How to build like a lady

In a world where the architectural canon seemed penned exclusively by men with square jaws and steely gazes towards the future, a few daring dames defied the blueprint of obscurity. Here’s a toast to the unsung heroines of the modernist movement, who crafted more than just kitchen extensions and reshaped an entire era under the guise of rouge and resilience.

Eileen Gray

Irish-born Eileen Gray was not one to settle for pretty curtains and dainty furniture. No, she went ahead and designed some of the 20th century’s most forward-thinking buildings, like the E-1027 house—a name that sounds more like a vitamin supplement than a villa, yet it’s a cornerstone of modernist design. This was a woman who didn’t just break glass ceilings but designed beautiful, flat, glass roofs through which she could admire the stars.

Charlotte Perriand

Lilly ReichIf you thought modernism was all serious and stoic, Charlotte Perriand will prove you delightfully wrong. Collaborating closely with Le Corbusier, she turned the stiff, steel structures of furniture design into curvaceous, comfortable pieces. Charlotte didn’t stop at furniture; her belief in functional architecture propelled her into designing ski resorts where even the icicles hung with a certain je ne sais quoi. This philosophy was particularly evident in her work on large-scale projects like Les Arcs ski resort in France.

Lina Bo Bardi

Born in Italy and blossomed in Brazil, Lina Bo Bardi carried her stiletto sharp mind across the Atlantic to shake up South American architecture. She transformed concrete into cavernous cultural havens, such as São Paulo’s Museum of Art and the SESC Pompéia, proving that brutalism could have a beating heart and maybe even a soul.

Lilly Reich

Often a whisper in the shadow of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Lilly Reich’s contributions to modernism could be likened to the indispensable steel beams in the glass houses they co-designed. From the Barcelona Pavilion to countless unseen details, Lilly’s touch was less about being in the limelight and more about holding up the stage itself.

Aino Aalto

Finnish architect and designer Aino Aalto, née Marsio, was a pioneering figure in modernist architecture and design, often overshadowed by her famous husband, Alvar Aalto. Together, they founded Artek, a furniture company known for its innovative and functional designs. Aino herself was instrumental in the design of many of the firm’s iconic pieces, including the stackable glassware that won the gold medal at the Milan Triennale in 1936.

Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky

While many architects dreamed up skyscrapers that scraped the clouds, Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky was making sure we had somewhere sensible to peel our potatoes. Her was a revolution in ribbons of linoleum, transforming the daily grind into a ballet of efficiency. This was modernism on a micro-scale, but with macro impact—especially if you ever tried cooking in one.