Pair of armless fireside lounge chairs by Pierre Jeanneret from the Chandigarh furniture program, circa 1950s. Contemporary taupe hair-on-hide covers the broad seats and inclined backs above low, emphatic teak bases.
Jeanneret developed furniture alongside the architecture of Chandigarh, the new city created in post-independence India. Seating was an essential part of its offices, educational establishments and residential interiors. His designs brought modernist composition into direct contact with local woodworking: substantial timber members, economical joints and repeated forms gave ordinary furnishings a distinct architectural presence. The resulting furniture was made to be used, and its character emerges from the way a relatively small number of structural elements organize the body, the supporting frame and the spaces between them.
The broad timber supports rise beneath the seats and spread close to the floor, creating a compact compass-like profile. The upholstered backs incline noticeably, and the generous seat depth gives the chairs a pronounced reclining character. Their armless construction keeps the cushioned bodies visually continuous and reveals the full side outline.
Hair-on-hide introduces subtle variations in direction and surface tone across the seats and backs. The light covering contrasts with the warm teak, whose grain remains visible on the exposed supporting members. As a pair, the chairs share the same overall geometry while retaining differences in their wooden surfaces. The low base and sloping body give each chair its sculptural weight and relaxed scale.
The vintage teak retains variations in grain, color and surface wear, with softened edges and individual traces of use visible in the photographs. These details give the woodwork its material character and preserve the sense of a furnishing made for daily life in institutional or residential interiors. The present upholstery is a later treatment of the vintage structure.
Dimensions: approximately 23 inches wide, 32 inches deep, 27.5 inches high. Seat height: 16 inches.
Provenance: private collection, Chandigarh, India, as recorded by Studio Balestra.
Accompanied by a Studio Balestra Certificate of Authenticity.
