Pierre Paulin for Ligne Roset Red Fabric 2 Seater Pumpkin Loveseat Sofa
About the Item
- Creator:Pierre Paulin (Designer),Ligne Roset (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 69.69 in (177 cm)Depth: 34.26 in (87 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:2010s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Minor fading. Slight fading on the edges and on the top back of the sofa.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:
Pierre Paulin
Pierre Paulin introduced a fresh breeze into French furniture design in the 1960s and ’70s, fostering a sleek new Space-Age aesthetic. Along with Olivier Mourgue, Paulin developed chairs, sofas, dining tables and other furnishings with flowing lines and almost surreal naturalistic forms. And his work became such a byword for chic, forward-looking design and emerging technologies that two French presidents commissioned him to create environments in the Élysée Palace in Paris.
Paulin was born in Paris to a family of artists and designers. He initially sought to become a ceramist and sculptor and was studying in the town of Vallauris near the Côte d'Azur — a center for pottery making, where Pablo Picasso spent his postwar summers crafting ceramics — but broke his hand in a fight. He enrolled at the École Camondo, the Paris interior design school. There, Paulin was strongly influenced by the work of Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Arne Jacobsen, as was reflected in his early creations for the manufacturer Thonet-France.
It was at the Dutch firm Artifort, which he joined in 1958, where Paulin blossomed. In a few years, he produced several of his signature designs based on abstract organic shapes. These include the Butterfly chair (1963), which features a tubular steel frame and slung leather, and a group of striking seating pieces made with steel frames covered in polyurethane foam and tight jersey fabric: the Mushroom (1960), Ribbon (1966) and Tongue (1967) chairs. The revered designer not only introduced new construction techniques to Artifort furniture but contributed fresh materials, Pop art colors and dazzling shapes to the mid-century modern era as a whole.
In 1971, the Mobilier National — a department of France’s Ministry of Culture in charge of furnishing top-tier government offices and embassies — commissioned Paulin to redesign President Georges Pompidou’s private apartment in the Élysée Palace. In three years, Paulin transformed the staid rooms into futuristic environments with curved, fabric-clad walls and furnishings such as bookcases made from an arrangement of smoked-glass U shapes, flower-like pedestal chairs and pumpkin-esque loungers.
Ten years later, the Mobilier National called on Paulin again, this time to furnish the private office of President François Mitterand. Paulin responded with an angular, postmodern take on neoclassical furniture, pieces that looked surprisingly at home in the paneled, Savonnerie-carpeted Louis XVI rooms. As those two Élysée Palace projects show, Paulin furniture works well both in a total decor or when used as a counterpoint to traditional pieces. His creations have a unique personality: bright and playful yet sophisticated and suave.
Find vintage Pierre Paulin lounge chairs, armchairs, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Ligne Roset
With enduring designs like the immensely plush, Pop art–inspired Togo lounge chair and sofa, Ligne Roset has become synonymous with radical luxury furniture. However, when Antoine Roset (1841–93) started the company in 1860 in the small French town of Oussiat, its focus was on wooden umbrella handles.
In 1892, Ligne Roset’s founder expanded with a property in Montagnieu where he set up a wood-processing factory, eventually expanding into manufacturing chairs. After his death, his wife, Marie-Victorine, took over before his son, Emile Roset, began leading the company in the 1910s. It wasn’t until after World War II that Antoine’s grandson, Jean Roset, would recognize the need for furniture in settings like schools, hospitals and retirement homes and take inspiration from Scandinavian modern design for functional pieces made primarily from affordable beech.
Under Jean, Ligne Roset supplied quite a few European institutions with beautiful wood furnishings. In the 1970s, he shifted the company’s focus again, this time looking to domestic and residential markets. Around this time, Jean’s two sons, Pierre and Michel, joined the company. Ligne Roset opened its first store in 1973 with one of the most popular collections being designer Michel Ducaroy’s Togo modular sofa and chairs — classics of contemporary French design that look like oversize bent pillows.
After the success of this initial designer collaboration, Ligne Roset brought on more guest designers over the following decades, including Didier Gomez, Pascal Mourgue, Peter Maly, Pierre Paulin, Inga Sempé and Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Paulin’s Elysée sofa and Pumpkin chair — designed in 1971 for Elysée Palace — are among the brand’s most popular pieces.
The brand continues to be run by the Roset family who works on revolutionary furniture in partnership with a variety of collaborators. It has operated in Briord since 1973 where it produces its iconically sleek and innovative pieces.
