Le Corbusier, who largely defined the 20th century attitude towards architecture, was an immaculate innovator. His approach towards design also applied to the reinvention of interiors and objects—in some instances, it was the reinterpretation of something as simple as a box. For its second activation at world design fair Salone del Mobile in Milan, Bottega Veneta partnered with industrial design company Cassina and Fondation Le Corbusier to produce custom editions of the LC14 Tabouret Cabanon, an art object that represents a building block as well as a minimalist seat. In the circular space of Palazzo San Fedele, Bottega presented On The Rocks, an immaculate installation featuring their versions of the LC14 stacked in large piles that feel both historical and ultra-modern in their uniformity.

Corbusier first drew inspiration for the LC14 Tabouret design from a whiskey box that he discovered on a rocky beach in Côte d’Azur in 1952. The original shabby-chic box (which is also on display at the installation) fit well into the design for his nearby summer home which he aimed to decorate with simple square objects. Bottega Veneta’s creative director Matthieu Blazy originally commissioned this run of custom wooden boxes for the Fall/Winter 2024 show, each one individually charred using a method derived from Japanese wood burning. The Bottega team produced an additional limited collection of 60 boxes made with their signature Intreccio technique, painted in vibrant shades of yellow and turquoise along with more muted tones of red and green, then finished with a coat of black. The fabrics are then worn down so that each piece appears to have a textured blend of both black and the original color.

On The Rocks follows the brand’s Salone installation last year in collaboration with Gaetano Pesce, a partnership that also created those candy-colored chairs you’ve probably seen on the internet. From these partnerships with design greats like Corbusier and Pesce, Bottega presents a unique fusion of fashion and furniture, fitting a brand so centered around artisanal work in its leather craft.

The exhibition is on view until April 20 at Palazzo San Fedele in Milan and is open to the public. 100 of the wooden cubes along with the 60 leather versions are available for pre-order now.