Pierre Paulin

Pierre Paulin was born on 9 July 1927 and was a French furniture and interior designer. His uncle Georges Paulin, who was executed by the Nazis in 1941 as a hero of the French Resistance, was a part-time automobile designer and invented the mechanical retractable roof. Pierre trained as a ceramist in Vallauris and then as a carver in Burgundy. When he injured his right hand in the war, he ended his dreams of a career as a sculptor. In his time, his chair designs were considered very modern and unique, and kick-started the success of his designs with the younger population. Even today, his pieces are still in production and sought after at auctions. Pierre Paulin became most famous for his innovative designs in the 1960s when he worked for Artifort. Among his most famous chair designs were the Mushroom, Ribbon and Tongue chairs.

Pierre Paulin was also very influential in the 1970s. He was invited to decorate Georges Pompidou's private apartments at the Elysee Palace and furnished François Mitterrand's office. Most of his iconic models were made in collaboration with the Atelier de Recherche et de création - Mobilier national. His work can be seen in Lacividina's collections.