It is time and again a mistaken belief among people that elegant and comfortable furniture is never alike. But, different to general belief one can have a furnishing for their house that is both stylish and comfortable, one excellent example of which is the LC 4 Chaise Lounge by Le Corbusier. One of Le Corbusier’s experimental designs for residential furnishings, the LC 4 Chaise Lounge is a combination of both ergonomic comfort and the modernist aesthetics of the International style.

Designed in 1928, the Le Corbusier No. 4 or LC 4 Chaise Lounge is a modernist variation of the original French chaise longue or “long chair” design. Le Corbusier built the chair in collaboration with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret and French interior designer Charlotte Perriand, and was originally used at the Villa Church in Paris. The chair was then included in Le Corbusier’s show at the 1929 Salon d’ Automne art exposition under the Equipment for the Home inauguration.

The LC 4 Chaise Lounge can be harshly split into three separate sections: the independent support base at the bottom, the central steel cradle, and a cushioned mat on top which serves as the chair’s seat and backrest. The base is composed of high-grade steel covered with black matte enamel finish, suddenly the cradle is made from tubular steel and coated in either black matte or chrome. The cradle is also bent into a C-shape to enable the chair to recline and adjust appropriately with the independent support base. The mat, on the other hand, is coated in pony-hide, black leather or a special beige canvas. The mat also features a barrel-formed cushion attachment which serves as the chair’s headrest.

The Le Corbusier No. 4 Chaise Lounge was first produced in the 1930′s by the Thonet furniture company and later by the Swiss-based Embru. In 1964, the designer furniture company Cassina of Milan obtained the privileges to reproduce Le Corbusier’s furniture designs and remains as the top manufacturer of the LC 4 Chaise Lounge