Hans Hopfer Armchairs
German designer and artist Hans Hopfer had a profound impact on furniture design that still guides the choices we make about our spaces today. Affectionately dubbed “seating landscapes,” Hopfer’s forward-looking collections of inviting, modular low-profile seating, such as the widely revered Mah Jong sofa for Roche Bobois, allowed for optimal customized arrangements in one’s living room, an innovation that reshaped relaxation at home in a significant and lasting way.
Hopfer designed modern furniture for a manufacturer in Nuremberg during the 1960s. He met Phillippe Roche in 1970 and began his collaboration with the Roche Bobois company. When the popularity of cable television took hold in more major American cities during the 1970s, sofas and other seating became integral to contemporary living-room decor. Roche Bobois’s newly launched Les Contemporains series positioned its own sofas front and center, and it also offered plush lounge chairs designed by Mario Bellini.
Bold works from Roche Bobois during the decade included one of its most enduring and well-known pieces — the Mah Jong sectional sofa created by Hopfer in 1971. Anchored by few central elements, this modular lounge sofa can be combined or stacked, giving the buyer total freedom over its appearance and the ability to maximize comfort with its plump cushions. Inspired by a tile-based game that originated in China, the Mah Jong has been in production since its debut. It is still handmade in a workshop in Italy today.
Composed of low seating elements and large cushions, Hopfer’s Mah Jong sofa has seen some high-profile fabric updates by Missoni, Jean Paul Gaultier and Japanese clothing designer Kenzo Takada, who worked with Roche Bobois to craft fabrics emblazoned with geometrically dynamic patterns to be used as upholstery for the firm’s iconic piece of furniture.
Primarily a sculptor and painter by trade, Hopfer worked and lived between Buenos Aires, Nuremberg and Paris. In addition to the work he did for Roche Bobois — which included his Informel armchairs and sofas — he also created modular furniture for the Wiener Werkstatte, a collective of artists and designers born from the Vienna Secession art movement in Austria during the early 20th century.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Hans Hopfer lounge chairs, armchairs and sofas.
1970s French Modern Vintage Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Leather, Upholstery, Foam
1960s Vintage Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Velvet
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary French Other Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Fabric
Late 20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Chenille
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Fabric, Foam
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Cotton, Satin, Velvet
1960s Danish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Leather, Mahogany
1970s European Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Mohair, Velvet
Early 2000s French Modern Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Fabric
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Leather
1970s French Post-Modern Vintage Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Chrome
1980s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary French Hans Hopfer Armchairs
Leather
