Beloved by celebrities like Frank Ocean and Kim Kardashian, French designer Pierre Paulin is responsible for some of the most instantly recognisable seating of the 20th century
With an influence on contemporary design comparable to that of Eero Saarinen, Charlotte Perriand and Arne Jacobsen, it’s difficult to believe that French designer Pierre Paulin’s name is often left out of conversations around the history of furniture (thanks to his relative anonymity). Responsible for some of the most instantly recognisable seating of the 20th century – including the Groovy chair, the Dune Ensemble sofa system and the F050 Chair – Paulin’s ahead-of-its-time design thinking is now being celebrated by New York’s Judd Foundation in an exhibition titled Pierre Paulin: Action House.
Born in Paris in 1927 to a French father and a Swiss mother, Paulin spent his childhood fascinated by his automobile design innovator uncle, Georges Paulin, who is credited with inventing the groundbreaking Eclipse folding roof system. As a student at the Camondo decorative arts school in Paris, Paulin rejected what he saw as antiquated teaching and thinking, but thrived in the realm of 3D design, and joined the workshop of Marcel Gascoin, one of the creators of the Union des Artistes Modernes (UAM). It was here that the designer absorbed the influence of Scandinavian aesthetics and began to comprehend the impact that design could have on society.
Following a period working in the interior decoration service of the Galeries Lafayette department store, Paulin entered the 1950s keen to produce his own furniture. By 1953 he embarked on creating his own designs, enjoying a career defined by out-of-the-box thinking, sci-fi aesthetics and superlative commissions such as furniture for the Louvre Museum in the 60s and interior design for France’s top governmental residence in the 70s. The French designer died on June 13, 2009, but his designs live on through the diverse range of environments they continue to enliven.
Below, we give you a five-point guide to the designs of Pierre Paulin.
1. His iconic upholstery style was inspired by swimwear
According to Paulin’s son Benjamin – one of the three members of his family responsible for upholding his legacy as Paulin Paulin Paulin – a swimwear show influenced his father’s innovative approach to upholstery, inspiring him to stretch fabric over tubular frames. Benjamin remembers, “Initially, he was obsessed with being able to see a piece from all angles without any ‘faults’. At the time, favourite furniture designers of the day always had a little place in their designs, in the back generally, where there was the part that you needed to position against the wall to avoid seeing it. One day, Pierre went to a swimsuit show and was really impressed by the way the textile fitted to the human body seamlessly, and how it perfectly followed the curves.”
2. One of his most significant projects almost never went into production
Despite it resulting in the design of one of Paulin’s most instantly recognisable works – the Dune Ensemble modular sofa – one major body of the designer’s work didn’t make it to market until five years after his death. In 1968, Paulin planned to develop an original and revolutionary set of furniture solutions that would translate American furniture firm Herman Miller’s Action Office project into something more suited to residential spaces. Paulin’s objective was to create a modular system that empowered users to become architects of their own spaces beyond the restraints of traditional interior design. Unfortunately, the Pierre Paulin programme was abandoned by Herman Miller due to the oil crisis of the early 70s, and was only officially produced for the first time by Paulin, Paulin, Paulin in 2014 – the family-run project dedicated to preserving and developing the work of the late designer. Paulin’s son Benjamin says, “We are producing the first late edition of the dream that never came true.”
3. He remodelled the former bedroom of Napoleon III
In 1972, President Georges Pompidou and his wife Claude commissioned Paulin to create a decorative installation for the former bedroom of Napoleon III at the Élysée Palace in Paris. Completed in 1722, this grand palace is the official residence of the President of France. The Paulin Room is the only one at the palace to have retained its 70s interior design, which was created by the designer as a freestanding wall structure so that it could be removed if necessary. The space was conceived as a complete work of art, and the furniture is made of the same cast aluminium and plastic coating that was used for the cabins of the Apollo spacecraft, while a chandelier comprising 9,000 glass stems and balls extends across the entire surface of the reflective ceiling.
4. His influence is far-reaching and can be seen throughout pop culture
Paulin is sometimes mistakenly credited with having designed the futuristic Djinn chair, made famous by its appearance in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. This chair was actually created by fellow French designer Olivier Mourgue, and while Paulin didn’t design this chair, it is his style that is said to have inspired – or been copied by – Mourgue. Other household names Paulin has been said to have heavily influenced include Verner Panton and Zaha Hadid.
5. Your favourite musicians love his furniture designs
The Paulin name is much less recognised than the designs themselves, with Paulin largely anonymous to the general public. Regardless, his position as a pop culture staple is undeniable. Spotted in the music videos, homes and studios of superstars such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Steve Lacy, Nicholas Ghesquière, Frank Ocean, the Kardashian-Jenners and more, the French designer’s work is a magnet to the creatives and tastemakers shaping contemporary culture. Benjamin explains, “There was an immediate connection between the youth of my father when he designed those pieces and the youth of the people who are attracted to them now. This is furniture that was made for young people, including my father, when he was in his thirties and forties. He designed it to make sense in a very creative life.”
Pierre Paulin: Action House is on show at the Judd Foundation in New York until 15 February 2025.
