In 1974, Roche Bobois opened its first showroom in the United States on Madison Avenue in New York City. The celebrated luxury French furniture brand is now in 50 countries with more than 200 stores.
The Roche Bobois story has origins in 1950, when entrepreneur Jacques Roche converted an old Paris theater into two contemporary furniture boutiques so that his sons could help usher stunning Bauhaus-inspired work out of the shops and into French homes nearby.
At another showroom called Au Beau Bois, also in the French capital city, the Chouchan family was simultaneously selling home furnishings. The families met later, when Philippe and François Roche convened with Patrick and Jean-Claude Chouchan at a furniture exhibition in Copenhagen in 1960 and afterward produced a catalog announcing their partnership.
Minimal and modernist Scandinavian design had gained prominence in the furniture industry by 1960, rendering designers such as Kaare Klint and Poul Henningsen marquee names — and Roche Bobois's principals had taken notice. Following a national advertising campaign in Elle magazine a year later, the Scandinavian furniture that the newly minted Roche Bobois was importing to Paris became a huge success. Early promotional material from the firm likely included the sleek modular wall units crafted in rosewood by Danish furniture maker Poul Cadovius. It didn’t take long for Roche Bobois to shift toward producing its own contemporary furniture line.
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 the company during the decade included Marc Berthier’s Pop Art–colored tubular metal desks and chairs — the latter covered with braided fabric — as well as one of Roche Bobois’s most enduring and well-known pieces, the Mah Jong sectional sofa created by sculptor, painter and designer Hans Hopfer. 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.
Since its inception, Roche Bobois has worked with many internationally renowned architects and designers on its collections, among them Paola Navone and Vladimir Kagan. Even fashion designers such as Missoni and Emanuel Ungaro have made contributions to the company’s lineup.
In 2010, Roche Bobois marked its 50-year anniversary by debuting a partnership with French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier. A decade later, Roche Bobois teamed up with Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, who designed a collection of organically shaped sofas as well as vibrant, colorful accent pillows and rugs.
Roche Bobois’s offerings over the years have included everything from mid-century modern armchairs to Art Deco case pieces to sculptural outdoor cocktail tables framed in metal wire — shop these classics now on 1stDibs.
Michel Dumas 1970s Smoked Plexiglass Planter for Roche Bobois, Aluminum
By Michel Dumas, Roche Bobois
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Sculptural planter designed by Michel Dumas for Roche Bobois during the 1970s showcases the era's fascination with innovative plastics and sleek, modern forms. Crafted from smoked pl...
Aluminum
Large 1970s Gainey Mustard Yellow Glazed Ceramic Planter
By Gainey Pottery
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Large 1970s Gainey Mustard Yellow Glazed Ceramic Planter. Executed in matte mustard yellow glazed ceramic. A very clean and increasingly rare example attributed to iconic ceramics m...
Ceramic
Willy Guhl Petite Ridged Planter, 1970s Switzerland
By Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Petite ridged planter by Willy Guhl. Concrete planter in the shape of a rectangle with an upper rim and ridged sides. Great scale. Very good vintage condition. Only one available.
Cement
$4,975 / set
H 21 in W 16.5 in D 16.5 in
Pair of French Nelson Blue Aluminum Planters for Modern Gardens
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Fashionable in Paris during the 18th and 19th Centuries, this style of French planter box was often used to flank grand entrances with citrus trees or topiaries. Benjamin Moore '...
Metal, Aluminum
Italian 1970s Bamboo Flower Planter
Located in Milan, IT
Italian 1970s bamboo flower planter.
Bamboo
$540Sale Price / item|53% Off
H 6 in W 25.75 in D 6.75 in
Willy Guhl for Eternit Large Rectangle Concrete Outdoor Planter, 1970s, Signed
By Eternit, Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
This designer on-trend architectural 25.75" long rectangular concrete planter is by Swiss architect Willy Guhl for Eternit, crafted in the 1970s Switzerland and signed and dated underneath. This special low-profile and rare long sized rectangle-shaped concrete planter has a patinated natural exterior finish and organic aging over decades of UK climate. Excellent planter size for a variety of various uses such as succulents, plants, weeping grass with the planter on a Stand, balcony privacy hedge, or any other outdoor decorative use. Consider using this Willy Guhl Concrete Planter Pot...
Concrete
1970s Concrete Conical Garden Planter
Located in Stow on the Wold, GB
1970s concrete conical planter, made from solid concrete. Very nice patina, small chip to one edge, nicely weathered. Drainage hole to the base. Please email me the postcode for a...
Concrete
Large Hexagon concrete Garden Planter 1970s
Located in Stow on the Wold, GB
1970s Large concrete garden planter, hexagonal shape. Good quality planter made from concrete, in great condition. ST1727
Concrete
Large 1970s Concrete Garden Planter Water Trough 2m Long
By Willy Guhl
Located in Llanbrynmair, GB
A large Mid Century Concrete Planter, freshly salvaged. Good scale at 2m in length, this will make a fantastic garden feature, the trough does hold water so could be used as a water...
Concrete
1970s, Beech Bench / Planter Stand, Czechoslovakia
Located in Praha, CZ
Good original condition with minor signs of use.
Wood, Beech
1970s Brown Laminate and Bamboo Planter
By Willy Rizzo
Located in Milan, IT
1970s Brown Laminate and Bamboo Planter
Bamboo, Laminate
Willy Guhl Petite Cube Planter, 1970s Switzerland
By Willy Guhl
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Petite cube planter by Willy Guhl. Original grey concrete color with micro herringbone design on the sides. Great scale. Very good vintage condition. Only one available.
Cement
Faux Bois Stump Planter, 1970s France
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Unusual Faux Bois planter made of concrete, in the form of a tree stump. Great texture and detail. Planter has 4 mouth openings for planting. Really fun sculptural planter with a ton...
Cement