1963, Pierre Paulin, F303 Easy Chair for Artifort, off White and Vintage Leather
View Similar Items
1963, Pierre Paulin, F303 Easy Chair for Artifort, off White and Vintage Leather
About the Item
- Creator:Artifort (Manufacturer),Pierre Paulin (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 23.63 in (60 cm)Width: 32.29 in (82 cm)Depth: 28.35 in (72 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1965
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Amsterdam IJMuiden, NL
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU205539684763
Pierre Paulin
Pierre Paulin introduced a fresh breeze into French furniture design in the 1960s and ’70s, fostering a sleek new space-age aesthetic. Along with Olivier Mourgue, Paulin developed furnishings with flowing lines and almost surreal naturalistic forms. And his work became such a byword for chic, forward-looking design and emerging technologies that two French presidents commissioned him to create environments in the Élysée Palace in Paris.
Paulin was born in Paris to a family of artists and designers. He initially sought to become a ceramist and sculptor and was studying in the town of Vallauris near the Côte d'Azur — a center for pottery making, where Pablo Picasso spent his postwar summers crafting ceramics — but broke his hand in a fight. He enrolled at the École Camondo, the Paris interior design school. There, Paulin was strongly influenced by the work of Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson and Arne Jacobsen, as was reflected in his early creations for the manufacturer Thonet-France. It was at the Dutch firm Artifort, which he joined in 1958, where Paulin blossomed. In a few years, he produced several of his signature designs based on abstract organic shapes. These include the Butterfly chair (1963), which features a tubular steel frame and slung leather, and a group of striking seating pieces made with steel frames covered in polyurethane foam and tight jersey fabric: the Mushroom (1960), Ribbon (1966) and Tongue (1967) chairs.
In 1971, the Mobilier National — a department of France’s Ministry of Culture in charge of furnishing top-tier government offices and embassies — commissioned Paulin to redesign President Georges Pompidou’s private apartment in the Élysée Palace. In three years, Paulin transformed the staid rooms into futuristic environments with curved, fabric-clad walls and furnishings such as bookcases made from an arrangement of smoked-glass U shapes, flower-like pedestal chairs and pumpkin-esque loungers. Ten years later, the Mobilier National called on Paulin again, this time to furnish the private office of President François Mitterand. Paulin responded with an angular, postmodern take on neoclassical furniture, pieces that looked surprisingly at home in the paneled, Savonnerie-carpeted Louis XVI rooms. As those two Élysée Palace projects show, Paulin furniture works well both in a total decor or when used as a counterpoint to traditional pieces. You will see on 1stDibs that Pierre Paulin’s creations have a unique personality: bright and playful yet sophisticated and suave.
Artifort
The sterling reputation that Artifort enjoys isn’t limited to the innovative upholstery and fluid, organic shapes for which its products are widely known — the legendary Dutch brand’s vintage seating and other furniture is also celebrated for its embodiment of functionality, comfort and quality. These are among the principles that underpin the philosophy toward modern furniture design at Artifort, which has been at the crossroads of furniture and art for over 125 years.
Prior to 1928, the year Artifort officially became a brand, Jules Wagemans had a small upholstery business in Maastricht, the Netherlands. After setting up in 1890, his son, Henricus Wagemans, broadened the scope of the company to include furniture production. By the end of the 1920s, their showroom in Amsterdam had made them a recognizable brand across the Netherlands.
Then named H. Wagemans & Van Tuien, the company changed its name to Artifort after the economic recession. Artifort came from two Latin words meaning “art” and “strong” — a perfect description for the style of each design and the manufacturer’s intention to create sturdy furnishings. Artifort’s reputation for durable armchairs and sofas endures, and vintage editions of this seating are now family heirlooms in many homes.
Artifort became a magnet for high-profile and up-and-coming designers alike. Many furniture designers’ careers began thanks to collaborations with Artifort, such as Dutch industrial and jewelry designer Gijs Bakker and Indonesian-born designer Kho Liang Ie. Also known for designing the interiors at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, Kho Liang Ie was an aesthetic consultant at Artifort and used his expertise to turn the company into a world-class brand. Perhaps his largest contribution, however, was attracting the talents of French furniture and interior designer Pierre Paulin and English furniture designer Geoffrey D. Harcourt.
Paulin’s bright and colorful lounge chairs, such as his Orange Slice chair and Mushroom chair, are still central to the Artifort identity. The revered designer not only introduced new construction techniques to Artifort furniture, but contributed fresh materials, Pop art colors and dazzling shapes to the mid-century modern era as a whole, while Harcourt deserves credit for popularizing Artifort internationally and extending their reach into foreign markets.
