2013

Rep

orta

ge 02

Hom

e ent

erta

inm

ent 58

Arm

chai

rs 106

Hal

lway

s 60

Occ

asio

nal t

able

s 116

Out

door

12

Sett

ees 68

Din

ing

room

s 130

Stor

age 20

Bed

-Set

tees

100

Side

boar

ds 140

Tabl

e of

Con

tent

sT

able

war

e 144

Ligh

ting

186

Din

ing

chai

rs 146

Acce

ssor

ies 198

Bed

room

s 158

Tex

tile

s & R

ugs

204

Hom

e Off

ice 178

Tex

tile

s & C

urta

ins 212

Ligne Roset

SustainableDesign

Roset – the story of a family business, founded more than 150 years ago. Antoine & Olivier Roset, the fifth generation of that family, joined the company a short time ago. This tradition of handing the business down through the family goes a long way towards explaining the passionate, demanding way in which current directors Michel & Pierre Roset do business. Respecting that which has been bequeathed to them, yet nurturing a hunger to go further still, to make their place in history.  Text Constance Rubini Photos Vincent Leroux

From the very beginning the head office of Ligne Roset has been located in the countryside, in the Ain Department in the Bugey region, at the foot of the Jura mountains.

Reportage

3

1 Execution of double stitching on a Togo cover. The generously quilted cover con-tributes to the unusually generous comfort. 2 Rolls of fabric being stored in the work-shop. 3 Preparation of Togo’s characteristic button detailing using long needles. The elasticity of the foam core is controlled by the tension of the threads which hold the buttons in place. 4 Togo’s upholstered buttons are all covered in the same fabric or leather as the settee. 5 Foam cores for Togo on pallets. Large photo left: Handwork remains irreplaceable: Togo’s characteristic folds are formed by precise hand movements.

In the beginningIn 1860, Antoine Roset set up a small parasol handle fac-tory at Oussiat, in the Ain region. The business grew until, in 1892, he purchased premises on the banks of the La Bri-vaz river, where he installed water wheels to help process his wood. At that point his workforce numbered around thirty. However although business was booming then, it was shortly to suffer from the vagaries of fashion when, at the turn of the century, ladies gradually stopped carrying para-sols. Antoine Roset’s reaction to this development was to convert his lathes to produce chair legs & rungs – & so the furniture business was born, imbued with the distinct per-sonality of his widow Marie-Victorine, who took over the

reins from her late husband in 1893 before handing them on to their son Emile Roset (1882–1946) some timeafter 1910. Thus, until the beginning of the 1930s, “Etablissements Veuve A. Roset” manufactured wooden chairs, cane seating & reproduction furniture. The company’s very first upholstered seating, principally in leather, ws produced in 1936. Tragically, having survived the war, Emile died as a result of an accident in 1946, leaving his son Jean to inherit the company. In this period of postwar reconstruction, the business – which now employed a workforce of around fifty – quickly took an industrial turn, shifting its focus to contract furniture.

1 2

3 4 5

Reportage

5

7

1 Pieces of foam are stored in trolleys.2 Preparation of various foam components. 3 Cutting pieces of quilted fabric. 4 Marking imperfections in leather – these will be eliminated during the cutting process. 5 Cutting a quilted cover using electric scissors.

1 2 3

4 5

Reportage

Design, manufacturing & distributingJean Roset was a man of his time. In a constantly evolving world, he aspired to work more closely with designers - & so he began to update the lines of his seating, working in collaboration with architects. Then, in 1954, he was intro-duced to designer Michel Ducaroy at the “foire de Lyon”, a meeting which was to change his business forever. Roset quickly brought him on board on a freelance basis before deciding, in 1960, to take him on as a permanent mem-ber of staff. With his philosophy of integrating the various sectors of the business, Jean Roset effectively did everything possi-ble to ensure the exclusivity of his work. An R&D depart-ment & prototyping shop were therefore set up to support

Ducaroy in his search for the best technical solutions with which to create his models. At a time when all seats had a hard structure, Michel Ducaroy was developing “all-foam seating” which represented a real improvement in ergo-nomic terms. The Briord factory was thus organized with a view to producing this type of seating, with machinery specifically developed for foam-cutting, foam-stretching & quilting.A contemporary of Pierre Paulin & Olivier Mourgue, Ducaroy – an unassuming, honest designer – was one of the driving forces of French innovation. In 1973, his new creation Togo, with its soft, comfortable style, won the René-Gabriel prize which was awarded each year for the most innovative seating. The simplicity of its lines clearly

1 Selecting sheets of veneer. 2 Wooden components being stored in the Saint Jean le Vieux factory. 3 Adjustment of the mechanical parts of a table during assem-bly. 4 Parts of furniture during production. 5 Assembly of a piece of furniture before quality control.

