Of all the fundamental designs that have came out of mankind’s imagination, maybe none would be as influential as that of modernism. Founded in the early 20th century, the contemporary style in architecture is famous for its uncomplicated, minimalist appearance and the dismissal of non-essential designs. But while most people bear in mind modernism as an structural style, it has also went over into furniture. In fact, the developers of the modernist style of architecture drafted furniture as well. One exquisite example of such a modernist furnishing is the Le Corbusier Sofa LC3.

Outlined in 1928, the Le Corbusier Sofa LC3 is a modernist feedback to the conventional club chair. It was crafted by the famous Swiss-French furniture designer Le Corbusier, who was also famous for his architectural works generated in the modernist style. Le Corbusier assumed in the concept that furniture is an annex of the human body, and that it must permit for unchallenged movement and ergonomic freedom for its inhabitant.

The Le Corbusier Sofa LC3 is truly part of a collection of furniture crafted by Le Corbusier, which contains theLC1 Sling Chair, the LC2 Sofa, and the LC4 Chaise Lounge. According to its closest counterpart, the LC2, the LC3 presented cushions that were adhered in place but not enclosed to the frame. The sense behind this was to generate the feeling of comfort from the upholstered surface while favoring with the modernist mantra of splendor minimalism and unusual industrial look. The LC3 also shares some qualities of the sling chair, with the reverse beauty of the structures of the sofa by having the forms outside instead of the inside. This outside frame also has the plus benefit of harboring thick pillows, which can fill the plentiful space inside the frame and support an atypical sumptuousness that is extraordinary even for other bulky sofas and chairs. Although, despite its likeness the Le Corbusier LC3 also had its unique appearance, including more generous stuff and the discretion of either down-wrapped foam or Dacron-wrapped cushions.

Despite the LC3 and the rest of its brethren were fully credited to Le Corbusier, its fame as a home furnishing was heavily moved by that of Heidi Weber, a German museum owner and colleague of Le Corbusier. In 1959, Mrs. Weber, under the consent of Le Corbusier, put the Le Corbusier Sofa LC3 and the rest of the batch into production. And it is amidst the production process that Weber rejected the spring mechanism of the sofas and layered the external frame with a chrome layer. The cushions were also fixed to make it more formal and appropriate, an appearance which still abides to this day.

One of the most essential industrial designers of the 20th century, Professor Wilhelm Wagenfeld was also famous for his glass and metal work designs that integrated the Bahaus school movement. One such Wagenfeld design that was profoundly changed by Bahaus is the so-called Wagenfeld Lampe.

Probably the design that is most approximately connected with Prof. Wagenfeld is the timeless Wagenfeld Lampe table lamp. Composed in 1924, the Wagenfeld Lampe was drafted by Wagenfeld in association with designer-artist Karl J. Jucker. This lamp design, along with Prof. Wagenfeld’s other works, found their way amidst exhibitions and museums, paving the way for its continual popularity.

According to Prof. Wagenfeld, the first model of the Wagenfeld Lampe was the result that was disposed to him by his Hungarian professor Lazlo Moholy-Nagy at the moment he was studying as a journeyman at the Bahaus design school in Weimar, Germany. Wagenfeld later enumerated that the Lampe along with his other Bahaus-insipired designs were designed for industrial products and had the visible appearance of one. However, it is quite unexpected to note that the original Wagenfeld Lampe was exclusively crafted by hand.

In accordance with Prof. Wagenfeld’s industrial product perception, the Wagenfeld Lampe is composed mainly of sturdy glass and metal. The lamp stand is each and every way composed of tubular glass with a chrome-plated inner metal tube or tubular chrome-plated steel tube. The lamp’s base, on the other hand, is made of chrome-plated steel identical to that found in the stand or with tempered crystal glass. Opaque white opalescent glass makes up the formation of the lampshade, and is assisted by a chrome-plated metal ring base. The lamp also accentuates a distinctive spout and a black pull cord, while the electrical feed line is protected by special cable elements and black textile covering. In addition, there are also current lamps that have the stands coated with a nickel finish instead of chrome. These nickel-plated adaptations are usually found in earlier reproductions of the lamp, and receive a slightly yellowish patina over time.

Despite being designed 85 years ago, the Wagenfeld Lampe and its copies are still quite regarded amongst collectors and Bahaus aficionados alike. But unlike earlier versions of the Wgaenfeld Lampe, recent reproductions have been redesigned to take into consideration modern electrical safety standards. Superior reproductions of the table lamp feature certificates of conformity for international quality and safety standards to assure that they are safe for daily use.

