furniture Archives - Page 3 of 4

Eileen Gray’s E-1027 Reopens to the Public

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Hunter

Previously, in our Women in Architecture Series, we highlighted the streamlined, industrial style of the modernist designer and architect Eileen Gray, which you can read here. Of her many projects, Gray’s French Riviera villa, E-1027, remains most notable. Over time, the grandiose structure fell into ruins, but following an extensive restoration project, Gray’s Villa E-1027 has reopened to the public.

In its prime, one of the property’s most beloved visitors was Le Corbusier. Following his death, the villa experienced neglect from numerous tenants for years. However, the property was purchased in 1999 by the French agency, Conservatoire du littoral, to oversee its protection and preservation. Later, in 2014 they established the Cap Moderne Association to manage the rehabilitation. After six years of comprehensive restoration work, the E-1027 villa mirrors the original design that was completed in 1929 by Gray and her husband, Jean Badovici.

The project aimed to restore both the exterior environment and the interior fixtures of the villa. Inside, new built-in and free-standing furniture and artwork reflect the villa’s original lived-in state from nearly a century ago. Visitors are invited to consider how Gray pioneered an interpretation of modernist warmth with welcoming internal fixtures that contrast the villa’s sometimes cold, concrete structure.

A large room is filled with a bed, chairs, rugs, and artwork. All pieces are designed to look like the lived in style of the 1920's. — The interior of Villa E-1027, Photo by Manuel Bougot

On the exterior, vibrant blue awnings covering the outdoor walkways offset the villa’s bright white walls. The “house by the sea” is intended to be a living organism within the structure’s larger atmosphere. Surrounded by lush greenery and landscaping on its north and south-west sides and built on pilotis just above a plunging cliff into the sea, the villa successfully fulfills Gray’s goal of being harmoniously integrated into its environment.

Timed tours of this modernist wonder are currently available for small groups looking for a getaway. You can learn more about E-1027 and how to visit it on Cap Moderne’s website here.

A Brief History of Modernist Furniture

Posted on September 1, 2021October 21, 2021 by Hunter

The modernist architecture movement gained traction in the late 19th century and was influenced by the post-war notion of practicality and eliminating excess.

Notable modernist architects include Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Frank Gehry, and Zaha Hadid. Along with designing structures, these architects also designed furniture that would harmonize with their buildings, while making their works more accessible to many.

Prior to the modernist movement, furniture was seen as ornamentation. Rather than taking comfort and practicality into consideration, the value of furniture was determined by the amount of time and level of craftsmanship that went into its production. The Industrial Revolution enabled the mechanization of furniture production, enabling furniture to become affordable and functional rather than ornaments reserved for the wealthy.

Modernist principles of furniture considered the interaction of the design and the user, creating designs that fit with the human form rather than forcing bodies to conform to the furniture.

Two Barcelona Chairs sit next to each other in front of glass windows. — Barcelona Chairs, designed by Mies van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s 1929 Barcelona Chair was inspired by the simplicity of ancient folding chairs. Supported on each side by two chrome-plated flat steel bars, the Barcelona Chair is upholstered in leather and combines simple elegance with comfort. Mies van der Rohe designed the Barcelona chair to sit in the lobbies of his buildings, where they accent the architecture and blend in with the surrounding space.

The Eames Lounge Chair sits in front of a marble fire place. — Eames Lounge Chair, designed by Charles and Ray Eames

The Eames Lounge Chair, another iconic piece of modernist furniture, was released in 1956 and designed by Charles and Ray Eames. The Eames Lounge Chair is a rare example of modernist furniture that was not designed to be mass-produced and affordable. Yet, the chair still relied on the principles of simplicity, practicality, and comfort core to modernist furniture design. The chair, inspired by the English Club Chair, is composed of molded plywood and leather and became a cultural icon for its un-design-like appearance that invites sitters to rest for hours within the chair’s leather cushions.

The Noguchi Table — Noguchi Table, designed by Isamu Noguchi

Japanese-American artist and industrial designer, Isamu Noguchi, designed the famed Noguchi Table for the furniture company, Herman Miller. The Noguchi Table is a sleek glass-topped table supported by two curved pieces of wood at the base. The table became popular for its ability to fit both in the domestic and corporate spaces.

