Courtesy Gigacer
Le Corbusier’s early 1930s essay “Architectural Polychromy” emphasizes the importance of color in architecture, and how it affects occupants both visually and emotionally. After being commissioned by Swiss wallpaper company Salubra in 1932 to create a wallpaper sample book, the architect compiled a list of 43 harmonious colors that he believed to be the most suitable for architecture. Muted in palette, this first series of colors were eventually followed by 20 bolder hues in 1959, creating a collection totaling 63 colors.
Now Italian tile company Gigacer is paying homage to the legendary architect, known for Modernist structures such as Villa Savoye in Poissy, France, Unité d’habitation in Marseilles, France, and Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, France. It collaborated with the Fondation Le Corbusier–certified Zurich-based company Les Couleurs Suisse (which has exclusive international rights to the Le Corbusier color system) in order to achieve the exact colors Corbusier highlighted in his sample books.
The Le Corbusier collection is made up of three parts:
Courtesy Gigacer
LCS1
LCS1 is composed of 12 of the 63 hues from Corbusier’s sample books. These glossy, 12-inch-by-48-inch ceramic tiles are suitable for indoor and outdoor wall applications. Colors include rouge vermillion (red), ombre naturalle claire (umber), and bleu outremer (ultramarine).
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Beton Gris and Beton Blanc
These two tiles were influenced by the architect’s obvious partiality to creating concrete structures. These matte porcelain tiles can be used alone or to complement the rest of the collection. Suitable for both commercial and residential floor applications, they come in five sizes: 48″ by 96″, 48″ by 48″, 24″ by 48″, 24″ by 24″, and 12″ by 48″.
Courtesy Gigacer
LCS2
Six additional matte tiles highlight Corbusier’s colors on a Beton Blanc background through bas relief–engraved stripes. Suitable for both wall and floor coverings, tiles in this collection measure 24″ by 48″.