Eileen Gray Sofa Lota
Eileen Gray, known as a polarizing designer, created this wonderful sofa model for Mathieu Levy in Rue de Lota in Paris in 1924. The design of the sofa for said apartment in Paris was also considered a turning point in her creative work.
She had previously devoted herself to Art Deco, which ranged from bizarre to eccentric, to now create a sofa - architecturally rigorous almost cool and functional. The Lota sofa quickly became her favorite piece of furniture which she also treated herself to for her own home.
This classic sofa offers its user elegance that goes hand in hand with a high level of seating comfort.
Gray, at the time could not have foreseen that her work would become a Bauhaus classic. Although the sofa was created in the previous century, one could assume today; Lota came from the future.
The sofa´s design convinces by the applied sandwich technique, by the lush cushions intended as arm and back support, and by its well thought-out lines. The lacquered side elements have been finished in the Japanese lacquering technique she learned, which are a real style element.
The frame of the sofa is made of beech and is upholstered. The applied cushions are filled with natural down and are therefore pleasantly soft.
Sofa upholstered in leather or optional cotton fabric on beech wood frame. Side boxes in MDF on casters, removably attached to the sofa, lacquered in black high gloss. (Piano lacquer).
Like all our furniture, this designer piece is handmade in selected Italian workshops.
Dimensions:
- Height 90 cm (2'11'') x width 243 cm (7'12'') x depth 90 cm (2'11'').
Due to the special situation (pandemic, etc.), the production time of the model is about 12 weeks. In addition, about 5 to 9 working days for delivery. Depending on the destination. (As of February 2022)
Available in many variants
The Eileen Gray Lota Sofa can be ordered in various leather versions or in fabric. The frame and tubular steel frames are high-gloss chrome-plated or can be painted in all standard RAL colours.
Convincing design
This sofa´s design convinces with its aesthetics, function and timeless appearance. Form and function were ahead of time, as with many of Gray's furniture designs..
Not just simply copied
Our furniture is not simply copied. They are subject to the highest quality standards using the most modern manufacturing techniques. The result is a very durable product which will give you pleasure for many years over and over.
Craftsmanship from Tuscany
Tuscan craftsmanship made in Italy and many years of experience guarantee the highest quality finish on the Eileen Gray Lota Sofa. Nothing is more unaesthetic than a cheap copy that reveals itself as such at first sight.
More about the designer
Eileen Gray, born on 09.08.1878 in Brwonswood (Ireland) was an extraordinary woman. In what was then known as the "Children's Kitchen Church" Law period, Gray moved and went into the professional world. Her autodidactic knowledge led her to success as an interior and furniture designer, without ever having completed a degree.
The beginning
Eileen Gray's father died in 1900. At that time she had already been learning the trade of a draughtswoman at the Slade School of Fine Arts in London for two years. In 1902 Gray moved to Paris where she continued to devote herself to the arts of drawing and oriental lacquerwork.
Further Information
In 1907 Gray rented a flat at 21 rue Bonaparte, which she kept until the end of her life. In Paris, Gray met the Japanese Sugawara, who introduced her to the art of East Asian lacquer. It was not until six years later that Gray dared to show her own work at an exhibition of interior designers. Gray's works aroused the interest of the couturier Jacques Doucet - an art connoisseur and collector at the time.
The first project
Doucet was refurnishing a house at the time. The style of the interior design was to move away from 18th century art towards modernism. Eileen Gray made two tables and a screen for the Doucet house. These works were dated and signed by Gray.
Return and creative break
At the outbreak of World War 1, Eileen Gray returned to London and took up work as an ambulance driver. After the end of the First World War, Gray returned to her old place of work, Paris, reopening her workshop. Her first major commission was to design a flat in Rue de Lota of Madame Lévy, known as Suzanne Talbot.
The breakthrough
In 1922 Gray opened the Galerie Jean Désert in the Rue du Faubourg St. Honoré. There she exhibited and sold her furniture, screens and lamps. With her "bedroom-boudoir for Monte Carlo", Gray caused controversial criticism in the Paris press in 1923. Among the followers of the "de Stijl" movement, however, it was highly acclaimed. Gray received encouragement from Gropius, Le Corbusier and Mallet-Stevens. Based on this, she ventured into architecture.
Gray's creativity
With the advice of the architectural theorist Jean Badovici and after several years of learning, Gray built a house for herself in Roquebrune. Well thought out including clever interior solutions and details. The other two projects Gray designed were also convincing in their ingenuity and practicality. Further designs, however, were not realised. Until her death in 1976, Gray worked on various newly conceived projects and was always experimenting with new materials. At the age of 80, Gray converted a barn near Saint Tropez into a summer house. Shortly before her death, Eileen Gray had an exhibition of her most important works at the Museé des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. On 28.11.1976, Gray's eyes closed forever.
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