That One Thing: Charlotte Perriand Les Arcs Chairs

One of the most important furniture designers and architects of the 20th century, Charlotte Perriand is the mastermind behind iconic Le Corbusier pieces like the curvilinear LC4 chaise lounge. She broke down barriers through becoming one of the first women to transcend convention and take on a meaningful role in a previously male-dominated industry, attaining countless achievements that nonetheless weren’t fully recognized until after her death. 

In the 1960s, Perriand began to collaborate with Les Arcs in Savoie, France to conceptualize their their new modernist ski resort. Part of this collaboration included designing the resort’s furnishings, and of these, the Les Arcs chair is probably the most well-known. Made of leather and metal, it has a comfortably clean shape and a feel that’s industrial yet warm.

I love that these chairs have a story behind them, and as a longtime admirer of Charlotte Perriand’s work, they appeal to me even more thanks to their curved shape so characteristic of her most renowned designs. It’s never easy to find leather furniture that’s fully vegetable-tanned and doesn’t use any fillers or other materials, but the Les Arcs check all the boxes. From their utilitarian good quality to their pure construction and developed patina, these rare chairs are just like a Lotuff bag: they’ll only get better with time.