Le Corbusier (with Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret): the team behind the chrome-and-leather classics
The LC chairs and chaise are credited to Le Corbusier but were genuinely a three-person collaboration. Charlotte Perriand designed most of what we see, and her contribution is finally getting the recognition it deserves.
The chrome-and-leather LC chairs are credited to Le Corbusier, but they came out of a three-person partnership with Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret, and most of the furniture was substantially Perriand's work after she joined the studio in 1927. Five designs from the 1928 to 1929 collaboration are still made by Cassina, who holds the licence. On Whoppah a vintage Cassina LC2 Petit Confort sells for €1,500 to €3,500 against about €4,800 new, and the LC4 chaise longue for €2,200 to €5,000. Our curators check the manufacturer marking carefully, because every authentic Cassina piece since 1965 carries a sewn-in label with model and serial. No label, no buy.
Who actually designed the LC2 and LC4?
For a long time, the LC2 Petit Confort and the LC4 chaise longue were credited to "Le Corbusier" alone. That's a story worth correcting up front. The designs came out of a partnership between Le Corbusier (1887 to 1965), his cousin Pierre Jeanneret (1896 to 1967), and Charlotte Perriand (1903 to 1999). Perriand joined the studio in 1927, and most of the furniture we now think of as "Corbusier" was substantially her work. The series is increasingly catalogued as "Corbusier, Perriand, Jeanneret" or sometimes just "Perriand". That's the correct attribution.
I mention this not to be pedantic, but because Perriand is one of the most important furniture designers of the 20th century and her name deserves to travel with these pieces.
The pieces that survived
Five designs from the 1928 to 1929 collaboration are still in continuous production by Cassina, who holds the licence:
The LC2 Petit Confort (1928), the cube-shaped chrome-and-leather club chair, is the most photographed of the set. Vintage Cassina LC2s from the 1970s and 80s sell for €1,500 to €3,500 each on Whoppah. The current Cassina retail is around €4,800.
The LC3 Grand Confort (1928), the deeper, lower lounge version, runs €2,000 to €4,500.
The LC4 chaise longue (1928), the curved adjustable recliner on a steel cradle, is the iconic piece. Vintage Cassina examples sit at €2,200 to €5,000.
The LC1 sling chair (1928), with the leather sling seat on a chromed steel frame, is the lighter alternative.
The LC6 dining table (1928) is the marble or glass-topped table on the I-beam steel base. €1,800 to €4,200 used.
How do you spot a fake LC2 or LC4 on the secondhand market?
The LC series is one of the most-counterfeited furniture lines in the world. Italian copies from non-licensed factories have been in production since the 1970s. The differences are real:
Authentic Cassina LC2 chrome is a specific gauge of tube (25mm with 2mm wall) chromed to a depth that gives a slightly blue cast in raking light. Copies use thinner tube and brighter chrome.
The leather on a real Cassina LC2 is hand-selected hide, thick at the seat cushion edges. Copies use thinner leather that creases visibly at the corners.
Every authentic Cassina piece since 1965 carries a sewn-in label inside the upholstery with model and serial. No label, no buy.
Why Perriand deserves a separate visit
If you're new to this work, I'd encourage you to read about Perriand separately. Her own catalogue (independently of the Corbusier collaboration) is substantial: the Tunisie bookcase, the Synthèse des arts cabinets, the Les Arcs ski-resort interiors. The Cassina re-edition program of "Cassina I Maestri" now includes her solo work explicitly. It's overdue.
