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LAPIERRE MARKET

Charlotte Perriand (1903-1999)

Charlotte Perriand remains one of the French architects and designers whose structural influence on 20th-century furniture is still measurable on today's market. Trained in the 1920s, a collaborator at the Le Corbusier studio from 1927 to 1937, then author of a personal corpus distributed by Galerie Steph Simon, by Sentou, and reissued by Cassina, she laid the foundations of a furniture of use where raw material, ergonomics, and craft manufacture meet. The LAPIERRE selection gathers authenticated vintage pieces under this signature, with systematic provenance documentation and editor cross-checks.

Biographical landmarks

Born in Paris in 1903, Charlotte Perriand trained at the École de l'Union centrale des arts décoratifs. Her reputation took shape in 1927 with her presentation at the Salon d'automne of a rooftop bar in aluminium and chrome, which drew Le Corbusier's attention. She joined his studio that same year, working alongside Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret on the furniture programme of the equipment of the dwelling. From this period emerged the LC1, LC2, LC3, LC4, LC6, and LC7 pieces, attributed to the trio and edited by Cassina from 1965 within the Cassina I Maestri collection.

In 1937, Charlotte Perriand left the Le Corbusier studio and developed a personal signature. She travelled to Japan in 1940 as an industrial-art adviser to the Japanese Ministry of Commerce and Industry. This immersion in Japanese wood culture and proportions durably marked her language of forms: Berger stool in solid elm, Ombra Tokyo chair, low-curved coffee tables. She remained in Japan, then in Indochina during the war, and returned to France in 1946.

From the 1950s onward, Perriand developed two parallel bodies of work. The first concerned collective and student housing, with commissions for the Cités universitaires (Maison de la Tunisie in 1952, Maison du Mexique in 1953, Maison du Brésil in 1959). For these projects she designed the Riform bookcases, the Six Pieds tables, student desks, and storage. The second body concerned individual housing, through Galerie Steph Simon, which edited her signature pieces from 1956 onward: Berger stool, Six Pieds table, straw chair, Ombra armchair. Les Arcs, the ski resort designed with Pierre Faucheux between 1967 and 1989, constitutes her great total-design project and remains a documented reference among specialist authors (Jacques Barsac, Pernette Perriand-Barsac).

Charlotte Perriand died in Paris in 1999. A major retrospective was devoted to her at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in 2019-2020.

Signature pieces we source

Berger stool (1953, Steph Simon then Cassina). Triangular stool in solid elm with three turned legs. Reissued by Cassina in 2010, but Steph Simon pieces from the 1950s-1960s retain a distinct quotation. LAPIERRE always separates the two periods through stamp and patina.

Maison du Mexique bookcase (1953, ANJBM then Steph Simon). Modular bookcase in wood and lacquered aluminium, designed with Sonia Delaunay for colour, destined for student housing at the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris. Original pieces, identifiable by the wall-fixing system and original lacquers, are scarce.

Riform Tunisia bookcase (1952, ANJBM). Modular bookcase variant designed for the Maison de la Tunisie. Light-wood cases, lacquered aluminium dividers, upper trays available in several configurations.

Six Pieds table (1953, Steph Simon then Cassina). Rectangular table in solid elm, six cylindrical turned legs. Top length varied with commission, generally between 200 cm and 250 cm. Period pieces show dense patina and pegged mortise-and-tenon joinery.

Ombra Tokyo chair (1954, Cassina from 2007). Stackable chair in moulded plywood designed for the Japanese market. Period examples are scarce; Cassina reissues are today the most accessible.

Straw chair (1947, Steph Simon then Sentou). Wood-frame chair with woven straw seat, declined in several heights. Production spanned three decades, with wood and joinery variations across periods.

Méribel stool (1953, Steph Simon). Variant of the Berger stool with three more splayed legs and a circular seat. Designed for the Méribel ski resort, where Perriand developed a complete furniture programme for the chalets.

Rio coffee table (1962, Steph Simon). Rectangular coffee table in solid wood, thick top on sledge base. Variant of the Six Pieds tables adapted to living-room scale.

Authentic vs reissue vs homage

Three distinct levels circulate on the market and deserve to be told apart. The original piece, produced between the 1950s and 1970s by Steph Simon, ANJBM, Sentou, or studios linked to Perriand. These pieces carry period markings (Steph Simon paper labels, discreet engravings, provenance invoices) and the patina that fifty to seventy years of use have structured. The Cassina reissue, launched from 2010 onward on certain pieces (Berger stool, Six Pieds table, Ombra chair) within Cassina I Maestri. These reissues are marked explicitly (Cassina stamp, metal plate, editor certificate of authenticity) and use contemporary techniques. The homage or unauthorised copy, which circulates online without signature or traceability at low prices. LAPIERRE never lists copies; every piece is either period or documented Cassina reissue, with explicit period mention on the listing.

