apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I can't wait to dive right into this inviting armchair!! Must be the colour doing its bit to attract me as well...

I like the white, but not sure about the cushions. They look lumpy, but the original ones aren't like that. Is it the material?

....a beautiful, imaginative personalization of a classic. Bravo.

I'm sorry but that's sacrilege...its a garrish modification to a modern classic.

I'm all for adding personal touches, or making changes, but the legs of the chair don't look like they received an even coat of paint, and the cushions are lumpy and warped. I'm not sure I would call that an improvement. I do like the colour though.

I think it looks so much more interesting now. The black leather and chrome, while classic, is also tired, after being seen everywhere.

Doesn't look any more lumpy to me than it does in black leather, either.

Really? It still looks lumpy to me, it always seemed sleek and modern in black leather. However after thinking about it more, I think I like it. It's for a different personality and the lumpiness almost makes it inviting. It makes it seem a little more comfortable and worn.
MP

the article claims that the chair was designed to include "colorful enamel-covered steel" - i believe it. modernism was not devoid of color, though historic black and white photography might make it seem that way...

i should have said, *originally* designed, by corbu...

Says "well-used 1980s Ikea" to me. Or maybe "third-line office furniture company", same era. By now it's just frumpy.

Sally, good point you made about black and white photography....

Hate it. The red could work, but the white steel makes it look cheap. This chair now has the color pallet of Bozo the Clown. A friend of mine has the tan version of this chair and after all the black versions it's quite refreshing.

Hah. Sacrilege, whatever. If you buy it and you like it that way then good. I don't love it but I don't love the originals either. Tan does sound kind of nice though.

I am not crazy about the white enamel but it is an imaginative and bold departure from the usual black. B-t-w, has anyone in NYC, BX, Queens, Bklyn used a auto-shop to spray furniture that they would without reservation recommend? I have a chest of drawer I'd like done. Thanks!

At the least, a very interesting approach to refurbishing a classic. I have two of these chairs in my office, hand-me-downs from an old office move, and the old leather cushions are rather lumpy indeed. Would love to grab some late 60's Marimekko fabric from ebay and psychedelicize them. But I'd probably hate myself for it, afterwards...

The problem here is not the concept, it's the bad execution.

Was there not a lc2 and a lc3? With the lc2 having a overstuffed cushion and the lc3 have a more sleek/ less "lumpy" cushion.
Also as much as "hates" on anything costing more the $3.50 on this blog people sure came out of the woodwork talking of the "sacrilege...its a garrish modification to a modern classic". I mean at the end of the day it is just a chair and one you dont have to sit at that.

yuck. The road to design hell is paved with.....tinkering. Especially at an auto body shop. :)

The chairs look revitalized and wonderful. By the way, this conversation is a great example of what happens when people fossilize into Priests of High Modern: their ability to see with fresh eyes disappears. As the painter in the article says: “Rigor can lead to rigor mortis. This is the opposite of that, this is bringing the impure to the pure."

Which famous furniture designer was it who said "the world does not need any more chairs" ?

Well, now I want to see it with a nice toile fabric. :)

I've seen this chair in other colors of leather and it looks fine. Obviously the black is a classic, the white leather looks a little pretentious, my personal favorite is a nice warm saddle colored leather. However, the white frame, however, is just wrong.

The more I think about this chair the more I think it's really the choice of white on the frame that is the problem. I think it could look great with a black frame, or gun-metal color. And if it were left chrome you could pull off tons of different fabric or leather colors.

I absolutely agree with "mt".
I think this chair looks really great with the white frame. Not sure about the red cushions.
Variety is the spice of life. Some people take themselves a tad too seriously.
I think Cassina does actually offer this furniture in different coloured frames if my memory serves me correctly.
Two thumbs up.

Pet peeve: it's GARISH, not garrish. Although the toile idea is cracking me up. I would like to see more "classic" furniture get pimped out like this, it's fun and much more interesting than all the same stuff over and over. And when someone actually does it nicely, it's an inspiration. Everything in all the leather and chrome already makes me think of an auto body shop so why not go with it? And seriously, it's not like it's a Rembrandt or something. It's mass produced, so why would you want yours only to be like everyone else's?

The cushions aren't lumpy... they're stuffed with goose down, the way Corbu intended when the chair was originally issued. For the anniversary last year in Milan Cassina made a re-edition with the original down cushions...