The ability for modernist furniture to fit effortlessly into any space combined with its practicality made modernist designs into classic pieces recognized across generations. Modernist furniture can be found in suburban households and steel office buildings alike. Families gather around Noguchi Tables for chess games and curl up into Eames Lounge Chairs with long novels. Business moguls and architects meet in Barcelona Chairs and sign documents over Noguchi Tables. The versatility of modernist furniture and ease with which it is produced revolutionized how the general public views furniture and furniture’s place in the spaces it takes up.

Furniture Design Spotlight: Ara Thorose

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Nancy

We love being part of a long legacy of people designing in the Modernist discipline. From architects, to sculptors and artists, to furniture designers, many creators continually innovate and find new ways of exploring form and function. One such innovator is Ara Thorose, a queer Armenian American artist and designer currently based out of Brooklyn, whose cylindrical-form furniture pieces are taking the design world by storm.

Who Is Ara Thorose?

Ara Thorose is a fresh face on the scene. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Irvine, in Sociology, with a focus on gender and sexuality. Most recently, he went on to earn his MFA in 3D Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Cranbrook was founded as an experimental artists academy, and has since held national acclaim as the “incubator” of mid-century modernism in recent decades. Makers who emerge from the school are often agents of change who quickly make a name for themselves, and Thorose is no exception.

Just two years after earning his MFA, Thorose debuted his inaugural work, Tubular Group 01, under his brand Soft Limits, at the Architectural Digest Design Show in 2017. His work in the show garnered critical acclaim for its innovative form and experimentation in cylindrical forms. The design world continued to take notice of Thorose: he was named Up and Coming by Surface Magazine, and Soft Limits received Interior Design magazine’s 2019 Best of Year Award for Accent Seating.

Ulu Group by Ara Thorose. Photography courtesy of Se Yoon Park, shot at Carvalho Park.

Innovative Design in Action

Under his brand, Soft Limits, Ara Thorose designed Ulu Group, a series of cylindrical-form furniture pieces “inspired by the idea of a circle trapped inside of a square.” Most notably, the cylinders in the collection got their circumference from Thorose’s own thigh circumference. Thorose describes this as a humanizing element, which serves to ground the abstract nature of his work.

On his website, Thorose describes the theory behind Ulu Group, stating: “It represents conflict with no apparent solution. A circle is limitless, while a square is limited, so it’s inherently problematic. By adding a third dimension to it’s premise, there is potential for functional solutions. That’s the inspiration for this series. Each form is a circle traversing cube-like spaces held by furniture. Alternating between U-turns and L-turns, the cylinders push against the boundaries of familiar typologies.”

The collection includes four total pieces — Ulu Chair (orange), Ulu Duo, (mauve), Ulu Table (brown), and Un (green) — made of steel and foam and upholstered in wool and silk. Thorose begins his design process with hand building small-scale maquettes and then sketching his revisions in profile.

Thorose is a deeply individual figure in the realm of furniture design today. He describes his perspective, stating: “I’m inspired by the notion of autonomy. I view the self as fluid and dynamic. My work explores the creative potential of self awareness without conforming to surroundings. Singular and succinct unto itself. An individual sense of being and order.”

We look forward to seeing how this point of view develops and grows as Thorose continues to inspire the industry.

The Work of SOFTLINE

Posted on December 14, 2020 by Nancy

At Optima, our passion for Modernism shines through in all aspects of design, from the art we hang on the walls to the furniture we select. For Optima Kierland Apartments, we handpicked standout statement pieces from Danish furniture designer SOFTLINE, including the modular sofa and sculptural bench pictured above.

SOFTLINE started in Denmark in 1979 with a commitment to creating innovative, iconic and high-quality furniture. True to the essence of Modernist design, their pieces explore the limits of form and function. While their furniture unabashedly explores sculptural forms, SOFTLINE places an emphasis on modular furniture that’s able to be arranged in a variety of configurations and used for many purposes. And of course, each piece is swathed in a bold color as a finishing touch.

