Togo Sofa Arms

The Togo sofa isn’t the only piece of furniture Michel Ducaroy designed, but it is certainly the one that he will be long remembered for. The cozy, crumpled pillow-like sofa seems never to go out of style, and its features encapsulate Ducaroy’s design philosophy of combining ergonomics and comfort with high-tech synthetic materials like foam, quilting and thermoformed plastics.

Ducaroy was born into a family of French furniture manufacturers who specialized in residential interiors as well as fittings for ocean liners. However, he elected to study sculpture at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, and this foundation would greatly influence his work and the way he thought about shape and form. Ducaroy worked at the family business and later founded his design studio in 1952.

In 1954, Ducaroy began working with Ligne Roset, the French family-run manufacturing giant known across the world for creating high-end seating. There, he was able to propel the research and development of their designs, and his work quickly became integral to the company’s identity.

Ducaroy’s innovations with thermoformed plastics and biomorphic forms can be seen in early designs for Ligne Roset in the ’60s and ’70s, like the cozy, modular Adria chair and low-sitting Kashima sofa. He designed the Togo furniture line in 1973 using an innovative all-foam seating structure that was covered with polyester; decades later the Togo sofa remains a Ligne Roset best seller.

The low rise and unique curve of any Ducaroy sofa make it instantly recognizable, and the distinctly Pop art–inspired, organic forms that the celebrated designer created from synthetic materials like polyester and foam made a powerful statement at their inception, as they continue to do now.

Find a collection of new and vintage Michel Ducaroy sofas, lounge chairs and other furniture on 1stDibs.

Arguably the world’s most ubiquitous man-made material, plastic has impacted nearly every industry. In contemporary spaces, new and vintage plastic furniture is quite popular and its use pairs well with a range of design styles.

From the Italian lighting artisans at Fontana Arte to venturesome Scandinavian modernists such as Verner Panton, who created groundbreaking interiors as much as he did seating — see his revolutionary Panton chair — to contemporary multidisciplinary artists like Faye Toogood, furniture designers have been pushing the boundaries of plastic forever.

When The Graduate's Mr. McGuire proclaimed, “There’s a great future in plastics,” it was more than a laugh line. The iconic quote is an allusion both to society’s reliance on and its love affair with plastic. Before the material became an integral part of our lives — used in everything from clothing to storage to beauty and beyond — people relied on earthly elements for manufacturing, a process as time-consuming as it was costly.

Soon after American inventor John Wesley Hyatt created celluloid, which could mimic luxury products like tortoiseshell and ivory, production hit fever pitch, and the floodgates opened for others to explore plastic’s full potential. The material altered the history of design — mid-century modern legends Charles and Ray Eames, Joe Colombo and Eero Saarinen regularly experimented with plastics in the development of tables and chairs, and today plastic furnishings and decorative objects are seen as often indoors as they are outside.

Find vintage plastic lounge chairs, outdoor furniture, lighting and more on 1stDibs.

Vintage couches and antique sofas have anchored living rooms for generations. The pieces most sought after today carry the deep-buttoned tufting of a Chesterfield or the low, sculptural ease of mid-century modern and Hollywood Regency design.

Styles to Know

Rolled arms and tufted backs point to Mid-Century Modern or Hollywood Regency pieces, while tight backs and turned legs skew more traditional. Velvet is enjoying a renewed moment across most of these silhouettes; see our velvet chesterfield sofa trend report for examples. A mid-century modern coffee table within reach and a vintage mirror nearby round out the seating area.

How to Choose the Right Vintage Sofa

A sofa's frame and upholstery history can be difficult to judge from photographs alone. Ask a seller for more information when a listing doesn't show the fabric or joinery clearly, and confirm whether the upholstery is original or has been redone. Each piece comes from a vetted 1stDibs seller, with era, designer and condition detailed, and the 1stDibs Promise stands behind every purchase.