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One of the confined furniture drawings for the German Pavilion, the Barcelona Chair was Germany’s official entry to the Ibero-American Expo of 1929 held in the city of Barcelona, Spain. The design of the chair was crafted by the famous Bahaus designer Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in cooperation with his longtime partner Liliy Reich, who was also a designer and an architect. A highly popular design during its time, the chair is believed as one of the most evident icons of the modernism movement.

According to its designers, the Barcelona Chair was affected by the campaign and folding chairs of the classical period. The chair has also displayed inspiration from the works of the well-known sculptor George Kolbe. Because of its alternation of regal design into a modern setting, the chair and its designers instantaneously garnered applause of critics during the Ibero-American Expo, calling the chair “a design worthy of kings”. Also, the chair was generated with the Bahaus idea in mind, absorbing the concept of creating well-designed furnishings and residences for the common man. However, given the chair’s astonishing price of $6,281 at that time, it seemed contrary to this sentiment.

The frame of the Barcelona Chair was initially designed to be bolted together but was later improved during the 1950s to incorporate stainless steel, permitting the frame to be composed using an abundant piece of metal. This gave the chair a shiny appearance as well as the supplementary bonus of being corrosion-resistant due to the stainless steel’s properties. The chair’s upholstery was also originally made of ivory colored pigskin, but was later reacquired by bovine leather.

The Barcelona Chair was originally constructed in definite stock within the United States and among European countries during 1930s and late 1950s. Then in 1953, six years after the death of Lilly Reich, Miers van der Rohe relinquish his rights and his name on the design.

The Barcelona Chair’s operative design and accordant elements were absorbed by Mies van der Rohe in Spain. Germany and the United States of America during the 1930s, but it has long since terminated. This led to the explosion of Barcelona Chair designs being manufactured worldwide to keep up with the request of collectors and modernist aficionados alike.

Today, the Barcelona Chair is generally built in two distinct types of steel: chrome and stainless. The chairs are almost completely done by hand, with secured machining exclusions on several parts of the body.

One of the leading developers in the Modern Movement in Architecture, Eileen Gray is an Irish furniture designer and architect recognized for constructing some of the most outstanding furniture designs of the 20th century.

Born on the 9th of August 1878, Eileen Gray was the youngest daughter of a privileged family living near the humble market town of Enniscorthy in Northern Ireland. Her father, James Maclaren Gray, was a painter and inspired Eileen’s artistic interests by accompanying her on painting tours in Switzerland and Italy and fueling her independent spirit. When she turned twenty, Eileen was enrolled at the prestigious Slade School of Fine Art, where she came across other artists including Kathleen Bruce and Jessie Gavin. Later, Gray, along with Gavin and Bruce, transferred to Paris and studied at the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi. Eileen was regularly moving back and forth from France, Ireland, and England, until in 1905 when she inhabited back in London when her mother became ill. It was during her time in London that Gray revisited to the Slade School.

Then, while walking down London’s Soho district, Eileen Gray appealed the owner of a lacquer repair shop to show her the basics of lacquer work. This contributed to her meeting with Seizo Sugawara, a Japanese immigrant who moved to Paris to regain the lacquer work exhibit at the Exposition Universelle. Sugawara came from an area of Japan acknowledeged for its decorative lacquer work, and she taught Gray until she was 35 years old.

When World War II exploded in 1914, Eileen Gray moved to London and went back to Paris after the war. During this period Gray was entrusted the task of decorating an apartment in the Rue de Lota, where she created most of its furniture, carpets, lamps, and lacquered wall panels. Gray’s work on Rue de Lota garnered attention among critics, who saw her designs as contemporary for its time.

Certain of her success in Rue de Lota, Eileen Gray pronounced to open up Jean Desert, a small shop in Paris, to expose her work and that of her artist friends. Then in the 1920s and 30s, Gray became involved with the well-connected Union des Artistes Modernes. She also designed and provided the Tempe à Pailla during this period, and during the Paris Exposition in 1937 she demonstrated her designs of a holiday center in the Le Corbusier Esprit Nouveau Pavilion.

During World War II, Eileen Gray was bound to depart from the French coast and transferred inland. After the war completed Gray lived a secluded life, largely concealed from public view. Finally, she died of old age on October 31, 1976 in her apartment in France.