The amenity floor at Optima Kierland Apartments features Pierce, a bench designed by Karim Rashid for SOFTLINE. Rashid describes the bench’s undulating form as sensual and sculptural. Pierce is made up of two interconnected pieces that can’t exist without one another, creating an integral equilibrium that defies gravity. Rashid himself has been dubbed by Time magazine as “the most famous industrial designer of all the Americas” and the “Prince of Plastic.”

Playing perfect complement to Pierce is the striking blue modular sofa, PLANET. The highly adaptable modular sofa was designed for Softline by Stine Engelbrechtsen so that those employing the piece can “create their own universe.” PLANET’s simple design and soft edges embody the ultimate in comfort, while the silver metal legs give the airy effect of the sofa hovering just above the ground. At Optima Kierland Apartments, we configured PLANET’s modular pieces so that residents can privately enjoy a section for quiet time, or convene together comfortably.

These eye catching pieces are the perfect place for residents to relax or meet with friends, all the while being invigorated by the energy of the vibrant design around them.

A Brief History of the Wassily Chair

Posted on October 28, 2020 by Nancy

When we set out to build intentional spaces, we extend our design sensibilities into every finish and furnishing. And with most of our selections, each piece has a story behind it. Today, we explore the history of the distinct and iconic Wassily Chair.

The chair itself started with Marcel Breuer, the Hungarian architect and designer. Breuer studied at the Bauhaus under Walter Gropius, quickly becoming his protégé with his outstanding sense of design and ingenuity. By the early 1920s, he was considered a master carpenter at the school. The legend goes that Breuer purchased his first bicycle and was so inspired by the lightness of its frame, he wanted to experiment with something similar in furniture design, using curves and tubing in construction. Thus, the Wassily chair was born.

Marcel Breuer sitting in a Wassily Chair. Image courtesy of Britannica

Fabricated using the techniques of local plumbers, the tubular-steel structure would become Breuer’s signature touch on furniture. At the time, the design was only technologically feasible because German manufacturers had perfected the process for seamless steel tubing. Without a welding seam, the tubing could be bent without collapsing. The structure was finished by straps of fabric, pulled tightly to create a sturdy but comfortable place to sit. Like many other designs in the Modernism movement, the Wassily Chair has been mass-produced since the 1920s, its allure is still impactful today. At present, the trademark name rights to the design are owned by Knoll, who integrated the Wassily Chair into their catalog in the 1960s.

Whether it welcomes residents as they enter the lobby or invites conversation in an amenity space, the Wassily Chair plays perfectly with the design aesthetic and sensibility of our spaces at Optima.

Modern Design for Your Home

Posted on August 3, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

Recently, we explained what exactly makes up Modern furniture and how to spot it. But what if you’re looking to bring a bit of Modernism into your own space? Considering our own affinity for Modern pieces and design, we love seeing the style applied across homes, condominiums or apartments. So if you’re looking for tips on modern design for your home, here’s where to start:

Form Follows Function

Modernism’s top rule is “form follows function,” essentially meaning that any decor or furnishings should reflect its intended purpose. Anything that doesn’t have a practical purpose can be eliminated, so Modern spaces are often very minimal. However, Modernism also celebrates the expression of form. Le Corbusier lounges or Barcelona chairs all embrace unique shapes and features in bright, joyful colors. Look for pieces that explore color, textures, and material, all while staying functional.

Colorful modernist furniture and courtyard view at Optima Sonoran Village — Courtyard view at Optima Sonoran Village

Bring the Outside Inside

Modernist architecture celebrates expansive windows and natural light, as do Modern interiors. Keep windows unobstructed when possible, and keep any blinds or curtains minimal in color. If you feel inspired by the green space at Optima, get a few houseplants to add pops of green. Or if your seasonal weather cooperates, get creative with container gardening.

Contemporary vs Modern

Contemporary and Modern are often confused when dealing with interior design, but it’s important to note the different. Contemporary style isn’t attached to any specific era; it changes as time evolves. So Contemporary design would currently refer to anything in demand in 2020. Whereas Modern design specifically refers to a movement in art, design, architecture and of course, furniture.

If you want to hunt for Modern pieces to add to your own home, here are a few shop recommendations to check out. Or even better, peruse your local thrift store or furniture restoration shop for truly authentic Modern furniture and decor.

