Coming soon
Pierre Jeanneret reissues
Origin in Candigarh, India
The art of making furniture
Astra Studio carries exceptional handmade reproductions of Pierre Jeanneret's furniture. The furniture, originally designed for Chandigarh in India in the 1950s, was an integral part of the city's identity and symbolized the progressive spirit and modern aspirations of the time. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in Jeanneret's furniture and Chandigarh's architectural heritage.
What sets our supplier apart from others is their small, dedicated team of craftsmen who truly value the art of furniture making. With years of experience and a genuine love for the craft, they bring the timeless designs to life with precision and skill. Strict quality standards are adhered to and everyone in the team is committed to maintaining clear standards of excellence.
When it comes to choosing wood, teak is used exclusively for all our furniture. In addition, we only use wood from old, demolished buildings because it provides a superior resistance to shrinkage compared to freshly cut timber.
The history about
Pierre Jeanneret
When Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first post-independence prime minister, invited the famous French architect Charles-Édouard Jeanneret to design the utopian city of Chandigarh, he inadvertently set in motion a series of events that changed the mid-century modern style forever. The architect, better known as Le Corbusier, was a visionary, but it was his team of experts led by his cousin Pierre Jeanneret who carried out his grand plans.
The two had a brief disagreement during World War II when they supported different sides, but buried the hatchet in 1950 when Le Corbusier persuaded Pierre Jeanneret to go to Chandigarh. When he first arrived in the city, his love for the city became so deep that even when Le Corbusier left the construction process in the middle, Jeanneret stayed to complete the task in the last years of his life.
What really characterizes his work is the amazing understanding and sensitivity to the use of materials. He worked with them in a way that highlighted their innate beauty, rather than trying to control and hide it. By working with mainly geometric shapes, Jeanneret's teak furniture radiates the warmth and nature of the materials. His signature designs can be seen on a wide variety of designs from chairs to benches to tables and desks.
As Chandigarh moved away from its roots, people started discarding the furniture for contemporary decor and many valuable Jeanneret works were found lying neglected in corners and dumped at the back of old buildings. These were eventually found and refurbished by sharp-sighted dealers in the 1990s.
Pierre Jeanneret's work has recently emerged from the shadows of Le Corbusier's fame. His work has enjoyed a resurgence among antique collectors and interior design enthusiasts worldwide, making Chandigarh better able to preserve its modernist heritage, and finds of original Pierre Jeanneret designs are becoming rarer.
Jeanneret's work has traveled from the scrap heaps of India to the luxurious homes and offices of design connoisseurs, making these minimalist yet functional pieces of furniture, once seen as bourgeois, suddenly very elegant.