Pierre Paulin

Early career

After completing his studies at the École Camondo, Paulin began his career by joining Marcel Gascoin's design studio in Le Havre. Through this relationship, he gained an interest in Scandinavian and Japanese design, which would influence his later work. While at Artifort, he became famous for his Mushroom chair design in 1960. thumb

In 2008, Paulin reflected on his time working for Artifort. He commented, "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." He had worked with foam and rubber from Italy attached to a light metallic frame and covered by a new stretch material. Paulin's designs and furniture emphasized applied design, focusing on form with comfort as his chairs' starting-point.

Furniture design Chairs

Pierre Paulin was well known for designing chairs. He worked with foams and metallic frames covered with stretch materials, designs admired for "their clear lines, the sensual feel of their material or just simply for the way their shapes cradled the body." His designs were widely popular during their time and have influenced other designers, such as Olivier Mourgue. Paulin influenced Olivier Mourgue's Djinn chairs, which were featured in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Interior design

Paulin was also highly influential during the 1970s. He was invited by the Mobilier National to decorate the private apartments of Georges Pompidou in the Élysée Palace (1971).