Charlotte Perriand was born in Paris on October 24, 1903. From 1920 to 1925 she studied at the École de l'Union Centrale des Arts Décoratifs. Two years later, she began working as an interior designer in her studio in Place Saint-Sulpice. Her research and interest in furniture design led her to collaborate with the renowned Architects Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret in the 1920s and 1930s. During this time, she worked on major projects such as the Villa Savoye, the Villa Church, the Cité du Réfuge for the French Salvation Army, and the Pavillon Suisse at the Cité Universitaire.

A few years later, Perriand participated in the founding of the Union des Artistes Modernes (UAM). in 1933, she began a photographic research project on Art Brut in collaboration with Fernand Léger and Pierre Jeanneret. She focused on objects found in nature, which she photographed in situ or in her studio in Montparnasse.

From 1934, she specialised in prefabricated buildings and demountable houses for recreation, including the Maison au Bord de l'Eau and hotels and mountain huts. in 1940, Perriand was appointed official advisor to the Japanese government on industrial design, moved to Tokyo, and returned to France in 1946. From then on, her entire oeuvre is marked by Japanese influences.

Major projects followed, notably for Air France (1957-1963) and the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris (1963-1965). Perriand's work was the subject of numerous exhibitions highlighting her "total work of art" and her unique gaze. Perriand passed in Paris on October 27, 1999. Her work is presented in regarded private and public collections around the world, including the Center Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.