9 Furniture Classics You Might Not Know Were Designed by Women — Because the History Books Read Like a 'Boy's Club'

Charlotte Perriand was something of an idealist in the world of design. Born to a tailor and a seamstress, she had design in her DNA and enrolled in Paris’ Central Union of Decorative Arts school as one of the first women to study furniture design in the 1920s. Her goal was to design pieces that married form and function, with the idea that better design led to a better society. By 1927, a then 24-year-old Perriand had landed on the precipice of a dream role: to work under renowned architect Le Corbusier.

But their first meeting did not go as planned, with Le Corbusier rejecting Perriand for a role with his firm, reportedly telling her: "We don't embroider cushions here." Just weeks later though, Perriand’s work — a piece of tubular steel furniture — would take Le Corbusier's breath away, and he immediately invited her to join his studio.

That the world of furniture design has historically been something of a boys’ club is no surprise to women like me, who have spent decades steeped in vintage design and culture. But that women should be relegated in the world of iconic furniture seems spectacularly ironic, especially considering they are often the ones spearheading the work in the home itself. And perhaps that’s why women make such excellent furniture designers. As Florence Knoll, a designer who founded furniture manufacturer Knoll International alongside her husband, once said: "I did it because I needed the piece of furniture for a job and it wasn’t there, so I designed it."

To celebrate the work of female designers, I've found nine of the most iconic pieces of furniture created by (and arguably for) women. Speaking with architectural designer and UCLA professor Yara Feghali, as well as Savannah College of Art and Design professor Sheila Edwards, below, I've shared what makes each so remarkable.

1. LC4 Chaise Lounge, Charlotte Perriand with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, 1928

"Charlotte Perriand’s LC4 Chaise Longue isn’t just a piece of furniture; it’s an invitation to relax," notes Sheila Edwards.

Oft-attributed solely to Le Corbusier, the LC4 was the work of the famed architect in concert with Perriand, as well as Swiss designer Pierre Jeanneret (Le Corbusier’s cousin). The chaise, with its tubular steel, exemplifies Perriand’s experiment with industrial products and Le Corbusier’s infatuation with homes being “machines” built for living.

According to the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, the LC4 was exhibited in an interior the trio designed for the 1929 Salon d’ Automne (an annual exhibition held in Paris). “The minimalist form and revolutionary use of materials, coupled with its adjustable design, make it an iconic of modernist design,” Sheila says of the now iconic chair.

2. Eames Lounge Chair, Ray Eames with Charles Eames, 1956

The Eames Lounge Chair was designed by both Charles and Ray Eames, a legendary creative couple who married in 1941 and went on to heavily influence the design world in the twentieth century.

Sheila Edwards explains to me that the Eames Lounge Chair Wood (also referred to, simply, as LCW) “is the culmination of years of work to understand the capacity of molded plywood.”

“In 1943, a U.S. Government contract to produce more than 150,000 leg splints for the war effort, propelled their work and allowed them to develop a manufacturing relationship with the Evans Products Company,” she continues. “After World War II, the Eames set about applying their knowledge of molded plywood to furniture. The LCW, though not the first design, was the first chair to be successfully manufactured. Herman Miller became the licensed producer, and remains so today.”

3. Knoll Sofa, Florence Knoll, 1956

The Knoll sofa was a product of entrepreneur Knoll’s direction of her company’s "design consultant service," which was responsible for defining the way workplaces were designed in the shadow of the war.

The iconic sofa offered clean lines and a tasteful look — one that could translate from a living room to an office lobby. The sofa is so classic, in fact, that it is still produced today, more than half-a-century after first being introduced.

4. Hanging Egg Chair, Nanna Ditzel, 1959

As UCLA professor Yara Feghali explains, many of the most iconic female-designed pieces "challenge the way we think about practicality and beauty."

Certainly that’s the case with the Hanging Egg chair, designed by Nanna Ditzel, long thought of as The Grand Dame of Danish Design. Ditzel originally studied cabinetry before making her foray into furniture and jewelry design alongside her husband, Jørgen. The hanging chair is arguably her most iconic work and comprised of an egg-like seat that suspends from the ceiling.

