Charlotte Perriand

Charlotte Perriand was one of the most pioneering designers and architects of the 20th century. Her Modernist work, which spanned buildings, interiors and furniture — particularly chairs — contained a distinctly human quality, shaped by her belief that good design could better society. As a result of her constant drive for reinventing design philosophy, and passion for collaboration and experimentation, she left behind a body of work that remains innovative today.

Born in Paris in 1903, Perriand studied at the city’s École de L’Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs. By the time she graduated in 1925, her work had been included in the Exposition Internationale and hung on the walls of the department store Galeries Lafayette.

In 1927, Perriand exhibited her Bar sous le toit at the Salon d’Automne. Originally designed for her loft apartment, the futuristic cocktail bar, table and stools made from aluminium, glass, chrome and leather caught the attention of Le Corbusier, who promptly offered her a job.

In Le Corbusier’s studio, Perriand developed a series of tubular steel chairs hailed as icons of the machine age. One of the most famous is the elegantly minimalist yet hyper-modern chaise longue B306 (1928/29).

As extremism gripped Europe throughout the 1930s, Perriand’s work became more socially conscious. She participated in projects for the French Salvation Army and developed lines of affordable furniture. After war broke out, she worked with Jean Prouvé to design military barracks and prefabricated housing.

In 1940, whilst war ravaged Europe, Perriand boarded a ship bound for Japan, where she would work as an official advisor on industrial design. After Japan joined the war, she became exiled in Vietnam. During her time in Asia, she studied local woodworking and weaving techniques. Finally able to return to Paris in 1946, she exported this knowledge to Europe, incorporating them in her desks, shelves and benches.

Perriand remained highly influential until her death in 1999, notably working with Le Corbusier on his housing development Unité d’Habitation (1952), designing three of the four villages that makes up the ski resort Les Arcs (1967–85) and creating a Japanese teahouse for UNESCO’s Paris headquarters (1993).