Harvard University’s Busch-Reisinger Museum recently put on a show of classic modern furniture entitled: “Design~Recline:  Modern Architecture and the Mid-Century Chaise Longue.”
 
The exhibit’s curator, Robin Schuldenfrei, spoke about one of its illuminati, the architect and furniture designer Le Corbusier. “He was highly influenced by the amenities of travel by ocean liner, often praising the light that poured into the salons through the windows and the multiple decks where passengers took sun. His modern architecture reflected many of the liners’ characteristics, including the use of metal railings, decks and horizontal windows. Likewise, his furniture promoted modern design ideas. For example, the chaise longue that he designed with Charlotte Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret in 1928 is extremely comfortable and relaxing, taking its cue from a ship’s deck chair.
 
“While Le Corbusier famously called a house a ‘machine for living in,’ he saw his chaise longue as a ‘machine for rest.’ Its sleek, chromed, tubular steel frame is not affixed to the base but rather slides along it, thus allowing the occupant to tilt up or down,” Schuldenfrei said.

Sedia in Boston sells high-quality Le Corbusier reproductions.
Contact: 617-451-2474. www.sedia.com