Pierre Paulin's "Pumpkin" Sofa Published by Ligne Roset, circa 1970
View Similar Items
Pierre Paulin's "Pumpkin" Sofa Published by Ligne Roset, circa 1970
About the Item
- Creator:Pierre Paulin (Designer)
- Attributed to:Ligne Roset (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 27.56 in (70 cm)Width: 70.08 in (178 cm)Depth: 32.68 in (83 cm)Seat Height: 14.57 in (37 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1970
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Paris, FR
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU992715513112
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 chairs, sofas, dining tables and other 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. 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.
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. His creations have a unique personality: bright and playful yet sophisticated and suave.
Find vintage Pierre Paulin lounge chairs, armchairs, coffee tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Pierre Paulin for Ligne Roset Red Fabric 2 Seater Pumpkin Loveseat SofaBy Ligne Roset, Pierre PaulinLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Pierre Paulin in 1971 for the Elysée Palace, the pumpkin sofa was only in production until 1973 by manufacturer Alpha. The iconic design was reintroduced in 2007 in collaboration with Ligne Roset. Inspired by the curvaceous shape and grooved lines of a pumpkin, this loveseat version of the sofa offers two round seat cushions and backrests with the classic quilted design. Upholstered in red fabric, the sofa is constructed from layers of foam, offering ultimate comfort, while the organic silhouette gives an enveloping aesthetic. A true design icon, this Pumpkin loveseat...Category
2010s French Sofas
MaterialsFabric
$2,003 Sale Price30% Off - Pumpkin 3-seater sofa by Pierre Paulin for Ligne Roset 2010By Pierre PaulinLocated in Stavenisse, NLModernist design by Pierre Paulin, the Pumpkin was designed by Paulin in the 70s to represent an organic interpretation to furniture. In line with many other Paulin designs, its insp...Category
2010s French Modern Sofas
MaterialsFabric, Plastic, Foam
- Pierre Paulin Pumpkin Sofa for Ligne RosetBy Ligne Roset, Pierre PaulinLocated in San Francisco, CAPierre Paulin design "Pumpkin" two seater sofa or loveseat by Line Roset. Contemporary edition less than 10 years old in good used condition. Upholstery appears to be suede in a soot...Category
2010s Italian Mid-Century Modern Loveseats
MaterialsSuede, Ultrasuede
- Ligne Roset by Pierre Paulin Green Fabric Pumpkin ArmchairBy Ligne Roset, Pierre PaulinLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Pierre Paulin in 1971 for the Elysée Palace, the pumpkin sofa was only in production until 1973 by manufacturer Alpha. The iconic design was reintroduced in 20...Category
2010s French Armchairs
MaterialsFabric
$1,529 Sale Price30% Off - Pierre Paulin for Ligne Roset Red Fabric 2 Seater Pumpkin Loveseat SofaBy Ligne Roset, Pierre PaulinLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Pierre Paulin in 1971 for the Elysée Palace, the pumpkin sofa was only in production until 1973 by manufacturer Alpha. The iconic design was reintroduced in 2007 in collaboration with Ligne Roset. Inspired by the curvaceous shape and grooved lines of a pumpkin, this loveseat version of the sofa offers two round seat cushions and backrests with the classic quilted design. Upholstered in red fabric, the sofa is constructed from layers of foam, offering ultimate comfort, while the organic silhouette gives an enveloping aesthetic. A true design icon, this Pumpkin loveseat...Category
2010s French Loveseats
MaterialsFabric
$1,860 Sale Price30% Off - Pierre Paulin for Ligne Roset Yellow Fabric Pumpkin High Back ArmchairBy Ligne Roset, Pierre PaulinLocated in London, GBOriginally designed by Pierre Paulin in 1971 for the Elysée Palace, the pumpkin sofa was only in production until 1973 by manufacturer Alpha. The iconic design was reintroduced in 20...Category
2010s French Armchairs
MaterialsFabric
$1,627 Sale Price30% Off
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.