Designer
Pierre Paulin
Pierre Paulin (1927-2009) was a French furniture and interior designer, born in Paris to a French father and a Swiss-German mother. He first trained as a ceramist in Vallauris and then as a stone carver in Burgundy, intending to become a…
Biography
Background
Pierre Paulin (1927-2009) was a French furniture and interior designer, born in Paris to a French father and a Swiss-German mother. He first trained as a ceramist in Vallauris and then as a stone carver in Burgundy, intending to become a sculptor, until an arm injury ended that plan. He went on to study at the École Camondo in Paris and began his career in Marcel Gascoin's studio in Le Havre.
Signature Style
Paulin worked with foam and rubber over light metal frames, covered in new stretch fabrics, and shaped chairs that cradle the body. GUBI quotes him describing himself as a functionalist who added "two little drops of poetry", and calls his low-slung pieces a laid-back take on life.
Notable Works
- Mushroom chair, Ribbon chair (1966) and Tongue chair (1968), made with Artifort
- Pacha Lounge Chair (1975), reissued by GUBI together with the F300 lounge chair
- Interiors for the Élysée Palace (apartments for Georges Pompidou, 1971; office for François Mitterrand, 1983)
Legacy
Paulin retired in 1994 and moved to the Cévennes in southern France, and died in Montpellier in 2009. His furniture is held in museum collections including MoMA in New York, the V&A in London and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
