Grand DESIGNS
France|July 2020
Parisian architect Charlotte Perriand was determined to succeed in a man’s world and today is hailed as a leading figure of 20th-century design, as Sandra Haurant discovers
Sandra Haurant
Grand DESIGNS

There was once a young Parisian woman – talented, ambitious and strong-willed – who wanted to progress in her chosen career in design and architecture. Bold and unintimidated, the young woman went to meet a well-known man in his offices and told him plainly that she wanted to work with him. But he was not interested – and his response was curt and dismissive: “We don’t embroider cushions here,” he said. The year was 1927 and the young woman was Charlotte Perriand, today hailed as one of the leading figures of 20th-century design.

The man who sent her away? Le Corbusier, the Swiss-born architect who had already made a name for himself as a pioneer in the field. Luckily for them both, his decision was not final – within the year Le Corbusier realised he had made a mistake.

He saw Perriand’s work on show at the 1927 Salon d’Automne in Paris – a reproduction of the Bar Under the Roof, a compact social space designed for Charlotte’s own little Parisian apartment – and was won over by the simplicity, originality and practicality he saw in her design. He offered her a job and she began working with him and his cousin, Pierre Jeanneret. It was the beginning of a decade of successful collaboration for the studio, and for Charlotte Perriand, the start of a remarkable career as a woman in a very male industry.

Perriand’s talent and will to succeed meant she carved out a path in a milieu that appeared hostile to women but according to her daughter, Pernette Perriand, she never considered her gender to be a barrier.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 2020-Ausgabe von France.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 2020-Ausgabe von France.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS FRANCEAlle anzeigen
Paindemic In Paris
France

Paindemic In Paris

For American actor and writer Alexander Burnett, a shortage of bread at his local boulangerie was one of the biggest challenges of lockdown in his adopted home city

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 2020
VEULES-LES-ROSES
France

VEULES-LES-ROSES

Between the white cliffs of the Côte d’Albâtre and the bucolic landscapes of the Pays de Caux, discover a village that combines coast and country,

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 2020
Taking the BISCUIT
France

Taking the BISCUIT

France is known for its exquisite pâtisserie and extravagant gâteaux but the not-so-humble biscuit deserves recognition too

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 2020
PICTURE PERFECT PISTE
France

PICTURE PERFECT PISTE

After a decade away from the slopes Janet Brice finds her ski legs in val d'arly, a hidden gem in the shadow of Mount Blanc

time-read
8 Minuten  |
December 2020
Let there BE LIGHT
France

Let there BE LIGHT

Lyon’s annual Fête des Lumières brightens up the darkest of December nights in spectacular fashion, finds David Atkinson on a winter visit to the Rhône capital

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 2020
Shop ‘til YOU DROP
France

Shop ‘til YOU DROP

In the first of our new Insight guides, Helen Parkinson delights in the French shopping experience

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 2020
Floating YOUR BOAT
France

Floating YOUR BOAT

Spending a day on the River Seine in Paris, Heidi Fuller-love samples some of the city’s top entertainment that can be enjoyed afloat

time-read
6 Minuten  |
December 2020
Creamy Dijon Chicken With Bacon And Spinach
France

Creamy Dijon Chicken With Bacon And Spinach

Enjoy this hearty dish from Bisous & Brioche, a cookbook shot on location in Burgundy

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 2020
A Moveable Feast
France

A Moveable Feast

Philip Sweeney embarks on a voyage gourmand along the Vallée de la Gastronomie travelling from Dijon to Marseille

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 2020
BOND RETOUR 7
France

BOND RETOUR 7

To celebrate the return of everyone’s favourite globe-trotting British intelligence officer in No Time to Die, Helen Parkinson rounds up five of James Bond’s top cross-Channel escapades

time-read
2 Minuten  |
November 2020