28 November 2013
A crate of whisky drifting among the waves: that’s what the Tabouret calls to mind. It was designed by Le Corbusier for his Cabanon, a cabin of just 15 square meters that he built to use as his personal retreat in the last period of his life. In reality, there’s much more in this simple boxlike volume and it represents a synthesis of his idea of equipment for inhabiting space. It is pure proportion centered on the three dimensions of physics. To these correspond the same number of functions: container, stool and bookcase unit, depending on which way up it is placed. The minimal, but crucial detail of a slit to be used as a handle when moving it around to suit different purposes is decisive. Designed in 1952, but relaunched by Cassina only three years ago, it is a demonstration of the farsightedness of this great theorist of living space and architecture. A pioneer in the reappraisal of anonymous design, he showed here that he was capable of inventing a complement that is truly minimal in its aesthetics and maximal in its function. Manufacturer: Cassina.
