Elizabeth Garouste and Matti Bonetti "Mars" Sofas
View Similar Items
Elizabeth Garouste and Matti Bonetti "Mars" Sofas
About the Item
- Creator:Élizabeth Garouste (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 35 in (88.9 cm)Width: 59 in (149.86 cm)Depth: 31 in (78.74 cm)Seat Height: 15.5 in (39.37 cm)
- Sold As:Set of 2
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1989
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:San Francisco, CA
- Reference Number:Seller: A19031stDibs: LU90865164393
Élizabeth Garouste
Born in Paris in 1946, Élizabeth Garouste studied interior design at the École Camondo and worked as a theater set designer before meeting Mattia Bonetti in the late 1970s. Bonetti, born in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1952, attended Lugano’s Centro Scolastico per L’Industria Artistica, where he studied textile design and got into photography. As celebrated duo Garouste and Bonetti, the two designers are best known for concocting Surrealist, avant-garde, romantic furniture and lighting that merge whimsy and wonder with luxury and sophistication.
Their first collaboration came in 1981, after Garouste’s husband, interior designer Gérard Garouste, asked them both to produce designs for the Paris restaurant Le Privilège. They devised a collection of Art Brut–inspired furniture called Barbare, which debuted at the Jansen House of Interior Design, earning them the nickname Les Nouveaux Barbares (the New Barbarians).
Garouste and Bonetti achieved international acclaim in 1987 when French couturier Christian Lacroix hired them to design for his maisons de couture in Paris and London. Instead of the staid decor used by other haute couture houses, Garouste and Bonetti’s furnishings were rebellious and daring. As described in Architectural Digest, “rooms and carpets were acrid ochers, edged with black baroque swirls Louis XVI-inspired chairs upholstered in fruit tones. Tree stump stools topped with ivory tufted cushions. White curtains were trimmed with black polka dots the size of pancakes.”
Following their success with Lacroix, Garouste and Bonetti designed interiors for illustrious clients such as German socialite Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis and Bernard Picasso, a French art collector and grandson of Pablo Picasso.
Throughout the late 1980s and ’90s, Garouste and Bonetti designed several modern pieces such as rainbow-colored console tables, the wavy, high-backed Koala sofa, ceramic tableware, table lamps and decorative objects. In 2002, the duo parted ways.
Bonetti continues to create furniture, finding inspiration in everything from ancient Greece to children’s toys to UFOs. His works have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Garouste also continues to design and is inspired by the natural world for her “quirky pieces,” Élisabeth Delacarte, owner of the Paris gallery Avant-Scène, says of her designs: “You feel like you’re in a dream rather than in reality. She very much has her own universe.”
On 1stDibs, find a range of vintage Élizabeth Garouste furniture on 1stDibs.
- Valentin Loellmann SofaBy Valentin LoellmannLocated in San Francisco, CAA sofa by German furniture designer Valentine Loellmann made in 2015. Completely hand constructed in brass and not cast, with a charred oak seat and b...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
Price Upon Request - Harvey Probber SofaBy Harvey ProbberLocated in San Francisco, CAA three-seat sofa by Harvey Probber. Curved front. Loose cushions on the seat, back and sides. Sofa sits on 6 wooden feet.Category
Vintage 1960s American Modern Sofas
MaterialsWood
$12,000 - Sofa by Ludvig PontoppidanBy Ludvig PontoppidanLocated in San Francisco, CAAn elegant two seat sofa by Danish cabinetmaker Ludvig Pontoppidan. The sofa features curved edges and sloped arms, mahogany legs and upholstered seat, back and sides.Category
Early 20th Century Danish Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Mahogany
- Rare Sofa by Greta GrossmanBy Greta Magnusson Grossman, Sherman BertramLocated in San Francisco, CARare Sofa by Greta Grossman for The Sherman Bertram Company. USA, 1952 A rare and collectible sofa designed by Greta Grossman. This sofa appeared in the May 1952 edition of the Arts & Architecture magazine. The metal frame is in original vintage condition. The sofa has been fully restored and upholstered in a luxurious ebony suri bouclé Sandra Jordan Prima Alpaca fabric from the Sonoma Coast...Category
Vintage 1950s American Modern Sofas
MaterialsIron
$25,000 - Spirit Sofa by John HuttonBy John HuttonLocated in San Francisco, CAA “spirit” sofa by John Hutton for Dohghia. Covered in a deep rust colored velvet with decorative velvet rosettes across the back. Retains Donghia label. ...Category
Vintage 1980s American Modern Sofas
MaterialsUpholstery, Wood
- Channel Back Sofa by Edward WormleyBy Dunbar Furniture, Edward WormleyLocated in San Francisco, CAAn early channel back sofa with brass legs and covered in blue fabric by Edward Wormley. Model #4757 designed in 1947. The fabric is tired and should...Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Sofas
MaterialsBrass
- Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti “Mars” sofaLocated in Marbella, ESElizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti “Mars” sofaCategory
Vintage 1980s French Sofas
MaterialsBronze
- Mars Sofa by Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia BonettiBy Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia BonettiLocated in Paris, FRWide-shape wood sofa upholstered with a grey blue velvet. Quilted fittings. Legs terminating with bronze feet tips. Surmounted with gilt bronze B...Category
Vintage 1980s French Sofas
MaterialsBronze
- "Koala" Sofa by Elizabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti, France, 1990sBy Mattia Bonetti, Élizabeth GarousteLocated in New York, NYSofa with asymmetrical arm- and backrests, upholstered in a beige, tightly woven boucle fabric. Model "Koala". Sofa: Height: 43” back, 17” Seat Width: 64” Depth: 33”Category
1990s French Modern Living Room Sets
MaterialsBronze
- Elizabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti SofaLocated in New York, NYElizabeth Garouste (French, born 1949), a former costume designer, and Mattia Bonetti (Swiss, born 1952), a photographer, together used to form a Paris-based design team specializing...Category
20th Century French Sofas
MaterialsBronze
- "Koala" Armchair by Elizabeth Garouste & Mattia Bonetti, France, 1990sBy Mattia Bonetti, Élizabeth GarousteLocated in New York, NYArmchair upholstered in a beige, tightly woven boucle fabric. Model "Koala". Chair: Height: 32” back, 16”, seat width 30”, depth 30”Category
1990s French Modern Armchairs
MaterialsBronze
- Walnut and Fabric SofaLocated in Palm Springs, CAA beautiful 1970s sofa with a walnut leg frame. The sofa has been newly recovered, the frame is in original condition and it has minor chips on the back legs (see detail photos). Me...Category
Vintage 1970s American Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Walnut
$4,700