An affordable, concise survey on the influential modernist designer's
interiors, buildings, furniture and more, from a sawtooth ski resort to
sculptural chaises longues
From the onset of her career, Charlotte Perriand was a maverick who
believed in good design as a force for the betterment of society. Many
young designers would be devastated by a rejection from Le Corbusier's
studio, but when the great architect told her they had no use for a
female furniture designer, Perriand only became more determined to prove
her mettle as an artist. Under Le Corbusier, and long after she left his
studio, Perriand's contributions to both furniture design and
architecture demonstrated a unique attention to the organic artistry of
nature as well as the egalitarian possibilities of the machine age. Her
leftwing populist politics motivated much of her work, from modular
furniture systems to major architectural projects.
This monograph explores Perriand's most famous interiors, original
furniture and architectural projects, as well as her never-before-seen
sketchbooks, shedding new light on her creative process and place in
design history.
Charlotte Perriand (1903-99) experienced the first breakthrough in
her career with Le Bar sous le toit, a 1927 interior design piece that
predicted the elegant minimalism and utilitarian nature of her future
work. Although today she is perhaps best known for her early chaise
longue designs, Perriand also created the plans for a number of major
buildings across Europe and contributed interior designs to Le
Corbusier's Unité d'habitation. She worked in places as diverse as
Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and London in her pursuit of accessible design.
