Charlotte Perriand was a French architect and designer whose work aimed to create functional living spaces with the belief that better design leads to a better society. Born on October 24, 1903, in Paris, and passing away on October 27, 1999, Perriand is renowned for her contributions to 20th-century furniture design. Her collaborations with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret produced iconic pieces such as the LC2 “Fauteuil Grand Confort” and the LC4 chaise lounge, which remain celebrated today.
Perriand was raised in Paris, where her father worked as a tailor and her mother was a seamstress. Her artistic talent was evident from an early age, catching the attention of her junior high school art instructor. Encouraged by her mother, she attended the École de l’Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs from 1920 to 1925, where she studied under Henri Rapin, a renowned interior designer. Rapin’s practical pedagogical approach helped Perriand develop the ability to move ideas from the drawing board to reality.
During her studies, Perriand also attended classes offered by large department stores, such as those at Galeries Lafayette, where she learned from Maurice Dufrêne, the studio director of La Maîtrise workshop. This experience exposed her to pragmatic, applicable projects that bridged the gap between academic studies and practical design applications. Her work during this period was exhibited at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, marking the beginning of her professional recognition.
Career Beginnings and Breakthrough
After graduation, Perriand continued to display her work in numerous exhibitions. Her most notable early entry was the “Bar sous le toit” at the 1927 Salon d’Automne, an installation that showcased a built-in bar and furniture made of nickel and glass. This design revealed her preference for materials and aesthetics that mirrored the industrial age, a stark departure from the handcrafted, wood-centric designs favored by her contemporaries. The project marked a significant shift in her career, as she embraced steel as her material of choice for modern design expressions.
In Saint-Sulpice, Charlotte Perriand liked to host her friends in her apartment, thanks to the “Bar under the Roof” that she invented. It was an attic room transformed into a bar where the “flapper” could party. In this photo, Charlotte poses with Le Corbusier, Djo Bourgeois, a prominent decorator of the time, Jean Fouquet, a jewelry designer, and, in the background, Percy, her first husband. They are all great friends and gather at Charlotte’s, with the young avant-garde generation. As often, in this photo, Charlotte is the only woman surrounded by men. PIERRE JEANNERET/ACHP
Collaboration with Le Corbusier
Amid her rising recognition, Perriand sought to work with Le Corbusier, whose writings had deeply inspired her. Although initially dismissed by him, she won him over with her innovative “Bar sous le toit” design. She played a crucial role in the design and fabrication of iconic furniture pieces, including the LC1, LC2, and LC4 chairs. These pieces, often credited solely to Le Corbusier, were the result of a collaborative effort where Perriand’s detailed design and construction skills were indispensable.
In addition to furniture, Perriand contributed to the atelier’s vision of modern luxury. In 1929, she was instrumental in designing the “l’équipement intérieur de l’habitation” or the equipment of modern dwelling for the Salon d’Automne, which included an entire apartment setup featuring innovative designs like a shiny kitchen and bathroom.
Exploration and Influence
After leaving Le Corbusier’s atelier, Perriand collaborated with Jean Prouvé, a designer known for his work with metal. Together, they designed military barracks and temporary housing during World War II. In 1940, Perriand traveled to Japan as an official advisor for industrial design. Her time in Japan profoundly influenced her design philosophy, integrating traditional Japanese materials and craftsmanship into her modernist approach. Her exhibitions in Japan showcased the use of natural materials like wood and bamboo, highlighting a departure from the industrial materials she previously favored.
Perriand’s post-war projects were diverse and global. She worked on rustic lodges in the French Alps, kitchen prototypes for Unité d’Habitation in Marseille and Tokyo, and commercial interiors for Air France in London. Her final and largest project, the ski resort of Les Arcs in Savoy, completed between 1967 and 1985, combined her interests in prefabrication, standardization, and integration with the natural landscape.
Later Projects and Legacy
In the 1950s and 1960s, Perriand’s designs continued to evolve. She designed the interiors for the famous Unité d’Habitation in Marseille and student housing projects. Her approach to design was characterized by a meticulous attention to detail and a focus on functionality. The ski resort at Les Arcs is a testament to her ability to blend architecture with the natural environment, featuring minimalistic rooms that maximize outdoor experiences while maintaining efficient and functional designs.
In 1985, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris held a retrospective exhibition, “Charlotte Perriand: Un Art de Vivre,” celebrating her distinguished career. Perriand’s autobiography, “Une Vie de Création,” published in 1998, provides a comprehensive look at her philosophy and contributions to modern design.
Charlotte Perriand’s work remains influential, embodying a blend of functionality, innovation, and aesthetic value. Her legacy continues to inspire contemporary designers, reaffirming her status as a pioneering force in the world of architecture and design.
