Koala Sofa by Elizabeth Garouste et Mattia Bonetti
View Similar Items
Koala Sofa by Elizabeth Garouste et Mattia Bonetti
About the Item
- Creator:
- Dimensions:Height: 31.89 in (81 cm)Width: 61.42 in (156 cm)Depth: 34.26 in (87 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1980s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. original fabric with scratches and marks.
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: 1407099481205
Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti
Design duo Garouste and Bonetti is best known for concocting Surrealist, avant-garde, romantic furniture and lighting that merge whimsy and wonder with luxury and sophistication.
Born in Paris in 1946, Élizabeth Garouste studied interior design at the École Camondo and worked as a theater set designer before meeting Mattia Bonetti in the late 1970s. Bonetti, born in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1952, attended Lugano’s Centro Scolastico per L’Industria Artistica, where he studied textile design and got into photography.
Their first collaboration came in 1981, after Garouste’s husband, interior designer Gérard Garouste, asked them both to produce designs for the Paris restaurant Le Privilège. They devised a collection of Art Brut–inspired furniture called Barbare, which debuted at the Jansen House of Interior Design, earning them the nickname Les Nouveaux Barbares (the New Barbarians).
Garouste and Bonetti achieved international acclaim in 1987 when French couturier Christian Lacroix hired them to design for his maisons de couture in Paris and London. Instead of the staid decor used by other haute couture houses, Garouste and Bonetti’s furnishings were rebellious and daring. As described in Architectural Digest, “rooms and carpets were acrid ochers, edged with black baroque swirls Louis XVI-inspired chairs upholstered in fruit tones. Tree stump stools topped with ivory tufted cushions. White curtains were trimmed with black polka dots the size of pancakes.”
Following their success with Lacroix, Garouste and Bonetti designed interiors for illustrious clients such as German socialite Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis and Bernard Picasso, a French art collector and grandson of Pablo Picasso.
Throughout the late 1980s and ’90s, Garouste and Bonetti designed several modern pieces such as rainbow-colored console tables, the wavy, high-backed Koala sofa, ceramic tableware, table lamps and decorative objects. In 2002, the duo parted ways.
Bonetti continues to create furniture, finding inspiration in everything from ancient Greece to children’s toys to UFOs. His works have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Garouste also continues to design and is inspired by the natural world for her “quirky pieces,” Élisabeth Delacarte, owner of the Paris gallery Avant-Scène, says of her designs: “You feel like you’re in a dream rather than in reality. She very much has her own universe.”
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Garouste and Bonetti tables, seating and serveware.
- Mars Sofa by Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia BonettiBy Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia BonettiLocated in Paris, FRWide-shape wood sofa upholstered with a grey blue velvet. Quilted fittings. Legs terminating with bronze feet tips. Surmounted with gilt bronze B...Category
Vintage 1980s French Sofas
MaterialsBronze
- "Etoile" Sofa by Garouste & Bonetti, BGH editions, 1990, FranceBy Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia BonettiLocated in Paris, FR"Etoile" Sofa by Garouste & Bonetti, BGH editions, 1990, FranceCategory
1990s French Sofas
MaterialsBronze
- Koala armchair by Garouste & Bonetti, France, 1990'sBy Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia BonettiLocated in Paris, FRRed velvet Koala by Garouste & Bonetti, created circa 1995 Bronze feet, signed BG, with its cushion Exceptional condition of the fabric which is originalCategory
1990s French Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBronze
- Senior Sofa by Marco Zanuso for ArflexBy Arflex, Marco ZanusoLocated in Paris, FRSenior sofa by Marco Zanuso for Arflex.Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Canapes
MaterialsBrass, Iron
- Sofa Model 770 by Joseph-André Motte for Steiner, France, 1960sBy Joseph-André MotteLocated in Paris, FRSofa model 770 by Joseph-André Motte for Steiner, France, 1960s Ready to be reupholstered.Category
Vintage 1960s French Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Ceramic mirror by Claudie et Jean Rivier, France, 1960'sBy Jean RivierLocated in Paris, FRCeramic mirror by Jean et Claudie Rivier, France, 1960'sCategory
Vintage 1960s French Modern Wall Mirrors
MaterialsCeramic
- Elizabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti SofaLocated in New York, NYElizabeth Garouste (French, born 1949), a former costume designer, and Mattia Bonetti (Swiss, born 1952), a photographer, together used to form a Paris-based design team specializing...Category
20th Century French Sofas
MaterialsBronze
- Zebrawood Canapé by Garouste et BonettiBy Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia BonettiLocated in NYC, NYA unique canapé (originally part of a suite) by Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti with a curvaceous frame in Zebrano (Zebra wood) veneer with drop-in seat and two bolster cushion...Category
Late 20th Century French Canapes
MaterialsUpholstery
- Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti “Mars” sofaLocated in Marbella, ESElizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti “Mars” sofaCategory
Vintage 1980s French Sofas
MaterialsBronze
- "Koala" Armchair by Elizabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti, France, 1990sBy Élizabeth Garouste, Mattia BonettiLocated in New York, NYArmchair upholstered in a beige, tightly woven boucle fabric. Model "Koala". Chair: Height: 32” back, 16”, seat width 30”, depth 30”Category
1990s French Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBronze
- Garouste & Bonetti Koala Bench, France 1980'sBy Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia BonettiLocated in New York, NYKoala Bench from the "En attendant les barbares" era, on bronze feet and upholstered in faux shearling.Category
Late 20th Century French Post-Modern Benches
MaterialsBronze
- Three-Seater Sofa Guillerme et Chambron Solid Oak 60's F175By Guillerme et ChambronLocated in Lyon, FRThree seater sofa from the 60's by the famous French design duo Guillerme and Chambron. Solid light oak structure and seats in excellent condition covered with yellow woolen fabric (...Category
Vintage 1960s French Mid-Century Modern Canapes
MaterialsOak