French seating designer Michel Ducaroy (1925-2009) is best known for his iconic, Pop Art-inspired Togo Sofa produced by high-end design brand Ligne Roset.
Ducaroy grew up surrounded by industrial design; his family owned a furniture factory that fitted the interiors of both private clients and ocean liners built at ports in Normandy. He studied sculpture at the École Supérieure Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Lyon—a specialization that can be seen in the distinctive silhouettes of Ducaroy’s later design work. He launched his design studio in 1952.
In 1954, Ducaroy began working with Ligne Roset, a family-run business dedicated to the production of traditional French, high-end seating. By the 1960s, he was one of the brand’s key designers, favoring biomorphic forms and high-tech synthetic materials like foam, thermoformed plastics, and quilted textiles. Some of his most successful Ligne Roset designs include the Adria, Kashima, Koufra, Safi, and Kali collections.
The pillow-like Togo, however, featuring a structure-less, foam-filled body, put Ducaroy and Ligne Roset on the international design map. Launched at the 1973 at Salon des Arts Ménagers in Paris, Togo Sofas and Seats have since been sold to over a million consumers in more than 50 countries.
Ducaroy retired in the 1980s and passed away in Lyon in 2008. His iconic sofa is still in production today.
* Images courtesy of Ligne Roset