Charlotte Perriand in the Le Corbusier-Jeanneret Workshop, Rue de Sèvres, circa 1929
At 26 years old, Charlotte Perriand joined the workshop of Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret after gaining recognition for her “Bar under the Roof” displayed at the Salon d’Automne two years earlier. Wearing her famous “ball bearing” necklace that she crafted, she poses in front of her drafting table in the workshop on Rue de Sèvres. NORMAN RICE/PRESSE MILAN/ACHP
Charlotte Perriand on the Reclining Chaise Longue, 1928-1929 – Le Corbusier, P. Jeanneret, C. Perriand: circa 1928
This iconic photograph in the history of design features Charlotte Perriand on the famous Reclining Chaise Longue she designed. It’s revolutionary in two significant ways. Firstly, the design of the chair itself is functionalist, utilizing chrome-plated tubes that broke with the aesthetic standards of the time. Secondly, the image presents a woman—Charlotte Perriand—resting in a posture that defied the social norms of the era. When the patent was filed, Le Corbusier insisted that the names be listed alphabetically, placing Perriand’s name third, after Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. As a result, many people today mistakenly attribute the design of the chair to Le Corbusier. ADAGP PARIS 2019 / ACHP
Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand: Grand Confort Armchair, Large Model, 1928
During the 1920s, many designers reinterpreted the English club chair, including Charlotte Perriand with the Grand Confort Armchair. Its distinctive feature is the separation of cushions from the frame, unlike the upholstered chairs of the time. Its low height is designed to blend into the space and minimize visual disruption. This chair has been used for ninety years in many private and professional interiors and has also become an icon of modernity. ADAGP PARIS 2019/ACHP
Dining Room, 1928
The Saint-Sulpice apartment is the studio-apartment where Charlotte Perriand moved after her marriage, marking her emancipation. Freed from her teaching duties and the values of decorative art, she could finally create freely for herself. She designed the entire space, notably the dining room. Inspired by car bodywork, she created the furniture. Limited by the room’s size but wishing to host many friends, she designed an extendable table. She equipped the back wall of the dining room with a large cupboard, inside which was a hatch that communicated with the kitchen. This was Charlotte Perriand’s first serving hatch. ADAGP PARIS 2019 / ACHP
“Le Corbusier waited impatiently for me to bring the furniture to life,” Charlotte Perriand wrote. The design for “Dining room 28,” 1929, by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Perriand, included her tubular steel chair.Credit…F.L.C./ADAGP, Paris; Jean Collas/AChP
The House of the Young Man: Brussels Universal Exhibition, 1935
In 1935, Maurice Dufrêne, Charlotte Perriand’s mentor from her school days, along with René Herbst and Louis Sognot, invited her to create The House of the Young Man, an ideal apartment for a modern young man centered around the themes of study and sport. She brought in Fernand Léger, Le Corbusier, and Pierre Jeanneret to embark on a project that aimed to synthesize the arts, combining architecture, furniture, utilitarian objects, painting, photography, and sculpture in a single space. The space was symbolically divided into two “zones”, blending the physical and the intellectual for a sporty and cultured young man. Unlike the spirit of the universal exhibition, where official art prevailed, Charlotte Perriand offered a radical critique of the present and made a political statement: art for all, art by all. It challenged academic values and the market value of art, as well as the dictates of museums that still rejected modern painters. ADAGP PARIS 2019/ACHP
Sandstone and Sand in a Quarry, circa 1935
Like her friend Dora Maar, who chose photography as her medium of expression, Charlotte Perriand felt that it was the quintessential contemporary tool. Starting in 1933, alongside Pierre Jeanneret and Fernand Léger, Charlotte Perriand embarked on a true conceptual adventure with found objects, in search of the “lessons from the laws of nature”: pebbles, flint, roots, pieces of wood washed by the sea… These photographic explorations reveal a profound optimism: art is in everything, as Charlotte Perriand—and Marcel Duchamp before her—proclaimed. And it is everywhere for those who want to see and know how to look. ADAGP PARIS 2019 / ACHP
Charlotte Perriand and Fernand Léger: “Traditional Joys, New Pleasures” – Pavilion of the Ministry of Agriculture, 1937: photo-collage and painting on plywood
Aligned with the Popular Front, Charlotte Perriand was responsible for communicating the agricultural reform program for the Ministry of Agriculture’s pavilion during the International Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life in Paris. The reforms of the Popular Front aimed to bring social progress by improving the incomes and living conditions of peasants. Charlotte Perriand and Fernand Léger were eager to advocate for the right to “new pleasures.” Associating “pleasure” with productive activity was revolutionary for conservative France, which viewed the establishment of paid vacations with considerable skepticism. MUSEO REINA SOFIA, SPAIN / ADAGP PARIS 2015
Library of the Maison de la Tunisie, Cité Universitaire, Paris, 1952: wood and folded sheet metal
In the early 1950s, Charlotte Perriand decided to collaborate with the workshops of Jean Prouvé to design mass-produced furniture that was accessible to a wide audience, leading to the creation of the Tunisie library. This piece was designed for the student rooms at the Cité Universitaire in Paris and has since become a cult object in the design world. ADAGP PARIS 2019/CENTRE POMPIDOU / RMN GRAND PALAIS/AUDREY LAURENS
Stool, 1955 – Laurence and Patrick Seguin Collection
The Shepherd’s Stool is also one of her iconic creations. First presented in 1955 during the “Proposition for a Synthesis of the Arts” exhibition in Tokyo, it is inspired by the stool used by shepherds in the mountains. This was a beloved environment for Charlotte Perriand, who drew inspiration from it using simple forms from traditional Alpine architecture. This very low stool brings the body closer to the ground and adapts to the Japanese lifestyle. ADAGP PARIS 2019/COLLECTION LAURENCE AND PATRICK SEGUIN
Charlotte Perriand, architect, and André Tournon, engineer: The refuge on the shoulder of Mont Joly, winter 1938
Passionate about nature and the mountains, Charlotte Perriand engaged in mountaineering, canoeing, and skiing. Faced with the obsolescence, discomfort, and danger of low-altitude refuges, she envisioned applying prefabrication techniques to produce series of refuges for mountaineers. She partnered with engineer André Tournon to design a high-altitude refuge. Lightweight, economical, minimally sized, and able to be set up in three days at the foot of peaks by non-professionals, the bivouac refuge was also designed to leave no trace after its dismantling, minimizing environmental impact. ADAGP PARIS 2019 / ACHP
