The Modern Life

Meet one of the giants of 20th century design at the Design Museum in 2021. 

In a life that spanned the twentieth century, Charlotte Perriand helped define the modernist interior and championed good design for the masses. One of the great furniture designers and architects, she was also a famous free spirit and a prolific collaborator whose work was often overshadowed by her male peers, such as Le Corbusier and Jean Prouvé.

Featuring large-scale reconstructions of some of her most famous interiors, as well as original furniture, her photography and her personal notebooks, the exhibition sheds new light on Perriand’s creative process and her place in design history.

Charlotte Perriand joined Le Corbusier studio in Paris in 1927 and co-created timeless pieces including the Grand Confort armchair, and the Chaise Longue Basculante. 

She believed architecture should meet human needs, and as far back as the 1920s she designed open-plan interiors to make sure women didn’t feel trapped in their homes. 

From the 1930s onward she increasingly looked at nature for inspiration and was highly influenced by the years she spent in Japan during the Second World War. A passionate skier, Perriand designed one of the most recognisable ski resorts in the world, Les Arcs.

Curated in collaboration with the Perriand family and the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, which staged a highly successful retrospective last year, this exhibition falls on the 25th anniversary of Charlotte Perriand’s last significant presentation in London, held at the Design Museum in 1996.

Book Early Bird tickets HERE