Adding Comfort To Culture. Vitra Launches Fully Upholstered Versions Of Classic Eames Chairs.

The famous molded side and armchairs by Charles and Ray Eames, originally created in fiberglass in 1950, then made in plastic, now made of polypropylene, have become a little more comfy with the fully upholstered versions recently launched by Vitra.



The Eames plastic armchair (sometimes called the 'potato chip' chair) and the Eames plastic side chair, available in eight shell colors, are now offered with your choice of 13 different colors of Hopsak upholstery and black or white piping.

Hopsak upholstery colors for the armchair:


Shell colors for the armchair:


Hopsak upholstery colors for the side chair:

Shell colors for the side chair:


When you add these options to the base options (R-wire, wooden, X-base and La Fonda base, you get a large number of possible combinations. Casters are also available on the armchair.


above: the four base options for either chair and casters.

Black piping:

White piping:

Detail of black piping:


all images courtesy of Vitra.

You can purchase these upholstered Eames chairs from twenty twentyone or find a dealer through Vitra.

Le Corbusier Classics LC2, LC3 and LC4 Get Colorful, Courtesy Of Cassina.

Three well-known pieces from the iconic collection of LC furniture by Le Corbusier are now available in wild contemporary color versions from the exclusive manufacturer of authentic Le Corbusier furniture, Cassina.



The classic tubular steel and leather "Grand Confort" collection (specifically the armchair, 3 seater sofa and chaise longue) are now available in various colored fabric and frame options as part of Cassina's Masters Collection (I Maestri).

First, some history for you:


The original LC furniture range by Le Corbusier, whose actual name is Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, was a system of furniture co-designed with his cousins Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand in 1928. The tubular steel furniture, especially the famous LC4 chaise and Grand Confort chair, both of which are in the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art, projected a new rationalist aesthetic that came to epitomize the International Style.

The Original LC2 Grand Confort:

above: Original LC2 - Fauteuil Grand confort, petit modèle, 1928, Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand. photo Cassina © FLC/ADAGP

The Original LC3 Grand Confort:

above: Original LC3 - Fauteuil Grand Confort, grand modèle, 1928. Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand. photo Cassina © FLC/ADAGP

The Original LC4 Chaise Longue:

above: Original LC4 - Chaise longue, 1928. Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand. photo Cassina © FLC/ADAGP

The classic Armchair and two or three seat sofa with steel frame are and have been available from Cassina's I Maestri collection in the following finishes: polished chrome - matte black - gloss black (basalte) - gloss grey - gloss light blue - gloss green - gloss bordeaux - gloss ochre.



The LC4 longue chaise from Cassina was and still is available with adjustable chrome or matte black cradle and matte black base. The upholstery of the base is available in the following materials: hairy skin with black leather headrest (shown above), all leather with a black leather headrest and in a special canvas with leather footrest and headrest.


Now, the new colors!



A series of updates and new details have been added to the iconic models that Cassina exclusively produces in the “Cassina I Maestri” collection. This new range has been carried out in close collaboration with Le Corbusier Foundation and through the analysis of original documents and drawings belonging to the designers. The result is an even more vibrant and contemporary vision.

The New Color LC2 Grand Confort Armchairs:




Alongside the better known chrome-plated pieces in black leather, Cassina enhances the seven tones established for its metal frame structure. The company proposes them in innumerable combinations with a fabric collection approved by Le Corbusier Foundation, and the heirs of Jeanneret and Perriand.


The New LC3 Grand Confort Sofas:





The design idea of deconstructing the seat into its base elements of supporting frame/cushions is further enhanced. The LC2 model is now also proposed with down padding, while the versions in dacron® in both the LC2 and LC3 models are even softer. All elements are designed to highlight the relationship between cushion/content and metal frame/container. The result is a product with an even richer and pleasantly lived-in look. There is also more flexibility of choice for the LC4.


The New LC 4 Chaise Longue:



The famous leather chaise-longue can now be accompanied by a cushion in the same shade as the entire mattress, as well as the usual version with black cushion. The result is a consistent, plain colour that enhances the purity of the form. Cassina has also worked on the textures of the upholstery materials. In the basic covers of category X leather, a new extremely soft and pleasantly tactile leather is introduced. Its sensorial qualities make every piece of furniture even more welcoming and attuned to individual desires.



As well as the distinctive symbol of authenticity of the Cassina brand that is shown above (which includes a progressive production number, the signatures of the designers and the Cassina I Maestri logo) found on all models, the Cassina signature will now also be visible on the base of the metallic frames of the LC2, LC3 and LC4 seat.

This logo indicates that Cassina is the only company with exclusive international rights to reproduce Le Corbusier furniture. This is in accordance with Fondazione Le Corbusier and the heirs of the co-designers that, since 1964, have chosen Cassina as their exclusive spokesperson due to its sensibility and respect for the original project, as well as its consolidated production expertise.

read the whole press release here

images courtesy of Style Park, Cassina and The Foundation Le Courbusier

31 Customized Panton Chairs For Vitra In Honor Of The 50th Anniversary.

above: HKS International turned the chair on its side, transforming it into a glacier, complete with Polar Bear

The modern classic iconic Panton chair , shown below, designed by Verner Panton just celebrated it's 50th anniversary.



In honor of the anniversary Vitra UK launched a national Panton Chair Competition and asked architects and designers to reinterpret the modern chair. Some treated is as art, others made it interactive. The winning design was an entry from Jump Studios and the 2nd and 3rd place winners were Ben Adams and Maris Interiors, respectively. Entries ran the gamut and included everything from Post-It note covered to Swarovski crystal studded versions.

Here are all the entries.

Winner, Jump Studios:

2nd Place Winner, Ben Adams:

3Sphere and Aukett Fitzroy-Robinson:

Amalgam and Aram:

Day 2 Interiors:

Forme and Foster & Partners:

Gensler and Harmsen:

HLW Architects and HOK International:

3rd place winner, Maris Interiors:

Pascall & Watson and Inskip jenkins:

MCM Architecture:

Pret A Manger and Pringle Brandon:

Ridgestone and Schneider Designers:

Scott Brownrigg:

Sheppard Robson and Sketch Studios:

Staffan Tollgard:

The Lollipop Shoppe and Walker Martin:

Workspirit and Woods Bagot:

Yoo Design:

HKS International's entry is shown at the top of this post.

All 31 entries were auctioned on 1st July 2010 and the proceedings of about £10,000 were passed onto Shelter.

The judge’s panel included:
Charles Saatchi
TV presenter Kevin McCloud
Designer Terence Conran

all original photos (cropped for this post) by Nicole Bachmann © Vitra UK