Charlotte Perriand was studying furniture design in Paris. In 1927 she applied for a job at Le Corbusier's studio in 1927. Unimpressed, he dismissed her work with the comment: "We don't embroider cushions here." When her work was put in display at the Salon d'Automne, he was impressed and offered her a job in furniture design. A year after joining his studio, Perriand had already produced three of Le Corbusier's most iconic chair designs, the B301, B306 and the LC2 Grand Comfort.

As Perriand's views moved futher to the left in the 1930's she became involved in many leftist organizations, founding the Union des Artists Moderns in 1937. Noticed for adding humaneness to Le Corbusier's rational work, her designs started become more affordable, using wood and cane over expensive chrome; her aim was to develop functional and appealing furniture for the masses.

In 1940 Perriand was invited to travel to Japan to become an advisor for the Ministry for trade and Industry. Two years later the ongoing war forced her to leave the country. Whilst returning to Europe she was detained by a naval blockade and forced into exile in Vietnam. There she studied eastern design including weaving and woodwork, which had a huge impact on her later work.