Charlotte Perriand & Louis Vuitton beach house

Charlotte Perriand, was a French architect and designer / visionary born in 1903 – 1999. Her work aimed to create functional living spaces in the belief that better design helps in creating a better society.

In 1934 Charlotte designed an easily constructable holiday house, which she named. “La Maison au bord de l’eau”. (the house on water )

Louis Vuitton who has sponsored the project made contact with Charlotte’s daughter Pernette in January 2012 discovering this project in the unmade archives. 80 years on the house designed by Charlotte in 1934, has been built for the first time on Miami Beach for this year’s Design Miami.

Perriand’s design won second prize and was later reworked for wealthy vacationers, but the original scheme was never built. Two wings fronted by sliding glass doors are connected by a semi-enclosed corridor at the rear, creating a U-shaped plan. Bedrooms containing beds designed by Perriand are located on one side, along with the bathroom. The kitchen, dining and living areas are housed in the opposite wing. A central deck is covered with a fabric canopy, which drains via a hole in the centre positioned above a plant pot. The project follows Louis Vuitton’s Icônes Spring Summer 2014 fashion collection that took its influences from Perriand. The ‘La Maison au bord de l’eau’, is proof that great design lasts a lifetime.

To find out more visit Design Miami