We continue to honor Women’s History Month with female furniture designer and architect Charlotte Perriand. Way ahead of her time, evidence of her progressive mentality was shown at the Brussels International Exposition of 1935 with the “House for a Young Man.” The design of this house made it functional, with exercise equipment on one side, and the use of a partition separating the study area on the other side. This type of decorating is popular today.
When we talk about this female furniture designer, we must mention her philosophy – because Perriand’s designs were a manifestation of that philosophy. It was
“Better design = better living.” She felt that the design should complement the human experience, which would create a better society.
Perriand had studied with Art Deco illustrator Henri Rapin and learned furniture design from Maurice Dufrêne from the La Maitrise furniture shop, while at Ecole de L’Union Centrale des Arts Decoratifs. Charlotte was there from 1920 to 1925.
In 1927 this female furniture designer had created her stand-out piece, “Le bar sous le toit,” which translates to “the bar beneath the roof.” Her peers created wooden designs that she felt were too “fussy.” Perriand worked with chrome, aluminum, and glass. She also used leather cushions and nickel-plated surfaces. Remember, this was back in 1927. This decorating would have made heads turn back in the day.
Today, high-end furniture stores would sell Charlotte Perriand’s furniture. Her designs, whether she was creating furniture or building her work, reflected the social issues of that time; this was why there was a need for contemporary architecture and furniture.
When the war hit, Perriand partnered with “constructeur” Jean Prouvé to design military barracks and also make prefabricated temporary housing.
This action of making temporary barracks reminds us of our own Gerald Olesker, owner and CEO of ADG. When COVID hit and hospitals ran out of needed furniture, Gerald volunteered to make needed healthcare equipment from exam tables and bed frames to medical equipment cabinets. This man can design anything.
But this month, we are honoring female designers and architects. We honor you, Charlotte Perriand.
Photo Credit: Dwell
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