Pierre Paulin ABCD Sofa
View Similar Items
Pierre Paulin ABCD Sofa
About the Item
- Creator:Artifort (Manufacturer),Pierre Paulin (Designer)
- Dimensions:Height: 23.63 in (60 cm)Width: 63 in (160 cm)Depth: 31.5 in (80 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1968
- Condition:
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: D1451stDibs: LU1420210740933
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.
- Illum Wikkelso Sofa Model Ml-90 Mikael Laursen and Son, Denmark, 1960Located in London, GBKristian Illum Wikkelsø (1919–1999) was a Danish furniture designer whose key work, including the ML-90 sofa, was made during the heyday of Danish design in th...Category
Vintage 1960s Danish Modern Settees
MaterialsFabric, Wood
- Yrjö Kukkapuro Ateljee Sofa, Haimi, Finland, 1964By Yrjö Kukkapuro, HaimiLocated in London, GB“Does it make any sense to design a chair which is not good to sit on” is the mantra of Finnish designer Yrjö Kukkapuro (born 1933). His aim to unite beauty with ergonomics in furniture has led to a number of his designs becoming classics. One example of this is the Ateljee sofa...Category
Vintage 1960s Finnish Modern Sofas
MaterialsLeather, Wood
$9,332 Sale Price20% Off - Carlo Scarpa Cornaro sofa for Gavina, Italy 1970sBy Tobia Scarpa, GavinaLocated in London, GBCarlo Scarpa (1906-1978) was an architect who mastered materials, detail, and light. He is most famous for Castelvecchio Museum in Verona, the Olivetti showroom in Venice and the Brion Tomb in San Vito d’Altivole. The Cornaro sofa embodies the intentions of its designer to combine Japanese minimalism...Category
Vintage 1970s Italian Modern Sofas
MaterialsMohair, Wood
- Two Raphael Raffel Croissant Sofas for Maison Honoré, Paris, 1970sBy Honoré Paris, Raphael RaffelLocated in London, GBRaphaël Raffel (1912-2000) studied at the École des Beaux Arts and became a renown interior designer from the 1940s to the end of the twentieth century. His shop in Paris attracted a...Category
Vintage 1970s French Modern Sofas
MaterialsWool
- Danish Cabinetmaker 'Banana' Sofa Slagelse Møbelværk Attributed, Denmark, 1940sBy Slagelse MobelvaerkLocated in London, GBCrafted in the 1940s by Danish cabinetmakers, the banana sofa is not only a staple of that era but also finds itself emulated in later trends. The sofa’s alluring organic curves form...Category
Vintage 1930s Danish Art Deco Sofas
MaterialsSheepskin, Wood
- Raphael Raffel Croissant sofa for Maison Honoré, Paris 1970sBy Maison Honoré, Raphael RaffelLocated in London, GBRaphaël Raffel (1912-2000) studied at the École des Beaux Arts and became a renown interior designer from the 1940s to the end of the twentieth century. His shop in Paris attracted a...Category
Vintage 1970s French Sofas
MaterialsLeather
- Pierre Paulin for Artifort ´ABCD´ Settee in Fuchsia UpholsteryBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Waalwijk, NLPierre Paulin for Artifort, two-seat sofa from the ABCD series, fabric Kvadrat Hallingdal 65 - Color 0563, wood, metal, The Netherlands, design 1968 Beautifully curved and iconic tw...Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsMetal
- Pierre Paulin, ABCD Sofa, Red Velvet, Artifort, Netherlands, 1960sBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in High Point, NCA red velvet ABCD sofa designed by Pierre Paulin and produced by Artifort, Netherlands, 1960s. Originally sourced from Turner Limited, 305 East 63rd street, New York.Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet
- Pierre Paulin, ABCD Sofa, Purple Velvet, Artifort, Netherlands, 1960sBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in High Point, NCA purple velvet ABCD sofa designed by Pierre Paulin and produced by Artifort, Netherlands, 1960s. Originally sourced from Turner Limited, 305 East 63rd street, New York.Category
Vintage 1960s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsVelvet
- ABCD 3-Seat Sofa by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, MohairBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Toronto, ONThe ABCD sofa, a design by Pierre Paulin from 1968, stands as a testament to his innovative and forward-thinking design ethos. This sofa is truly unique, characterized by its unconve...Category
Late 20th Century Dutch Sofas
MaterialsAngora, Mohair, Goat Hair
- Mid Century ABCD 3-Seater Sofa by Pierre Paulin for ArtifortBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Oud Beijerland, NLAmazing sculptural three-seater ABCD sofa, designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort in 1968. The sofa is composed of three separate segments characterized by the wave-shaped curves. Th...Category
Early 2000s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
- Mid Century ABCD 2-Seater Sofa by Pierre Paulin for ArtifortBy Artifort, Pierre PaulinLocated in Oud Beijerland, NLAmazing sculptural two-seater ABCD sofa, designed by Pierre Paulin for Artifort in 1968. The sofa is composed of three separate segments characterized by the wave-shaped curves. ...Category
1990s Dutch Mid-Century Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric
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.