Le Corbusier himself invited her to work in his studio when she was 24 years old. The dedication of young Charlotte Perrian deserves a round of applause. When she graduated from the School of the Central Union of Decorative Arts in 1925, she firmly decided that she would not work in an ordinary furniture workshop. She wanted to create only avant-garde items and even, desperate to find a suitable job, wanted to go into agriculture. She was saved by a friend who advised her to read Le Corbusier's Towards Architecture and Contemporary Decorative Arts. And immediately after meeting them, Charlotte decided at all costs to work with the great Corbyu. She came to get a job with him, but the maestro put her out the door with the words "We do not embroider pillows here" …
Then he did not yet know that Charlotte was not inspired by embroidery at all, but by bicycles and cars that she saw on the Parisian streets. Metal tubes of frames, glass of a car and metal did not give her rest. She converted her own living room into a glass and metal bar.
A little later, she introduced the world to her ideas and showed this "Roof Bar" at the Autumn Salon in Paris in 1927, where she was noticed by Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier's companion and partner. This time, Charlotte received both public recognition, an apology from Le Corbusier and an invitation to work with him.
In 1928, she, together with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, designed a "relaxation machine" - an ergonomic sun lounger LC4 (B603) with chrome frame tubes and even an adjustable recliner seat. A year later, this chaise longue was presented at the Salon d'Automne. The young architect Charlotte Perrian was again noticed - then a huge number of publications came out. In a photo shoot, she posed cross-legged on her piece in a rather short skirt and a ball-bearing necklace. And this is in 1929!
In total, Charlotte collaborated with Le Corbusier and Jeanneret for a little over ten years. And later, in 1940, she went to Japan: the Ministry of Trade and Industry offered her the position of an advisor on industrial design. But soon, due to the naval blockade of Japan, which became an ally of Germany, Charlotte had to move to Vietnam and live there until 1946. There, by the way, she created another, especially important, object - she gave birth to her daughter Pernetta.
Until the late 1930s, Charlotte Perrian aggressively promoted metal as the main material with its clarity and predictability, as opposed to wood, which can warp, crack, or simply deteriorate. She stubbornly insisted on a complete rejection of wood. But a trip to Japan and Vietnam, and maybe the birth of a daughter on this trip, greatly changed her ideas - she became so interested in wood, reeds and bamboo that she began to actively use them in her projects.
In 1951, Charlotte created a set of five Petalo triangular tables from metal tubes and wooden tabletops in vibrant colors. A year later, the Nuage bookcase appeared - and here oak was added to the aluminum. Nuage was conceived specifically for the student rooms of the Paris Campus.
Factory now
Cassina produces pieces designed by Charlotte Perian while promoting her heritage. Jacques Barzak wrote a biography of Charlotte; lectures and exhibitions dedicated to the work of Perrian are held from time to time in different countries - at the end of May one of such expositions was presented at Arch Moscow, the exhibition “Charlotte Perrian - a pioneer of modernism. From avant-garde design to photography”, featuring the LC4 Chaise Lounge with upholstery from Loius Vuitton and the Nuage library from Cassina, Meribel and Berger stools (working on them, Charlotte was inspired by the stools of Alpine shepherds, knocked down from pieces of wood that came to hand). At Arch Moscow, the exhibition was named the best project in the field of design.
I must say that Charlotte Perrian was very active and athletic - she loved not only going to the mountains - she loved to swim, ski and travel. I even visited Moscow. It would be strange if the young lady in a short skirt with a necklace made of bearings were not fond of photography. Of course I was! The exhibition showed both portraits of Perian (made by other authors, since the “selfie” genre was not yet in use), and her photographs, in particular, photographs of stones and fragments of wood cut by sea water, which she nevertheless learned to appreciate.
The Cassina factory in Russia is represented by the Arkhistudio company.
