New York Flat & Corbusier Loveseat

Walking the streets of New York I go about my daily route delivering packages for UPS. I see all walks of people in my job. I walk into a law office dropping off a package to the receptionist. She is able to talk on her headset and type at the same time as if she were a robot. I glance into the next room where I hear a booming voice of a man. He must be the boss. I see a very modern black loveseat with a chrome base and I recognize this piece of furniture, I admired it the day before at a couple’s stylish New York flat. In my line of work I am only in a certain environment for a minute or so, long enough to get a signature. I am fascinated by how environments reflect the personality of individuals. I am able to understand what people like and dislike by simply looking at their everyday environment. Seeing this loveseat in two different environments with sets of very different people I see how design connects people.
The law office was cold with marble floors, stark windows with no blinds or warm lighting. The most compelling element in this office though was the acoustics; the clatter of the keyboard and the voice on phone line, the sounds of high heels and dress shoes tapping on the marble floors, and the boom of the boss’s voice resonating into the lobby area all make this office quite harsh and unyielding. Then I see the loveseat and I think of the stylish young couple’s flat. They resided in an older building across town in an up and coming neighborhood. The neighborhood used to be somewhat dangerous but now it is bustling with artists, young couples and families. Coffee shops and organic food stores line the street. This certain couple lives in an apartment above a Children’s bookstore. The flat has all white walls with traditional molding. The furniture is modern and eclectic and I felt welcome in their warm apartment. I think about the connection between these two sets of people in New York and how they may never meet, but will always be connected in someway through design as all people are.

Corbusier’s work unites people from all over the world. He calls his work part of the “international style” which is appropriate considering his work such as the Petite Loveseat is successful in many types of environments all over the world. New York is used as an example of where you might find the petite loveseat because New York is full of people from all different backgrounds and countries, making the city another broader category that connects these people along with Corbusier’s work.