Stool from the Maison du Brésil, Cité Universitaire, Paris 1959

Curator: Right now, we're looking at a stool, likely from around the 1950s or 60s, designed by the one and only Le Corbusier. It comes from the Maison du Brésil at the Cité Universitaire in Paris. Editor: My first impression is... simplicity. It’s blocky, unadorned—almost severe. The dark wood gives it a somber mood. Curator: Exactly. Its stark form reflects Corbusier’s functionalist ethos: design stripped bare to its essential purpose. A celebration of the material itself. Editor: The straight lines and right angles speak to a sense of order, but I can't help but wonder about its comfort. Does its form truly follow function? Curator: Corbusier believed that beauty resided in functionality. The visible grain of the wood, the honest construction—these are aesthetic choices as much as practical ones. It's a quiet rebellion against ornamentation. Editor: Perhaps. But there's a certain elegance in that restraint, isn't there? It invites a different kind of contemplation. Curator: I agree. Its plainness becomes powerful. It’s more than just a stool; it's a statement about design, utility, and the beauty of the unadorned. Editor: Well said. I still wouldn't want to sit on it for too long.