MUSHROOM SET DESIGN BY PIERRE PAULIN, ARTIFORT EDITION

Mushroom" set consisting of an armchair and its ottoman with a tubular metal structure upholstered in polyurethane foam. The set has been reupholstered in a blue wool crepe fabric. The armchair, with its rounded forms and sensual feel, offers comfortable, plush seating. Artifort edition.

Pierre PAULIN (Paris, 1927 - Montpellier, 2009) has been a key figure in French design for half a century, made famous by his sleek, sensual armchairs. His mushroom- and tongue-shaped chairs in yellow, orange, pink and purple jersey have been seen around the world. Today, they adorn the collections of MoMA in New York, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and museums in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. Influenced by Scandinavian furniture, Japanese purity and the American productions of Charles and Ray Eames, Pierre Paulin chose to create simple, functional, durable and affordable furniture, characteristic of the post-war period. Although his creations were part of an industrial research that took into account the economic and sociological contingencies of the time, his bold ideas were often taken up by subsequent generations. Better known abroad than in France throughout his career, he nevertheless exhibited at the Salon des Arts ménagers as early as 1953. In the 60s, Pierre Paulin molded the shells of his chairs in jersey or stretch, concealing their structures and delivering rigorous, sensual and comfortable one-piece seats. His designs include the "Ruban" armchair, with its sculptural legs and zebra or panther fabric, as well as the Champignon and Amphis, also known as "le boudin", with its serpentine seat. A long-time collaborator of the industrial design agency AD SA, he founded the Pierre Paulin company in 1979, where he worked as part of a team on industrial design for the Calor, Tefal and PSA brands. Bibliography: A. Chapoutot "Pierre Paulin. Un univers de formes", Paris, éditions Du May, 1992. Similar model reproduced in color on page 38. Design period, Circa: 1963