Charlotte Perriand

12 April - 5 May 2023

Charlotte Perriand is one of 20th century’s most important designers. She brought a profound change in aesthetic values and introduced a truly modern sensitivity. Her innovative interior compositions still influence our lifestyle today.
Charlotte Perriand sitting in a Bauche armchair designed in 1935.

Perriand was raised in Paris, where she attended the École de l’Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs from 1920 to 1925. Under the tutelage of the school’s artistic director, Henri Rapin, Perriand proved herself to be a skilled designer, and her projects were selected and exhibited at the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. First shown at the Salon d’Automne of 1927, at the very start of her career, her Bar under the roof was immediately acclaimed by critics. It drew the interest of both Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, leading to a decade-long collaboration, designing prefabricated buildings.

Charlotte Perriand was involved in many projects during her lifetime. Deeply moved by social issues, she worked on housing developments such as the Unité d’Habitation in Marseilles in 1949, in collaboration with Le Corbusier, and on student rooms at the Cité Universitaire in Paris in 1953. In 1951 she participated in the French section of the Triennale in Milan.

In 1985 the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris organized a retrospective exhibition of her work. Since then, she has been the subject of several shows.
Nuage bookshelf, ca. 1960

Sapelli, painted bent sheet steel and aluminium

76 x 345 cm - 29 7/8 x 135 7/8 in

Manufactured by Steph Simon

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This remarkable bookshelf was designed by Charlotte Perriand in the early 1960’s when she was tasked with the interior design of the dwellings for the employees of the "Mauritanian Iron Mines Company" in Cansado. This bookshelf was conceived for the senior managers’ housing of the mine. A variation of previous models designed by Perriand, this bookshelf presents the minimalistic yet elegant features as well as the neutral colors characteristics of her work.

The simple composition gives a sense of lightness, hence the name « Nuage », or « Cloud » in English.

This Nuage bookshelf was manufactured in a small series by Steph Simon. According to the available documentation, only 62 were produced. This model was made in Sapeli, a tropical wood from West and Central Africa.
About Cansado
In 1957, French architects Jean Dimitrijevic, Guy Lagneau and Michel Weill - with whom Perriand collaborated on previous projects - are commissioned to conceive and build a new city by the Société des Mines de Fer de Mauritanie (MIFERMA or Mauritanian Iron Mines Company), at the southern tip of the Western Sahara, on the Atlantic front.

Built ex-nihilo between 1961 and 1963, the new town of Cansado included housing as well as all necessary facilities for the workers and their families living in the solitude of the desert. Hospital, school, commerces and cultural structures were incorporated in the general planning of the site to ensure the well-being of the local staff, through a combination of modern and vernacular architecture.
Mexique Coffee table, 1956

Wood, lacquered metal

35 x 118 x 76 cm - 13 3/4 x 46 1/2 x 29 7/8 in

Manufactured by Steph Simon

The Mexique coffee table was designed for the students’ rooms of the Maison du Mexique at the Cité Internationale Universitaire in Paris, The triangular shape of the table was conceived to take up as little space as possible in the small appartments. The solid wood top is smoothened by the rounded corners and brings a touch of elegance while staying functional and meeting the organizational requirements of the dwellings.

Perriand also designed the Mexique bookcase for the Cité Universitaire that was also used as a room divider between the bathroom and the living space of the students.
"Bauche" armchair , 1946

Ash and straw

78 x 55 x 64 cm - 30 3/4 x 21 5/8 x 25 1/4 in

"L’Equipement de la Maison" series, Grenoble

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This iconic armchair was specially created for La Maison du Jeune Homme, the French section of the Exposition Internationale held in Bruxelles in 1935. Perriand adapted the Fauteuil dossier basculant that she designed in 1928 with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, using organic materials instead of tubular steel and metal. She wanted to show that traditional techniques could be applied to modern needs. The use of wood and straw brings a sense of warmth to geometric structure of the armchair, blending tradition and modernity.

From 1946 to 1951, the manufacture L’équipement de la maison in Grenoble collaborated with Charlotte Perriand and produced this armchair.
- Charlotte Perriand's Bauche armchair in Jean Prouvé's appartment.
- La Maison du Jeune Homme, Exposition universelle de Bruxelles, 1935.
"We will no longer follow formalism or constructivism, we will no longer favor the curve over the straight line, stone over cement, blue over red, wood over metal; instead we will apply each where it is most functional, both technically and physiologically"

- Charlotte Perriand in L'Architecture d'Aujourd'hui, 1935
Table, ca. 1960

Cherrywood

70 x 199 x 86 cm - 27 1/2 x 78 3/8 x 33 7/8 in

Manufactured by Steph Simons
A celebration of wood and craftsmanship, this table presents an overall robust and simple shape. However, some subtle features testify of Perriand’s delicate work and great sense of details. The massive table top is smoothened by its slightly curved edges. This top is also subtly enhanced by two length-long grooves, or « gorges », placed as a visual support to ensure that the placemats were perfectly aligned when setting the table. The powerful elliptical four legs are positioned at a 45-degree angle to avoid guests sitting at the end of the table to knock their knees.

This table is a perfect combination with the emblematic Rush chair, of which the rarest balck version is illustrated below.
Black rush chair, 1960

Black stained wooden structure, curved backrest and straw seat (crosstie underneath)

75 x 44 x 41 cm - 29 1/2 x 17 3/8 x 16 1/8 in

Manufactured by Steph Simon