Charlotte Perriand and Le Corbusier’s Chaise

Posted on July 29, 2020January 18, 2022 by Nancy

Many know the name Le Corbusier, but not nearly enough people are familiar with Charlotte Perriand, the French architect and designer behind Le Corbusier’s renowned chaise lounge. It was against all odds that Perriand even began working for Le Corbusier, as she was famously turned away from his atelier with the line: “We don’t embroider cushions here.” Celebrating her strong point of view and strong-headed nature, today we’re exploring the work and complicated relationships of Charlotte Perriand.

The Le Corbusier LC4 Chaise Lounge, designed by Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret

The Work of Charlotte Perriand

Around 1925, Charlotte Perriand began exhibiting her work in galleries, shortly after graduating from school. Perriand used her own apartment as a place to test out her tastes, renovating the space using a built-in wall bar made of aluminium, glass and chrome and a card table with built-in pool-pocket drink holders. In 1927, she recreated this design as the Bar sous le Toit (“Bar under the roof” i.e. “in the attic”) at the 1927 Salon d’Automne. The Bar sous le Toit installation was reflective of Perriand’s machinelike style, which was unique for women designers at the time. She unabashedly employed materials like aluminium, steel and leather, also a departure from the previously reigning style of design, which was mainly crafted from rare woods. This remarkable and innovative installation is what first put her name on the map.

Charlotte Perriand and Le Corbusier

In 1927 (at just 24 years old), Perriand waltzed in Le Corbusier’s atelier asking for a job, and it was then that she was met with: “We don’t embroider cushions here.” That was the same year her Bar sous le Toit premiered at Salon d’Automne; and when Le Corbusier’s cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, took Le Corbusier to see the exhibit, Le Corbusier changed his tune. Recognizing Perriand’s undeniable talent, Le Corbusier apologized and hired her as a furniture designer.

The trio — Perriand, Le Corbusier and Jeanneret — collaborated closely, “like three fingers on one hand,” according to Perriand. Together, they designed the LC4 Chaise Lounge, which they described as a “machine for sitting.” The chaise became one of the most seminal pieces of Modernist furniture in history — and that was just one part of their collaborations together. Perriand worked with Le Corbusier for a decade, helping to publicize and innovate his atelier and designs until she made the decision to step “out of his shadow and into a successful career of her own.”

Modern Furniture 101

Posted on July 1, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

As our tagline “Forever Modern” implies, Modern design is integrated into every part of our business and our work. Our inspired interiors are no exception; full of Modernist artwork, sculpture and furniture, the interiors of our properties reflect the same principles and aesthetic. So what exactly is Modern furniture, and what distinguishes it from other furniture styles?

A Brief History

Like Modernism itself, Modern furniture design developed in a post-World War II environment that necessitated cutting excess waste, focusing on functionality, and reevaluating the practicality of materials in design. Compared to the decorative styles before it like Victorian, Art Nouveau and Neoclassical, Modernism was a striking departure into new territory. This drastic shift from ornate, decorative pieces to minimal pieces is attributed to new technology, changes in design philosophy and the direction of architecture at the time. Since then, Modern furniture has become an iconic part of interior design history.

How to Spot Modern Furniture

Functionality, clean lines, smooth shapes, bold colors and minimal design are all common aspects to Modern furniture. Most iconic pieces of Modern furniture pioneered new uses of materials such as glass, steel and leather, so those are common signs to look for. Odds are, you’ve seen Modern furniture before, especially if you’re in the design or real estate industry. Barcelona chairs, Noguchi coffee tables and Le Corbusier lounges are commonplace in many residential buildings and homes, in the United States and around the world.

To explore the individual and detailed history behind the pieces, here’s a more complete list of popular Modern furniture pieces. Within our practices at Optima, Modern furniture plays a critical role in completing our vision for each space we create. Our Modernist sense of design through architecture and furnishings helps us tell a holistic, intentional story through design. Without this consistency, our buildings and amenity spaces would seem incomplete. Though rooted in the past, Modern furniture integrates beautifully with a bright, inspired future.

