Biography
Charlotte Perriand was born in 1903 in Paris, France to a tailor and a seamstress. In 1920 she enrolled in the Ecole de L'Union Centrale de Arts Decoratifs ("School of the Central Union of Decorative Arts") to study furniture design from 1920 until 1925. After applying to work at Le Corbusier's studio in 1927 and being rejected, Perriand renovated her apartment into a room with a large bar made of aluminum glass and chrome. She recreated this for the Salon d’Automne where Le Corbusier's partner, Pierre Jeanneret, showed him her contribution. He changed his mind and offered her a job in furniture design. There, she was in charge of their interiors work and promoting their designs through a series of exhibitions. In 1928 she designed three chairs from Corbusier's principles. Each chair had a chromium-plated tubular steel base. At Corbuiser's request a chair was made for conversation: the B301 sling back chair, another for relaxation: the LC2 Grand Comfort chair, and the last for sleeping: the B306 chaise longue.
In the 1930s, Perriand’s focus became more egalitarian and populist. Along with designing furniture and living spaces, she was also involved with many leftist organizations such as the Association des Écrivains et Artistes Révolutionnaires, and Maison de la Culture. She also collaborated with the Jeunes in 1937 and help to found The Union des Artistes Modernes. In her designs from that period, rather than using chrome, which proved to be expensive, she began to use traditional materials such as wood and cane, which were more affordable. She also used some handcrafted techniques which she displayed at the 1935 Brussels International Exhibition. Many of her designs from this period were inspired from the vernacular furniture of Savoie where her grandparents lived-a place she visited often as a child.
In 1940 Perriand traveled to Japan as an official advisor for industrial design to the Ministry for Trade and Industry. While in Japan she advised the government on raising the standards of design in Japanese industry to develop products for the West. On her way back to Europe she was detained and forced into Vietnamese exile because of the war. Throughout her exile she studied woodwork and weaving and also gained much influence from Eastern design. The Book of Tea which she read at this time also had a major impact on her work and she referenced it throughout the rest of her career. Charlotte Perriand took part in the design of the ski resorts of Les Arcs in Savoie. In the 1950s she designed for various corporate service spaces. Perriand's main goal as a designer was to develop affordable, functional, and appealing furniture for the masses.
Some of her work includes:
- Meribel ski resort
- The League of Nations building in Geneva
- the Remodeling of Air France's offices in London, Paris, and Tokyo
Charlotte Perriand continued collaborating with Jean Prouve through the rest of her career.
Read more about this topic: Charlotte Perriand
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