When Chandigarh used to be touted because the capital town of Punjab following Independence, the Chandigarh chairs have been a few of the distinctive designs that have been introduced in by means of architects Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret.
To actually respect the legacy of the eponymous Chandigarh chairs, perched lately in essentially the most beautiful of houses world wide, it can be crucial to track our steps again to the supply match — the delivery of Chandigarh.
Within the February of 1951, a Swiss architect set foot on Indian soil.
In many years to come back, Charles-Edouard Jeanneret Gris, or as he used to be popularly recognized then, Le Corbusier, could be referred to as the person who revolutionised the rustic’s tackle city making plans and design. Hailed because the ‘The city Planner of Chandigarh’, Le Corbusier used to be invited by means of then High Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who entrusted him with this mighty activity.
It used to be in a while after India had freed itself from the clutches of the British, and there used to be a wish to carry order into the cacophony as a result of the Partition, which had left a mark now not simply within the lives of folks but additionally in geographic phrases.
There used to be a necessity for a town, the capital of Punjab. And Le Corbusier used to be selected to be the only to make this occur.
Data of the architect’s diary counsel his pleasure about this new venture. “It’s the hour that I’ve been looking forward to — India, that human and profound civilisation — to build a capital. Urbanism is the process of society. Capital is the spirit of a country.”
Chandigarh is born
The grasp architect’s design of the town has long gone down in historical past as one who used to be not anything in need of remarkable. He introduced in contrasting concepts in structure — concrete structures in opposition to the panorama of prior to now prevalent gothic design — and rectilinear structures that have been reflective of minimalism. He saved in thoughts the local weather of the brand new town, introducing Western ideas of sunshades and overhanging roofs to protect folks from the warmth.
Top ceilings, domes, well-ventilated areas and extra have been the highlights of his design. Some of the most important structures that he designed within the town have been the federal government places of work and the Capitol Advanced, comprising the Legislative Meeting, Secretariat and Top Court docket.
However Le Corbusier used to be now not on my own in his quest to create a town that may be remembered. He used to be joined by means of an outstanding crew of architects who labored below him to plot new designs, trendy ideas, intricately deliberate layouts, or even the decor that may move into the newly built structures.
A couple of from his crew incorporated Maxwell Fry, Jane Drew, and Indian architects Aditya Prakash — credited with designing the well-known Neelam Theatre and the Chandigarh College of Artwork, Urmila Eulie Chowdhury — who used to be the executive architect for academic institutes and flats, Balkrishna Doshi, and Le Corbusier’s cousin Pierre Jeanneret, whom he had satisfied to enroll in in at the venture.
And that’s the place the tale of the Chandigarh chairs starts.
Made for presidency staff then, an emblem of luxurious now
As increasingly more places of work have been introduced up within the town, they had to be stuffed with furniture; no less than the elemental ones to start with, reminiscent of tables and chairs. And so Pierre, who used to be dealing with the residential designs got here up with a easy teak and cane concept that caught to its beliefs of being minimalistic whilst additionally serving its function — folks may just sit down on those.
The chair used to be interestingly and but merely formed with its legs in a V formation, polished with a herbal end, and used to be visual in every single place!
Proper from middle-class houses to essentially the most unique places of work. For the citizens of Chandigarh, those have been part of their day by day lives, they usually hadn’t the slightest clue that during a couple of years, those chairs would turn out to be part of heritage heirloom, fetching bucks when bought.
However in the interim, the Chandigarh chairs have been gadgets of call for within the native town. Workshops have been being arrange around the town to mass manufacture the furnishings. In the meantime, Le Corbusier and Pierre had finished what they got down to do with admire to the making plans of Chandigarh they usually left the rustic round 1965.
The legacy that they left at the back of used to be intangible. However in time, new manufacturers and corporations started rising with their leading edge designs, flashy colors and engaging creations, and the standard Chandigarh chairs have been being changed. Within the 90s, those chairs have been being dumped and omitted within the harsh climate which rendered them undeserving to be used.
Whilst it gave the look of their destiny have been sealed, issues took a flip when world sellers and auctioneers spotted those chairs and have been attracted to them.
Eric Touchaleaume of Galerie 54, François Laffanour, Philippe Jousse, and Patrick Seguin amongst others started sourcing those chairs from the place they have been being discarded and amassing them. In an editorial for Architectural Digest, Laffanour is quoted announcing, “We stated, let’s take the chance of shopping for those, and we’ll see what occurs.”
Nowadays, the chairs are a attract one of the vital maximum elite rooms on the planet together with that of Kim Kardashian. “A few of my favorite furnishings is those Jeanneret chairs and couches,” she used to be quoted announcing in a submit relating to the 12 Jeanneret teak convention chairs in her eating room and two extra in her house administrative center — each and every price any place from $6,000 to $10,000 in line with an editorial in Elle.
Edited by means of Pranita Bhat
Resources:
How Le Corbusier modified the historical past of structure in India by means of Neha Jaiswal.
The Indian Architects At the back of Le Corbusier’s Seminal Paintings In Chandigarh by means of One thing Curated, Printed on 19 April 2022.
How a Chair Designed for Govt Employees Landed in a Kardashian‘s Eating Room by means of Hannah Martin, Printed on 13 January 2017.