Another talent boom in the 1990s at Artifort yielded collaborations with Jasper Morrison, Wolfgang Mezger and René Holten. Iranian designer Khodi Feiz was named art director in 2014 and has continued the tradition of recruiting top designers such as Claesson Koivisto Rune, Ilse Crawford and Luca Nichetto.
Find a collection of vintage Artifort lounge chairs, tables and more on 1stDibs.
- 1959, Pierre Paulin for Artifort, Early Globe Chair in Pink FabricBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLThis item is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beach, find more details on his family name plus eu, is for sale soon too. :-) Original early Globe chair...Category
Vintage 1950s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1965, Pierre Paulin for Artifort, Set Early Original Base and Red Blue FabricBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLThis item is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beach, check last pictures on this listing and/or find more details on his family name plus eu, is for sale soon too. :-) Set of four Tulip chairs in red with red bleu upholstery. All chairs are rotatable. This unique set off four consist of 2 chairs in a fairly good condition (pictures 1st chair...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1959, Pierre Paulin, Large Early Oyster, Easy Chair F157 in Brown LeatherBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLBeautiful Classic design. Brand new upholstery in soft comfortable leather, but there is a spot where the upholstery is not glued completely tightly to the backrest of the seat (see...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal
- 1969, Pierre Paulin for Artifort, Le Chat or F574 in Original Black FabricBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLThis item is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beach...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Upholstery
$1,703 Sale Price20% Off - 1960, Pierre Paulin, Original 1st Fabric Silver Grey Leather Slice ChairBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLThis item is part of the private collection of Casey Godrie and is situated in his private house. Ask him for competitive shipping quotes. His incredible Dune Villa, Amsterdam Beach,...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsMetal, Chrome
$1,528 Sale Price20% Off - 1967, Pierre Paulin, Side Table Model 877 in Shiny BrownBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Amsterdam IJMuiden, NLSide table in brown. Has traces of wear like some scratches on top (picture #5) and some loss of paint (see picture #6 and #7). Stackable in two ways (see picture #9 and #10). Side t...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Side Tables
MaterialsPlastic
- 1970s Pierre Paulin for Artifort F303 Lounge Chair, a PairBy Pierre PaulinLocated in Farmington Hills, MIWe are very pleased to offer a pair of Model F 303 chairs by legendary French furniture designer Pierre Paulin for Artifort, circa the 1970s. This stunning pair showcases a hard polyurethane molded shell, clear leg glides and a newly reupholstered seat. This low-slung chair...Category
Vintage 1970s European Scandinavian Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsFabric, Plastic
- Artifort Ribbon Chair by Pierre Paulin for ArtifortBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Oud Beijerland, NLAmazing Ribbon Chair in a very rare edition. It is designed by the famous Pierre Paulin (France) in the 60's and produced by Artifort (The Netherlands). This Iconic piece is produce...Category
Early 2000s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Pierre Paulin F570 Armchair Artifort, 1963By Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Roosendaal, Noord BrabantRare lounge chair model F570 designed by Pierre Paulin and manufactured by Artifort, Holland 1963. This rare armchair was only produced for 1 year and the...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Lounge Chairs
MaterialsStainless Steel
- Oyster Chair and Ottoman by Pierre Paulin for ArtifortBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Oud Beijerland, NLThe famous Artifort Oyster chair by Pierre Paulin, the big model with a ottoman. Designed in the beginning of the 60's, this particular set is manu...Category
1990s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Pierre Paulin “Ben” Lounge Chairs for ArtifortBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Fort Lauderdale, FLPair Artifort Lounge Chairs designed by french designer Pierre Paulin. Labeled. Original fabric. 28w 29d 29h 17sCategory
1990s Dutch Modern Armchairs
MaterialsFabric
$6,250 / set - ‘Ben’ Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1970sBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Hilversum, NLIn the late 1960s and early 1970s French designer Pierre Paulin created several sculptural masterpieces for Dutch manufacturer Artifort. We are happy to offer this beautiful Artifort “Ben...Category
Vintage 1970s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Club Chairs
MaterialsAluminum
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
At Château La Coste, Pierre Paulin’s Visionary Home Concept Finally Comes to Life
Now synonymous with 1960s and ’70s French chic, the designer conceived his modular modernist furnishings to change the way we decorate.
Exploring Our Current Obsession with Sixties Style
A new exhibition in Philadelphia stars a complex decade that continues to inspire.