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.
$35,323 / set
Mah Jong sofa by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois
By Roche Bobois, Hans Hopfer
Located in Marseille, FR
Mah Jong sofa by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois, 1970s, entirely reupholstered by Relax Factory workshop in Marseille, France, in a beautiful Limon linen Pierre Frey fabric. Excellent...
Linen
$35,323 / set
Mah Jong sofa by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois
By Roche Bobois, Hans Hopfer
Located in Marseille, FR
Mah Jong sofa by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois, 1970s, entirely reupholstered by Relax Factory workshop in Marseille, France, in a beautiful Limon linen Pierre Frey fabric. Excellent...
Linen
$24,726
H 25.6 in W 157.49 in D 118.12 in
French decorated modular sofa Mah Jong by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois, 2000s
By Roche Bobois, Hans Hopfer
Located in MIlano, IT
French decorated modular sofa Mah Jong by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois, 2000s Modular sofa mod. Mah Jong composed of 12 square cushions, padded...
Fabric
$13,464 / set
H 26.38 in W 118.12 in D 78.75 in
ROCHE BOBOIS 11 PiECE KENZO MAH JONG BY HANS HOPFER CORNER MODULAR SOFA SET
By Roche Bobois
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
Royal House Antiques Royal House Antiques is delighted to offer for sale this collectable Roche Bobois 11 Piece Kenzo Mah Jong Corner sofa set by Hans Hopfer Please note the deliv...
Upholstery
Mah Jong by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois 1st Edition Sofa
By Hans Hopfer, Roche Bobois
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Rare and iconic 1st edition circa 1971 Mah Jong modular sectional sofa consisting of ten element pillows. The sofa was designed by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois in this avant-garde de...
Fabric, Foam
$14,129
H 35.44 in W 106.3 in D 35.44 in
Hans Hopfer 'Dromadaire' Sectional Sofa in beige mohair velvet, Roche Bobois
By Hans Hopfer, Roche Bobois
Located in amstelveen, NL
Hans Hopfer 'Dromadaire' Sectional Sofa in Mohair wool, Roche Bobois, 1970 Sectional sofa designed by Hans Hopfer and manufactured by Roche Bobois in France circa 1970. A very rare ...
Mohair, Velvet
$48,274 / set
H 27.56 in W 37.41 in D 37.41 in
Large Mah Jong sofa in original fabric by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois 35 pieces
By Hans Hopfer, Roche Bobois
Located in Pijnacker, Zuid-Holland
Large Mah Jong sectional sofa in original fabric designed by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois in original fabric. The sofa features 35 pieces: 20 seat cushions 9 backrest (2 corner back...
Fabric, Foam
$34,000 / set
H 21 in W 190 in D 115 in
Mah Jong Kenzo Missoni Sectional Sofa Hans Hopfer Roche Bobois 2015
By Hans Hopfer, Roche Bobois
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Iconic large Roche Bobois Mah Jong modular sectional sofa designed in the midcentury by Hans Hopfer. The dramatic sofa features Kenzo Takada (Japanese 1939-2020) and Missoni fabrics ...
Fabric, Foam
$34,000
H 21 in W 228 in D 115 in
Mah Jong Kenzo Missoni Sectional Sofa by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois
By Kenzo Takada, Roche Bobois, Hans Hopfer, Missoni
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Iconic large Roche Bobois Mah Jong modular 22 piece sectional sofa designed in the mid 20th century by Hans Hopfer (German b. 1931). This special set measures 19 feet wide and featu...
Fabric, Foam
Roche Bobois Eighteen Piece Mah Jong Set
By Hans Hopfer, Roche Bobois
Located in Basildon, London
The Roche Bobois Mah Jong Sofa, a design icon by Hans Hopfer, epitomises modular versatility and luxurious comfort. The set showcases Roche Bobois' signature patterns, creating a har...
Foam, Upholstery
$5,406 / set
H 21.66 in W 37.41 in D 37.41 in
21stC "Mah Jong" Sectional Sofa By Hans Hopfer For Roche Bobois, France c.2000
By Hans Hopfer, Roche Bobois
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Elevate a living space with this stunning designer “Mah Jong” modular sofa suite by Roche Bobois. The set consists of two seat cushions, and two backrests. The layout of the sofa mak...
Fabric
$3,767
H 25.6 in W 74.02 in D 37.01 in
Black leather Player sofa by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois, France, 1972
By Roche Bobois, Hans Hopfer
Located in Lyon, FR
Rare Modular “Player” Sofa by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois, Early 1970s A rare and iconic modular sofa designed by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois in 1972. Upholstered in supple black ...
Leather
$9,999 / set
H 17 in W 38 in D 38 in
1st Edition Mah Jong Modular Sofa by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois c.1975
By Hans Hopfer, Roche Bobois
Located in Lutz, FL
Iconic First Edition Mah Jong Modular Sectional Sofa designed by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois France c.1975. Upholstered in the original multi tonal blue knit fabric with threads of ...
Fabric
Mah Jong Sofa, Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois
By Hans Hopfer
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Mah Jong Sofa by Hans Hopfer for Roche Bobois. Fully modular design allows for sofa to be set up as a sectional, a long sofa, or a conversation pit. A rare example in a textured, k...
Foam, Fabric