Le Corbusier LC1 Basculant Chair

The Bauhaus movement of the 1920's is considered the start of what we now consider modern design.  It produced many of the great modernist designers who, in turn produced many of the iconic chair designs that are still reproduced today.  Mart Stam's s34, Marcel Breuer's "Wassily" and Mies van der Rohe's "Pavilion" (aka Barcelona) chair are all chairs that modern design enthusiasts recognize and were originally designed in the 1920's.  Also amongst these was Le Corbusier's LC1 or "Basculant" chair.

Like the aforementioned chairs, the LC1 used leather slings on a bent metal frame, in this case chromed tubular steel.  The LC1 has the smallest footprint of these and has a unique feature of a swiveling back that moves with the occupant as he changes position.  The leather loop armrests are supportive yet conform to the user's arms.  The thick saddle leather seat and back are tensioned with springs for forgiving support.  It is a design that has been borrowed from often.

This particular chair has no markings, therefore is not a Cassina reproduction.  However, it is a high quality piece with thick saddle leather (not vinyl or leatherette), heavy gauge steel tubing frame with smooth quality welds and good chrome plating.  The armrest tubes are capped with the correct conical shaped caps (not flat as with some reproductions).  I don't know the date of production on this chair but previous owner said his parents had it "as long as he could remember", so was likely made in the 1960's or 70's.  The surface of the leather shows some cracks but is still in sturdy condition.  A classic design such as this really can work well with almost any decor style, not just modern.

Dimensions: 24"W x 25"H x 26"D

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Eames Aluminum Group Lounge Chairs

The Eames name is synonymous with mid-century modern.  So many of their designs are well known and many continue to influence modern design today.  If longevity is a mark of success, then the various chairs from the Eames Aluminum group are amongst the most successful of modern furniture designs.  Designed in 1956, they have been in continuous production for almost 60 years.  Their stylishly simple and ergonomic design has been copied by many producers.  The 4 available chairs are the lounge chair version from the aluminum group.  Despite their minimalist design they are very comfortable.  The thick, textural wool fabric is suspended in the aluminum frame and conforms the the body whey you sit in it.  These chairs do not recline but do revolve on their bases.

Most of my restorations are case pieces and nearly all have wood components.  These chairs took me back to my roots.  Before I was a modern design junkie and furniture restorer I was a cyclist.  Back in the day, when I was starting out as a cyclist, the finest bicycle components came from Italy and were made of aluminum.  I used to take every piece of my bike apart and polish it until it gleamed like chrome.  Every bolt was removed, even the insides of parts were polished.

It took a few weeks to restore these.  The aluminum frames and bases were oxidized and pitted.  The arms of the chairs originally had a clear plastic coating on them.  When I acquired these the coating on the arms all had cracked, some only had about half the coating on them.  I removed it all and polished the arms as well as the frames and bases.  The fabric was quite dirty but other than a little loss of color saturation is in good shape.  They have been returned to nearly their new glory.  The tags remain on 3 of the 4 and show a 11-8-80 delivery date.  They have not been used since I finished restoring them.

The current retail price of these is about $1800 each from Herman Miller with this fabric.

I will only sell these in pairs.

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I have a problem......

Its a new year and we traditionally review the past year and resolve to change aspects of our lives that we are dissatisfied with.  For me, I have a furniture problem.  Chairs.  I love chairs.  From a furniture prospective they provide a designer with an opportunity to express creativity and interpretation of the human form, unbounded by utilitarian necessities such as creating storage space or a work surface.  The great modern chair designs are as much a piece of sculpture as they are a functional piece.  My problem is, when I find one that I like, I buy it.  Not because I need a place to sit but because it is like having a great piece of art.  We now have more chairs than we have butts to fill them or space to use them.  Its time to start paring down.