Charlotte Perriand

Charlotte Perriand is an iconic female figure of modernism. Not recognised for a long time the innovative and playful designer's works are now being credited to her. Long overdue in 2020 she had her first major retrospective at the Foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris.

Born in 1903 the French designer started her career at the Ecole de l' Union Centrale de Arts Decoratifs where she studied furniture design, after which approaching the famous Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Her work often comprised of tubular steel-frames and the use of chromed aluminium and glass, caught the attention of the architect, who hired her as head of his studio's interior design team. Her designs were visualisations of his architectural theory, as he stated 'a chair is a machine for relaxing'.

Her work can be seen in many of his building projects, including, the Cite Universite, the Pavillion de L’Esprit Nouveau, Villa Savoye and even his own apartment on rue Nungesser et Coli in Paris.

After her work with Charles Jeanneret, she travelled to Asia; learning both Japanese and Vietnamese woodworking techniques.