"Little Tulip" swivel chair with footrest, Pierre Paulin, Netherlands circa 1960

“Little Tulip” swivel chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort.
Polished cast aluminum base and chrome-plated stainless steel footrest.
Seat covered with original fabric.

Five available, three in light green and two in a slightly darker green.


Biography

Pierre Paulin, born in Paris on July 9, 1927 and died in Montpellier on June 13, 2009, was a French designer.

His talent lies in his shift from decoration to design, which was typical of the post-war period in France, and in the materials used to make his chairs. These are upholstered in foam and often covered in jersey.

He is one of the greatest designers of his time, and the subject of numerous books and retrospectives.

To find out more, please consult the Wikipedia page (in French).


Story

Artifort

Artifort is a designer furniture manufacturer.

In 1890, Jules Wagemans created his upholstery business in Maastricht. His son Henricus Wagemans evolved this business into furniture manufacturing.

In 1928, the Artifort brand appeared and combined art and comfort. Artifort’s breakthrough came in the 1930s when the company began using Epeda internal springs. The spring is made from a single steel wire, which increases comfort, is more durable and saves production time. Artifort initially manufactured classic wooden furniture. In the 1950s, Artifort took its first steps on the path to innovative design with the Pinguïn and Congo chair designed by Theo Ruth.

In 1958, Kho Liang Le was appointed aesthetic consultant.

His vision, his expertise and his international network were decisive in the successes of the 1960s and 1970s. Kho Liang Le designed the new Artifort logo and recruited designers Pierre Paulin and Geoffrey D. Harcourt.

Pierre Paulin introduces new production techniques and uses stretchy fabrics in bright colors to cover the organic shapes of his designs. Paulin’s aim was primarily to meet the challenge of functionality and comfort, notably with his Mushroom chair, developed for Artifort in 1959 and now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Geoffrey Harcourt, for his part, designed a vast collection for the contract market which enjoyed great success throughout the world.

In the 1970s to 1990s, Artifort collaborated with renowned international designers (Nel Verschuuren, Bruno Ninaber van Eyben, Jasper Morrison, René Holten, etc.). Artifort is today a brand of the Lande group and continues to work with the new generation of sought-after international designers (Patrick Norguet, Claesson Koivisto, etc.).

To find out more, read the Wikipedia page.