Breuer adapted his 1936 design for Heal & Son—an established London furniture firm—to create this plywood chaise for his Frank House in Pittsburgh. After Breuer left Germany for England, in 1935, he was hired by Isokon Furniture Company—an offshoot of the Isokon architectural firm, led by Jack Pritchard, which promoted modern design in Britain. This design by Breuer demonstrates Pritchard’s guiding principles of functionality, the use of plywood, and, especially, comfort: "Much recent modern furniture has failed to give the traditional English comfort tho' its form and shape has been pleasing," he said. Breuer’s successful plywood designs for Isokon in the 1930s were greatly influenced by the Finnish architect and plywood pioneer Alvar Aalto, who had himself been inspired by Breuer's tubular steel furniture of the 1920s.
Gallery label from Shaping Modernity: Design 1880-1980, December 23, 2009–July 25, 2010 .