Get to Know the Barcelona Chair

Posted on April 6, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

As a real estate firm centered on design, we recognize how profound impact a truly special piece of furniture can have within our spaces. On that note, perhaps no other piece of furniture is a more iconic staple of Modernist design than the Barcelona chair.

History of the Barcelona chair

The Barcelona chair is the collaborative brainchild of Modernist master Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich. Initially designed for the German Pavilion at the International Exposition of 1929 in Barcelona, the chair was intended as seating for Spanish royalty overseeing the opening exhibitions of the ceremony. In this way, the piece was contrary to many Modernist designs of the time, which were most often intended for the “common man.” This particular chair, on the other hand, came to signify a structuralist sophistication coveted by novice and seasoned architects alike for their personal homes and professional projects.

A 1947 ad announcing the Barcelona Chair's addition to the Knoll product catalog. Courtesy of Knoll Archive. — A 1947 ad announcing the Barcelona Chair’s addition to the Knoll product catalog. Courtesy of Knoll Archive.

Design of the Barcelona chair

Perhaps what makes the Barcelona chair so striking is its simple elegance, and how directly it expresses the iconic Mies van der Rohe sentiment that “less is more.” A tribute to the marriage of modern design and craftsmanship, what appears a simple fixture is quite complex to construct, with a hand-ground and hand-buffed frame, and upholstery made with 40 individual panels. The chair is now manufactured by Knoll in an almost entirely handcrafted process, with a facsimile of Mies van der Rohe’s signature stamped into the frame. Available in both chrome and stainless steel, the chair’s frame has been redesigned as a single seamless, smooth piece of metal. Upholstered in leather of various shades, the iconic design adapts beautifully to each space.

You can find a Barcelona chair at every one of our communities. Incorporating the iconic piece of furniture into our properties helps us to express our deep appreciation for Modernism and for craftsmanship. For us, it serves as a reminder of the great designers who have created the legacy that enables Modernist design to continue to flourish — and functions as a beautiful piece of furniture to admire and use.

The Work of Le Corbusier

Posted on March 9, 2020September 1, 2020 by Nancy

Modernism is an approach that has roots going all the way back to the 1920s. Modernist architecture was pioneered by the inventive and contentious Le Corbusier, a Swiss-French architect, urban planner, painter and furniture designer. To better understand Modernism, we’re diving deep into his life, and highly controversial work.

A Controversial Figure

Born Charles-Eduoard Jeanneret-Gris, architect Le Corbusier built chiefly with steel and reinforced concrete, paring design down to its simplest, elemental geometry and form. He developed his famous theory of modern form and minimalist materials when envisioning affordable, prefabricated housing to help rebuild communities after World War I. His vision for prefabrication was only the tip of a strong, nearly utopian, approach to urban planning and architecture.

The Villa Savoye in Poissy (1928-1931), designed by Le Corbusier

His architectural philosophy was groundbreaking and completely contrary to the dominant narrative of the 1920s. Once he established his ideas, he shared them by publishing the seminal L’Espirit Nouveau (1920), where he revealed his famous “five points of architecture.” Three years later, he published Vers une architecture (Towards a New Architecture) (1923), in which he espoused a new, modern architecture informed by applying principles of cars, planes and ships to buildings. Le Corbusier embraced the conflict that arose to his ideas head-on, making bold declarations such as “a house is a machine for living in” and “a curved street is a donkey track; a straight street, a road for men.”

Chair designed by Le Corbusier at Optima Camelview Village

Form, Function, Furniture

Le Corbusier also designed furniture, his approach following suit to his approach to architecture. His furniture, co-designed with Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand, utilized tubular steel that projected a new rationalist aesthetic. Le Corbusier broke down furniture into three types: type-needs, type-furniture and human-limb objects. His rational approach was not without romanticism, as he said, “Certainly, works of art are tools, beautiful tools. And long live the good taste manifested by choice, subtlety, proportion and harmony.”

At Optima, we employ Le Corbusier furniture in our communities, like those in each of the three building lobbies at Optima Old Orchard Woods in Skokie. The furniture functions just as the artist would’ve wanted — as bold, artistic statement pieces, and as functional, rational furniture.

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Tag: furniture