Find new and vintage Ligne Roset sofas, lounge chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: London, United Kingdom
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
- Pierre Paulin for Ligne Roset Red Fabric 2 Seater Pumpkin Loveseat SofaBy Ligne Roset, Pierre PaulinLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Pierre Paulin in 1971 for the Elysée Palace, the pumpkin sofa was only in production until 1973 by manufacturer Alpha. The iconic design was reintroduced in 2007 in collaboration with Ligne Roset. Inspired by the curvaceous shape and grooved lines of a pumpkin, this loveseat version of the sofa offers two round seat cushions and backrests with the classic quilted design. Upholstered in red fabric, the sofa is constructed from layers of foam, offering ultimate comfort, while the organic silhouette gives an enveloping aesthetic. A true design icon, this Pumpkin loveseat...Category
2010s French Loveseats
MaterialsFabric
- Ligne Roset by Pierre Paulin Green Fabric Pumpkin ArmchairBy Pierre Paulin, Ligne RosetLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Pierre Paulin in 1971 for the Elysée Palace, the pumpkin sofa was only in production until 1973 by manufacturer Alpha. The iconic design was reintroduced in 20...Category
2010s French Armchairs
MaterialsFabric
- Pierre Paulin for Ligne Roset Yellow Fabric Pumpkin High Back ArmchairBy Ligne Roset, Pierre PaulinLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Pierre Paulin in 1971 for the Elysée Palace, the pumpkin sofa was only in production until 1973 by manufacturer Alpha. The iconic design was reintroduced in 20...Category
2010s French Armchairs
MaterialsFabric
- Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset Brown Fabric Aralia SofaBy Ligne Roset, Michel DucaroyLocated in London, GBDesigned by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset, the Aralia sofa is similar in style to the iconic Togo and Kashima designs. Built for laid back comfort, the t...Category
Vintage 1980s French Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset Beige Fabric Aralia Corner SofaBy Ligne Roset, Michel DucaroyLocated in London, GBDesigned by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset, the Aralia sofa is similar in style to the iconic Togo and Kashima designs. Built for laid back comfort, the two seat sofa is constructe...Category
Vintage 1970s French Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Ligne Roset by Michel Ducaroy Togo Red 3-Seater Sofa, Set of 2By Ligne Roset, Michel DucaroyLocated in London, GBThe iconic Togo sofa, originally designed by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset in 1973 has become a design Classic. This two-piece set can be configured into one large sofa or used a...Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Sectional Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Pierre Paulin Pumpkin Sofa for Ligne RosetBy Pierre Paulin, Ligne RosetLocated in San Francisco, CAPierre Paulin design "Pumpkin" two seater sofa or loveseat by Line Roset. Contemporary edition less than 10 years old in good used condition. Upholstery appears to be suede in a soot...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsSuede, Ultrasuede
- Pierre Paulin White Leather "Pumpkin" Sofa for Ligne Roset, 2008By Pierre PaulinLocated in Coronado, CAA stunning, sleek and super comfy "Pumpkin" sofa designed by Pierre Paulin in original, supple white leather. Paulin originally came up with this design for the private apartments of...Category
Early 2000s French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Red Leather Togo 3 Seater Sofa by Ligne Roset, 1980sBy Ligne Roset, Michel DucaroyLocated in Los Angeles, CAClassic French 3 seater Togo sofa by Michel Ducaroy for luxury brand Ligne Roset. Originally designed in the 1970s the iconic togo sofa is now a design c...Category
Vintage 1980s French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Canapé "Pumpkin" De Pierre Paulin Pour Ligne RosetBy Pierre PaulinLocated in SAINT-SEVER, FRCanapé 3 places "pumpkin" en alcantara rouge de Pierre Paulin pour Ligne Roset. Hauteur 70 cm, hauteur assise 36 cm, longueur 250 cm, profondeur 80 cm. Première édition publiqu...Category
Vintage 1970s French Organic Modern Canapes
MaterialsFoam
- Kashima 2-Seater Sofa by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset, 1970sBy Ligne Roset, Michel DucaroyLocated in amstelveen, NLKashima 2-seater sofa, Michel Ducaroy, Ligne Roset, 1970s This sofa is an early production signed with Ligne Roset labels on the back and Ligne Roset logo fabric on the undersides...Category
Vintage 1970s European Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Three-Seater Sofa 'Togo' by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne RosetBy Michel Ducaroy, Ligne RosetLocated in Los Angeles, CAStunning cognac colored aniline leather 3-seater from the "Togo" series, designed by Michel Ducaroy for Ligne Roset, France, 1973. This piece has been professionally reupholstered at...Category
Vintage 1970s French Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
At Château La Coste, Pierre Paulin’s Visionary Home Concept Finally Comes to Life
Now synonymous with 1960s and ’70s French chic, the designer conceived his modular modernist furnishings to change the way we decorate.
Exploring Our Current Obsession with Sixties Style
A new exhibition in Philadelphia stars a complex decade that continues to inspire.