F444 Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, 1970s

Great design will never go out of fashion!

The epitome of applied design is this F444 lounge chair by Pierre Paulin. It is the result of experimenting with materials and form. Finished in tan leather with a polished steel frame. The construction is reminiscent of a hammock and its comfort comparable: just curl up and relax.

PIERRE PAULIN (1927-2009)
Pierre Paulin made a considerable impression with a contemporary shell fauteuil, at an international furniture show organised by Kho Liang le. Shortly after the show, he became a freelance designer for Artifort. This marked the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration. What makes his designs so distinctive is their striking sculptural shape, which earned Paulin many prizes worldwide. His work remains timeless and progressive even today. This is not form for form’s sake but applied design. with comfort as the constant starting-point. His work can be admired in museums throughout the world. Apart from furniture, he also designed interiors for the French presidents Pompidou and Mitterrand in the Elysée Palace in Paris. Pierre Paulin died on 13 June 2009 in a hospital in Montpellier (France). The French president Sarkozy honoured him as "the man who made design an art". In November 2009, Paulin was posthumously awarded the distinction of "Royal Designer for Industry" (RDI).

ARTIFORT
125 years of designThe foundations of Artifort were laid by Jules Wagemans when he set up business as an upholsterer in Maastricht in 1890. His son, Henricus Wagemans, expanded the company into a furniture factory, which had a showroom in Amsterdam by the end of the nineteen twenties and was already well known nationally. The economic recession of the nineteen-thirties forced H. Wagemans & Van Tuinen, as the furniture company was then known, to create a distinctive profile. Developing a catchy brand name and logo was a start. And naturally the furniture had to be distinctive too. The emphasis came to lie on functionality, comfort and quality combined with aesthetically pleasing design and an innovative use of materials.In 1928 the new brand name was introduced: Artifort, derived from the Latin word ‘ars’ meaning art or knowledge, and ‘fortis’ meaning strong or powerful. The word ‘comfort’ is also reflected in this brand name.