Michel Cadestin & Georges Laurent

Michel Cadestin (b. 1942) is a celebrated French designer known for his bold innovations in postwar modern design. A graduate of the École Boulle and the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs, Cadestin began his career in the 1960s and quickly gained recognition for his experimental use of materials like plastic and foam. He became the design director at Teda in the early 1970s, where he created a range of modular and inflatable furniture, including the now-iconic Karate chair. In 1976, he was commissioned to furnish the newly built Centre Georges Pompidou, where he collaborated with Georges Laurent on the Beaubourg chair—an industrially inspired seat crafted in galvanized steel and leather. Cadestin later founded Création Recherche, a studio dedicated to innovative public and private design. Named Creator of the Year in 1983 and recipient of the René Gabriel Prize in 1988, Cadestin remains an influential figure in 20th-century French design, with his work featured in prestigious museum and auction collections worldwide.
 
Georges Laurent is a French designer best known for his collaboration with Michel Cadestin on the landmark Beaubourg chair, designed in 1976 for the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Selected by a jury led by Jean Prouvé, the chair exemplified the industrial aesthetic of the Pompidou and was installed throughout its public spaces, most notably in the library. Though less widely documented than Cadestin, Laurent’s contribution to this iconic design reflects a deep understanding of functionalism and material innovation. The chair, with its galvanized steel frame and stitched leather seat, remains a collector’s item and a defining piece of French institutional design in the late 20th century.