter as having been put in charge of furniture and interiors. (Furniture designer and architect Marcel Breuer, whose Cesca chair was similarly structured, was also working with chrome.) The use of chrome in the trio’s LC lines was groundbreaking at that point, and its aesthetic aligned well with Le Corbusier’s having given the furniture the mechanical-sounding label “domestic equipment.”

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.

A pioneer of progress-minded modern architecture, Le Corbusier sought to impose a rational order on the chaos of the world through design. He rejected the excessive architectural ornament and developed a style that became known as brutalism, creating buildings with elemental geometric forms that were made of industrial materials such as steel and reinforced concrete. Le Corbusier believed that pure, well-designed spaces could offer a lesson in how little is needed to achieve happiness. To convey this notion, the architect prioritized modern, open interiors and emphasized light, rational designs. His architecture and interiors share a clear sense of space and structural order, underlining the beauty in harmony, proportion and simplicity.

Le Corbusier’s furniture espouses these same ideals. His designs are spare, minimal and efficient but at the same time offer supreme comfort. Collaborating with his cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, and trailblazing designer Charlotte Perriand, he devised such iconic pieces as the LC2 Petit Confort armchair and the LC4 chaise longue. Each couples a tubular chrome frame with soft, supple leather upholstery, lending an organic warmth to an industrially made design. In his furniture, Le Corbusier broke new ground in ergonomics. The shape of the LC4 chaise is taken directly from the human form; the classic cowhide upholstery makes the sitter feel weightless; and the piece features an adjustable positioning mechanism to promote total relaxation.

Such planning and intelligence were the hallmarks of Le Corbusier’s career. Whether in his designs for private residences such as the Villa Savoye near Paris, apartment towers like the Unité D'habitation in Marseilles, or in his furniture, he worked toward a style of living that was expansive and flexible. The strength and simplicity of line of Le Corbusier’s sofas and other seating pieces give them a sculptural presence in any décor, yet they are sublimely restful. And as you will see on 1stDibs, Le Corbusier’s furniture reflects a worldly taste: it is at once refined, cosmopolitan and chic.