Of all the fundamental designs that have developedygenerated out of mankind’s imagination, maybe none would be as leading as that of modernism. Organized in the early 20th century, the latest style in architecture is renowned for its uncomplicated, minimalist appearance and the denial of non-essential decorations. But while most people bear in mind modernism as an fundamental style, it has also extended into furniture. In fact, the inventors of the modernist style of architecture created furniture as well. One elegant example of such a modernist furnishing is the Le Corbusier Sofa LC3.
Created in 1928, the Le Corbusier Sofa LC3 is a modernist reaction to the conventional club chair. It was conceptualized by the famous Swiss-French furniture designer Le Corbusier, who was also well-known for his architectural works manufactured in the modernist style. Le Corbusier presumed in the concept that furniture is an extent of the human body, and that it must give way for unchallenged movement and ergonomic freedom for its user.
The Le Corbusier Sofa LC3 is truly part of a collection of furniture created 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 accentuated cushions that were retained in place but not confined to the frame. The logic behind this was to produce the feeling of comfort from the upholstered surface while favoring with the modernist mantra of excellent minimalism and unordinary industrial look. The LC3 also shares some attributes of the sling chair, along the reverse artestry of the structures of the sofa by having the fringes outside instead of the inside. This extrinsic frame also has the additional benefit of harboring thick pillows, which can fill the abundant space inside the frame and supply an irregular sumptuousness that is extraordinary even for other massive sofas and chairs. Nevertheless, despite its comparisons the Le Corbusier LC3 also had its unique style, including more generous cushion and the alternative of either down-wrapped foam or Dacron-wrapped cushions.
Though the LC3 and the rest of its brethren were entirely credited to Le Corbusier, its fame as a home furnishing was heavily moved by that of Heidi Weber, a German museum owner and companion of Le Corbusier. In 1959, Mrs. Weber, under the knowledge of Le Corbusier, put the Le Corbusier Sofa LC3 and the rest of the selection into production. And it is in the middle of the production process that Weber abandoned 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 fitted, an appearance which still abides to this day.