20% OFF SALE. £960 from £1200

After a brief spell at Thonet, Pierre Paulin joined Maastricht-based manufacturers Artifort. There he designed the Mushroom (1960), which would propel him to design stardom. This one has its original red wool upholstery. Tag on bottom intact.

He said of his time at Artifort, “It represented the first full expression of my abilities. I considered the manufacture of chairs to be rather primitive and I was trying to think up new processes.” Such processes included new techniques in foam, rubber and stretch fabrics, with comfort as the primary driver. The combination of these materials made Paulin’s chair designs rounder, softer and more organic in shape than those of his contemporaries. He had a high profile line up of clients, redecorating the Elysée’s private apartments for Pompidou in 1971 and furnishing the office of François Mitterrand in 1983.``