Nightstands (Pair)
Manufactured by Government Workshops, Chandigarh
India, 1955
Teak, frosted glass

Measurements (each)
51 × 46 × 83h cm
20 × 18 × 32,7h in

Provenance
M.L.A. Flats Building, Chandigarh, India
Private Collection

Details
Painted marks: “M.L.A. (H)bs”
Manufacturer’s Label

Literature
Touchaleaume, E., & Moreau, G. (2010). Le Corbusier Pierre Jeanneret: The Indian Adventure, Design-Art-Architecture., p. 594.

About
These nightstands were designed by Pierre Jeanneret for the residential interiors of the M.L.A. Flats building in Chandigarh during the 1950s. Intended for the apartments of members of the Legislative Assembly, the design reflects the restrained elegance characteristic of furniture produced for the city’s residential architecture.
Each nightstand features a teak structure incorporating a drawer and an integrated lighting element with frosted glass. The combination of storage and illumination demonstrates the functional ingenuity typical of the Chandigarh furniture program.
Produced by local craftsmen in the Government Workshops, the nightstands exemplify the collaboration between modernist design and Indian woodworking traditions.

Biography
Pierre Jeanneret (1896–1967) was a Swiss architect and designer and a key collaborator of his cousin Le Corbusier. Working mainly in Paris during the early decades of his career, he co-founded an architectural studio with Le Corbusier in 1922, where they developed influential modernist ideas in architecture, urban planning, and furniture design, often collaborating with Charlotte Perriand.
Jeanneret played an important role in the development of modern furniture and architecture associated with their studio, contributing to projects presented at the Salon d'Automne and to many of the architectural works that defined the modern movement.
Later in his career he moved to India, where he worked closely with Le Corbusier on the planning and construction of Chandigarh. There he served as the city’s chief architect for several years, designing numerous public buildings, housing projects, and furniture pieces that became emblematic of the city’s modernist identity.