Charlotte Perriand

Background

Charlotte Perriand (1903–1999) was a French architect and designer, born in Paris to a tailor and a seamstress. She studied furniture design at the École de l'Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs from 1920 to 1925.

Signature Style

Her Bar sous le Toit in aluminium, nickel-plated steel and glass, shown at the 1927 Salon d'Automne, led Le Corbusier to invite her to his studio. In the 1930s she turned to wood and cane and to vernacular forms from Savoie, and her time in Japan from 1940 deepened her minimal, functional approach — "the art of dwelling is the art of living".

Notable Works

• With Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret (1928): LC2 Grand Confort, B301 (LC1) and B306 / LC4 chaise longue
• Interiors and kitchens for the Unité d'habitation
• Furniture produced with Jean Prouvé (1951–1953)
• The Les Arcs ski resort in Savoie

Legacy

A co-founder of the Union des Artistes Modernes, Perriand is recognised as a pioneer of modern design; Cassina's I Maestri collection re-edits both her shared works and her own pieces.