Ombra Tokyo

The Charlotte Perriand Ombra Tokyo chair is an example of one of her elegant designs, a chair that embodies all the principles of Perriand’s art. The chair is sinuous, elegant, and efficient, incorporating the modernist principles for which Perriand became famous. 

The Ombra Tokyo is also a chair designed entirely in wood, with a sensitivity that recalls the Eastern influence to which the French designer paid homage throughout her career. Naturalism, functionalism, and elegant, sensual forms are key principles in Perriand’s work – they can be seen in her Tokyo Chaise Longue as well. 

Ombra Tokyo was presented by Perriand in 1953. Unlike many other pieces of furniture she designed earlier, it was not a collaboration with other architects of the time (such as Le Corbusier, with whom Perriand worked for ten years, creating some of the most famous design objects of the 20th century), but rather an entirely personal project.

The chair is crafted from a single sheet of plywood, then folded and rounded in a way that recalls origami. The Eastern influence is strong throughout Perriand’s work, as she spent several years in Japan and later in Vietnam during World War II. The influence of her time in Japan (where she was assisted by a young translator, Sori Yanagi) remained very strong in Perriand’s work throughout her long career, which flourished when the French designer returned to her homeland.