Charlotte Perriand was born in Paris in 1903. After studying under Henri Rapin at the Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, in 1927 she began working with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, an association that was to last more than10 years.

A great mountain enthusiast, for nearly twenty years Perriand was involved creating the new “Les Arcs” ski resorts (1967 to1986). Her contributions ranged from town planning to designing and fitting out buildings, including apartments featuring wide picture windows and carefully planned, space-saving interiors. The bathrooms consist of two factory-moulded polyester shells, one containing a big bathtub, wash-basin and toilet, while the other is a brightly coloured cover that fits over the top.

Charlotte Perriand’s designs for the bedrooms and bathrooms at the Hôtel du Golf in Lacanau, built by the Société des Montagnes des Arcs (Les Arcs Mountains Company) in 1987, are in the same vein.

A retrospective of the works of this major 20th century artist was staged at the Centre Pompidou in Paris from December 2005 to April 2006.