It's a design object that has become iconic, instantly recognizable with its chic leather and sleek steel frame. A true manifesto of 20th-century furniture, for which its creator broke with the conventions of her time, the late 1920s. A resolutely functional and aesthetically pleasing piece , a successful creation symbolizing innovation and comfort, which continues to surprise and inspire. Relax, the French Touch tells you the story of Charlotte Perriand's LC4 chaise longue.

The 1920s, a time of change conducive to the emergence of new creative talents

Charlotte Perriand's design career truly took off at the end of the Roaring Twenties. Following the trauma of the First World War, this period of economic renewal and social revolution resulted in a creative awakening, as the Great War had halted the development of arts and crafts across much of Europe. In Russia, the Netherlands, Germany, and France, the decorative arts flourished. This was accompanied by a profound questioning of artistic and design conventions: the path was opened to bold creations that broke with established styles.

In terms of design, Art Deco, characterized by its clean forms, symmetrical lines, and the use of luxurious materials, was the dominant style of the time. This movement influenced architecture, furniture, fashion, and the decorative arts, and was represented by leading figures such as decorator Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, artist and master glassmaker René Lalique, and painter Tamara de Lempicka. At the same time, the Bauhaus, a school of art, architecture, and design founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius, offered a more functional and minimalist approach to design, emphasizing ergonomics and everyday utility, and favoring industrial materials such as steel and glass. Influential figures such as painter and theorist Paul Klee and abstract art pioneer Wassily Kandinsky emerged from the Bauhaus. Charlotte Perriand, trained at the School and Workshops of Decorative Art for Young Girls of the Ladies' Committee of the Central Union of Decorative Arts, from which she graduated in 1925, broke with the Art Deco style and instead moved towards the principles of this school, she was also inspired by the refined aesthetic of the Japanese Art de vivre. A single quote sums up her philosophy:

" The issue isn't the building, it's the man inside. How will he live? "

This approach, which set her apart at the 1927 Salon d'Automne, an exhibition celebrating fine arts in all their forms and renowned as an avant-garde hub for architects and designers, was evident in her installation entitled "Bar sous le toit" (Bar Under the Roof). A bold and modern reproduction of her apartment on Place Saint-Sulpice in Paris, it featured furniture made of polished steel, a curved bar, and sensational armchairs in steel and purple leather . This innovative project, far removed from the prevailing aesthetic, caught the eye of critics and the leading architect of the time, Le Corbusier, and his cousin and collaborator, Pierre Jeanneret. Charlotte Perriand, capable of both designing and commissioning furniture, was eager to learn about architecture. She joined their firm as a partner, marking the beginning of a fruitful decade for the three artists.

The bar under the roof, presented at the Salon d'Automne, 1927
Rep/AChP Photography

The LC4 chaise longue, an innovative piece of furniture

Among the projects entrusted to her, the young designer was responsible for furnishing the Villa Church, a private residence of modern architecture located in Ville-d'Avray designed between 1927 and 1929. The "old Corbu" gave Charlotte Perriand two reference models. The first, the Dr. Pascaud medical chair, also known as the Surrepos chair, is a model also designed in the 1920s that stands out for its innovative adjustable mechanism, allowing the inclination of the backrest and seat to be adjusted.

Surrepos armchair by Dr Pascaud

The second, the Thonet rocking chair, designed in the 19th century by cabinetmaker and industrialist Michael Thonet, is this iconic curved wooden rocking chair, which combines lightness and solidity.

Rocking chair by Austrian designer Michael Thonet (manufactured by Gebruder Thonet), 1890. Gift of John P. Antonelli. (Photo by Indianapolis Museum of Art/Getty Images)

These two inspirations, combined with advanced ergonomic research and the use of innovative techniques for the time, led Charlotte Perriand to create the iconic LC4 chaise longue in 1928.

LC4 lounge chair

In terms of materials and processes, Charlotte Perriand draws inspiration from the industrial world, particularly aeronautics. The LC4 chair is in fact structured around strong and light steel tubes, bent (curved) using a process of permanent deformation of the tubes, then chrome-plated to give it this modern and refined appearance. The designer, who places great importance on ergonomics, imagines an enveloping and flexible seat, adaptable to all body positions and adjustable without complex mechanisms, by continuous sliding. Comfort is ensured by a mattress made of skin or leather, a new material for the time, while the neck can rest on a small foam bolster, also covered in leather. The LC4 chair is so comfortable that the era will call it "the rest machine".

The LC4 chaise longue, a progressive success until an undisputed seat

Upon its release in 1928, and then at the Salon d'Automne in 1929, Charlotte Perriand's creation was hailed by some avant-gardists, but failed to convince a public still too attached to the classical style. Its avant-garde design and innovative character were deemed too radical, and the LC4 chair struggled to find its place in bourgeois interiors. But also, the industrial processes necessary for its manufacture required specific and expensive know-how and production means, still reserved for specialized workshops: Charlotte Perriand, Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret offered innovative furniture but lacked experience in mass production. This technical factor may have hindered the reproduction of the LC4, long reserved for a niche market and a design elite. The model, although published at the time by the prestigious publisher Thonet, sold few copies and did not attract any imitators. A commercial shipwreck that even led Le Corbusier to have it reissued in 1959, in his own name and for his own profit, surely the reason why we too often associate this chair with the great architect when it was in fact Charlotte Perriand who created it.

Over time, through trade fairs and exhibitions dedicated to modernist design, the LC4 began to capture the attention of more and more design professionals and furniture enthusiasts, and to persuade the public. Its ingenious construction, its comfort and ergonomics, its functional and refined aesthetic, linked with recognition, until it became the reference. After Thonet, it was the Italian furniture manufacturing company Cassina that published the chair from 1965. With the change of mentalities and a progressive adoption of industrial processes in furniture, the LC4 chaise longue achieved commercial success, and gradually established itself as a true classic, a symbol of the XNUMXth century sought after by both collectors and furniture enthusiasts.

Today, the LC4 chaise longue is much more than just a seat: it is frequently chosen by set designers to stage modernist interiors and symbolize understated luxury and innovation. It also appears regularly in photography and art installations. In 2019-2020, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris dedicated a major exhibition to Charlotte Perriand for the 20th anniversary of her death, "The New World of Charlotte Perriand," where the LC4 was presented among other major pieces of modernist furniture. The iconic chaise longue belongs to the collections of renowned museums such as MoMA in New York and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, often features in exhibitions dedicated to XNUMXth-century design, and is the subject of numerous publications in design and contemporary art magazines.

Finally, the LC4 chaise longue continues to influence leading designers, both French and international. French designer Philippe Starck has often echoed the minimalist and ergonomic spirit of the LC4 to create objects that straddle the line between functionality and industrial aesthetics. British designer Jasper Morrison, who emphasizes utility and simplicity, draws on the same philosophy as Charlotte Perriand. Spanish designer Patricia Urquiol, while exploring a richer universe of textures and colors, is inspired by the balance between functionality and aesthetics while incorporating new manufacturing techniques. This legacy further cements the LC4 chaise longue and its status as an iconic design.