CNN style Design | Charlotte Perriand: The little-known 20th century designer who could see our homes of the future

“Chaise longue basculante” (Adjustable reclining chair), 1928 (Cassina). Credit: Felix Speller/The Design Museum

The story of the late Charlotte Perriand is an inspiring tale of an adventurous designer whose ideas and creations left a lasting mark on homes around the world. But most people will have never heard of the pioneering maker — her place in history often overshadowed by her male contemporaries.

Starting off as a young furniture designer in Paris in the late 1920s, Perriand was one of very few women in the field at a time when society was often unwelcoming to working women. Le Corbusier, a giant of modern architecture, famously dismissed her when she first turned up at his office in search of a job after completing her studies. “We don’t do embroidery here,” he quipped condescendingly.  —read more—