LAPIERRE process for Charlotte Perriand pieces

Each Perriand piece passes through three stages before listing. Verification of signature and editor through reference scholarship (Jacques Barsac, Pernette Perriand-Barsac, Cassina archives, Steph Simon catalogues raisonnés). Detailed photographic documentation of markings, joinery, patina, and signs of use. Final cross-check with a 20th-century French furniture expert before publication. Pieces with insufficient documentation are never listed.

Request a Charlotte Perriand piece

If you are looking for a specific Perriand piece (Maison du Mexique bookcase, Six Pieds table, pair of original Berger stools), write to us. LAPIERRE activates its network of dealers and partner galleries on request, on a four-to-twelve-week horizon depending on the rarity of the target piece.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How do you authenticate a Charlotte Perriand piece?
Authenticating a Charlotte Perriand piece relies on three converging lines of evidence. The first is the editor. Pieces produced during her lifetime were edited primarily by Galerie Steph Simon between 1956 and 1974, by Cassina from 1965 onward for the LC collection, by Sentou for later reissues, and by Atbat Afrique for the Maisons du Sahara series. The second line is the markings: editor labels, stamps, or metal plates depending on the period. The third rests on documentation: vintage purchase invoices, gallery provenance, period photographs. LAPIERRE systematically cross-references these three axes with reference scholarship (Jacques Barsac, Pernette Perriand, AChP archives).
Which Perriand pieces are most sought after?
Several pieces structure the Perriand market. The Berger stool (1953), edited by Steph Simon then reissued by Cassina, remains one of the most accessible entry points. The Riform Tunisia or Maison du Mexique bookcase, designed for student housing in the 1950s, reaches high quotations on original pieces. The Six Pieds table (1953), Ombra Tokyo chairs (1954), straw chair (1947), and solid elm coffee tables are also in strong demand. The LC collection at Cassina, designed with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, separates 1960s-1970s editions from recent productions in collector eyes.
What is the difference between a period piece and a Cassina reissue?
Cassina has reissued several Perriand pieces since the 2000s under its Cassina I Maestri collection. Reissues are manufactured using contemporary techniques, certified woods, and explicit editor markings. Period pieces, produced between 1956 and the late 1970s, show patinas, traditional joinery (mortise-and-tenon, dovetails), and sometimes vanished species (solid elm, original ash). Quotations clearly separate the two markets: a recent Cassina reissue trades below a well-documented original. LAPIERRE always indicates the production period on each listing.
Did Charlotte Perriand work alone or in collaboration?
Charlotte Perriand collaborated throughout her career with other major 20th-century figures. Between 1927 and 1937, she worked at the Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret studio, where the pieces today grouped under the LC label at Cassina were designed. This shared signature is documented in the Fondation Le Corbusier archives and in Jacques Barsac's books. Later, she collaborated with Jean Prouvé on housing projects (Maisons du Sahara, Les Arcs furniture), with Fernand Léger for the student cities, and remained close to Sonia Delaunay and Alexander Calder.
What separates Perriand alone from the Le Corbusier-Jeanneret-Perriand signature?
The distinction is documented by specialist authors and by Cassina itself. Pieces designed at the Le Corbusier studio between 1927 and 1937 (LC1 swivel chair, LC2 and LC3 grand confort, LC4 chaise longue, LC6 plane-tube table, LC7 swivel chair) are attributed to the Le Corbusier-Jeanneret-Perriand trio. Pieces after her departure from the studio in 1937 and signed Perriand alone (Berger stool, Riform bookcases, Six Pieds tables, Ombra chairs) are edited under her sole name. The boundary was clarified legally in the 1980s and now appears in Cassina catalogues and Centre Pompidou exhibitions.
Why do Perriand pieces last so well?
Charlotte Perriand built into her pieces a discipline of use and material that explains their durability. The woods used (elm, ash, scots pine, African sapele) were selected for dimensional stability and worked in solid form. Joinery remained traditional (pegged mortise-and-tenon) rather than glued. The 1950s student bookcases, designed for daily intensive use, are still in circulation seventy years later. This manufacturing quality, inherited from the Cité étudiante and Maisons du Sahara spirit, durably separates period pieces from contemporary standard production.
How does LAPIERRE source Charlotte Perriand pieces?
Perriand sourcing runs on four channels. Public auctions in France, where pieces from Cité étudiante or Maison du Mexique estates still circulate. The network of dealers specialised in 20th-century French furniture, mainly in Île-de-France, Rhône-Alpes, and the PACA region. Partner galleries that accept a lower commission for known clients. Private holders contacting LAPIERRE to propose an inherited piece. Each piece is then expertised and cross-checked against reference scholarship before listing, with explicit mention of provenance and editor.