Perriand studied furniture design at the Ecole de L'Union Centrale de Ars Decoratifs from 1920-1925 where she was taught by Henri Rapin, a notable Art Deco interior designer of the time.  After graduating, Perriand began working on one of her most famous works, Le Bar sous le toit, for the Salon d'Automne, an annual exhibition held annually in Paris, France. 

 

A month before the exhibition began she applied to work with Le Corbusier, who met her drawings with great criticism, and rejected Perriand initially. After her great success at the Salon d'Automne, Le Corbusier famously reconsidered and appointed Charlotte as the head of their interiors work and promoting their designs at exhibitions.

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At Le Corbusier's studio, Perriand worked alongside Pierre Jeanneret and Le Corbusier. Her most famous works at this time were the B301 sling back chair, the B306 chaise lounge, and, most notably, the LC2 Grand Comfort chair.  She worked for Le Corbusier from 1927-1937, afterwhich she began working with architect Jean Prouvé.  

 

While working with Jean Prouvé, their work focused on designing military barracks and furnishings for temporary housing due to the high demand during World War II. When France surrendered to the Nazis in 1940, Perriand moved to Japan and worked as an official advisor for industrial design to the Ministry for Trade and Industry, where she heavily influenced the improvement of production quality and facilitated improved trade with the western world. While attempting to return to Europe, Perriand was detained and forced into Vietnamese exile until the end of the war.  

 

Due to new, innovative manufacturing methods and materials being used by the furniture industry, Perriand's work was in high demand after the war.  She was eager to resume work with Jean Prouvé.  Her most famous works from the post World War II period include the remodeling of Air France's London, Paris and Tokyo offices, multiple ski resorts, and the designing of the League of Nations building in Geneva.  

 

Perriand then began work on the ski resorts at Les Arcs in Savoie.  Many of her earlier designs were inspired from the local furniture of Savoie, the home town of her grandparents and a place she visiting frequently as a child.  She worked on Les Arcs from 1967-1982.  

 

Perriand was inspired by Thonet's bentwood chairs, and frequently used concepts from these chairs in her own designs, including her most famous: the LC4 Chaise Longue. 

 

Charlotte Perriand died 3 days after her 96th birthday in October of 1999.

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Source: sweetmodern.com