5. Bibendum Chair, Eileen Gray, 1926

Perhaps the most politically charged piece of furniture on the list, the Bibendum chair was the work of Irish architect and designer Eileen Gray who once joked that it was her feminist response to Le Corbusier's 'Grand Confort', a cube-shaped, modernist response to the traditional club chair.

The result is a masterpiece of rounded upholstered seat, back, and armrests over a polished chromium plated tubular steel base. And, as Sheila Edwards explains, the name has its own story. “This chair is named after the mascot of the Michelin tire company, a character whose body was formed by stacked rubber tubes.”

Sheila herself describes it as "an iconic chair that blends the glamour of Art Deco interior design with the industrial aesthetic of modernism."

6. Barcelona Chair, Lilly Reich with Mies van der Rohe, 1929

Lily Reich, a German textile and interior designer, collaborated frequently with the architect Mies van der Rohe, including on a number of bold designs made of luxury materials. Perhaps none is as significant as the Barcelona chair, a simple-yet-elegant design that takes its shape from ancient Egyptian folding stools.

"Designed for the German Pavilion at the International Exposition of 1929, this chair references the X-frame and Roman Curule, forms long associated with status," Sheila Edwards tells me. "The graceful curves of the metal base are a departure from the efficiency driven shapes of early modernism. The button tufted cushions also signify luxury."

While only two were originally made for the exposition, the design proved so popular that the Barcelona was put into production and remains available today through Knoll.

7. Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, Frankfurt Kitchen, 1926

This pre-configured kitchen set the precedent for modern kitchen ideas, and was the work of Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky for architect Ernst May's social housing project New Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany.

"Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky’s Frankfurt Kitchen is more than an early example of efficient design; it’s a bold statement on women’s autonomy and domestic space," says Yara Feghali.

Designed much like a factory, and with a focus on efficiency and hygiene, each Frankfurt kitchen came equipped with a swivel stool, gas stove, fold-down ironing board, and removable garbage drawer — along with plenty of built-in storage (including bins for dietary staples such as sugar and rice.) Schütte-Lihotzky put careful thought into materials, too, building containers out of oak to repel mealworms, and cutting surfaces out of beech wood, to resist staining.

Yara Feghali explains, "By prioritizing functionality and efficiency, Schütte-Lihotzky set a new standard for modern kitchens, empowering women to reclaim their time and space — making it both an architectural and cultural landmark."

More than 10,000 of the kitchens were built in homes in Germany during the 1920s, eventually expanding beyond, into other parts of the globe.

8. Lina Bo Bardi, Bowl Chair, 1951

As its name suggests, the Bowl Chair offers a semi-spherical seat atop a metallic ring structure, and was the work of Lina Bo Bardi, an Italian-born Brazilian modernist architect.

"Lina Bo Bardi's Bowl Chair is a perfect blend of playful aesthetics and ergonomic design, with its bowl-like seat offering both visual appeal and comfort," explains Yara Feghali. "Unconventional in form, it showcases Bo Bardi's passion for merging architecture, art, and design in a functional yet striking piece of furniture."

The seat can be adjusted depending on how you want to sit — more upright or completely 'scooped' up in it.

9. Zaha Hadid, Z-Chair, 2011

The zigzag-like Z chair is the very essence of modern design and perfectly illustrative of the aesthetic of late London-based architect Zaha Hadid. The chair was first introduced as part of Milan Design Week 2011 in partnership with Italian furniture company Sawaya & Moroni.

Per a press release around the time of its introduction, the angular design is akin to a "three-dimensional presentation of a controlled brush stroke on a canvas, the synthesis of an idea: the sketch."

"Zaha Hadid’s Z-Chair is a chef-d'oeuvre of fluidity and geometry," notes Yara Feghali. "The piece, crafted from a single sheet of bent aluminum, showcases Hadid’s signature approach to architectural thinking — bold, futuristic, and defying traditional notions of furniture design."

When it comes to the world of design, there are so many incredible women who have done so many incredible things — both then and now; take a look at these female-founded home brands for instance.