1 2

3 4 5

Reportage

9

conveys a message of comfort, yet Togo is nonetheless born of highly sophisticated skills & expertise. Its structure, with its combination of three foams of differing densities, has a generously-quilted cover, whilst its upholstery is ef-fected with a series of precise gestures which alone result in the formation of the characteristic Togo creases. Today this masterpiece, now celebrating its 40-year production anniversary, could well be the best-selling seating in the world. This was also the time when the visionary Jean Roset

called on the services of Jacques Séguéla & his Roux Séguéla agen-cy to showcase this talent. When a number of striking television adverts were broadcast, forcefully expressing the freedom afforded by this new modernity, these first “all-foam” creations became very popular.Jean Roset’s great success was to have both the intuition & the intelli-gence to integrate design, produc-tion & distribution. The distribution network had its beginnings in 1973 with the opening of the initial two Ligne Roset stores; & then, with the creation of its logo, the Ligne Roset brand was born. These days there are 760 Roset outlets across the world, with export accounting for 70 % of production output. In this international landscape – 71 countries – there is also a licensed manufacturer, in Japan, the fruit of

Jean Roset’s talent for capitalizing on meetings & singular opportunities from 1981 onwards.

The Bugey region, on the slopes of the Jura mountainsThe Roset company grew, & from the 1970s onwards took environmental issues very seriously indeed. Waste is graded & assessed. On its Saint Jean le Vieux site, for ex-ample, offcuts of wood are used to heat the 45,000 m2 factory. Offcuts of leather from the Briord factory are sold on for recycling & eventual use in the shoemaking industry. Foam is recycled into agglomerated foam. Even the pro-ducts themselves are designed with a view to being dis-mantled for eventual recycling. Pierre Roset also sits on a steering committee looking into the recycling of furniture products. For him, sustainable development goes hand in hand with effective management & economic objectives. Investments, often significant, are thus made to acquire or develop software & machines which will enable energy costs to be rationalized, the cutting of materials to be opti-mized & above all, waste to be avoided. The effect of such decisions will only be felt in the long term, but in this family business, this prospect frightens no-one. It was in this spirit

that, in 1973, when Roset was beginning to produce furni-ture to complement the seating in its new stores, the com-pany took on a chemist to consider possible innovations in terms of surface treatments, the materials employed & their applications. Solvent-free varnishes & UV-cured lac-quers were also introduced, saving not only time but also effort and energy. Such products are more expensive but are used in smaller quantities & are more resistant ; their most significant advantage, however, is the improvements they bring to working conditions. In 2011, with this in mind, the company invested in solvent-free water-based glues for the assembly of foam, which are sprayed from a gun. Improving working conditions is also another way of op-timizing them. So projects are conducted in conjunction with ergonomics experts with a view to limiting handling, avoiding repetitive movements & offering workers adap-tability, along with rules which create a degree of flexibility which chimes perfectly with production requirements.Since the manufacturing process requires items to be transported from one factory to another, the five produc-tion sites are located close together. In the case of bed- room, occasional & office furniture, for example, the ma-chining takes place at Saint Jean le Vieux, with surface treatments carried out at Saint-Rambert-en-Bugey before the products are returned to Saint Jean le Vieux for as-sembly & dispatch. Seating is manufactured in Briord, in huge workshops where the majority of tasks are carried out by hand, meaning that the production of armchairs or set-tees demands a high level of expertise. Two upholsterers have the responsibility of training new arrivals, teaching them the precise gestures required, along with the neces-sary dexterity. A one year in-house training programme both hones skills & ensures product quality. Bourgoin-Jal-lieu & Saint-Georges de Reneins are the two other sites, where seamstresses complete the Briord teams. Here too, a skilled workforce perpetuates the knowledge & expertise which form the core competency of the company.With the exception of one or two sub-contracted items, the vast majority of Roset furniture is thus manufactured in the heart of the French countryside, at the foot of the Bugey mountains. 

Ensuring the covers of a Ploum settee fit perfectly Ph

oto

Ric

hard

Dum

as

Chantal Hamaide, is there a speci-fically French approach to furniture design?   France is deeply attached to its fur-niture tradition, with more than 25 identified regional styles. In France, following on from Art Nouveau, the “exposition des Arts Décoratifs” in 1925 opened up an entirely new ap-proach to furniture. Emile Ruhlmann understood how to strike a balan-ce between structural concerns & the use of precious woods. At the same time, Charlotte Perriand, Pierre Jeanneret & Le Corbusier were spea-king up for the “modern movement”, bring ing more industrialized & more democratic solutions to French fur-niture. It was in the Postwar period, at the “salon des arts ménagers”, that the designers René Caillette, Joseph André Motte, Pierre Garriche & Pi-erre Paulin emerged – with Paulin being entrusted with the renovation of the private apartments of Presi-dent Georges Pompidou at the Ely-sée Palace. What for you are the specifically French influences at Ligne Roset & how do they benefit its products? Ligne Roset perpetuates a French tradition of quality manufacturing in an extension of the culture of the “Arts Décoratifs” (Art Deco), cabi-netmakers & upholsterers. At Ligne Roset, particular attention is paid to materials & to the production capaci-ties of the business. More than ever, the family-run model chimes with the expectations of the higher end of the market. Financial autonomy affords them independence which then be-

nefits the creativity of their collec-tions. A faithful collaboration with two generations of French designers po-sitions them as a promoter of French design, bringing both product quality & international visibility.

What about Ligne Roset’s commit-ment to young designers?  Constant monitoring of young desi-gners with the assistance of the VIA (Valorisation de l’Innovation dans l’Ameublement), which is a real ta-lent pool for French design, & an an-nual competition aimed at students & young professionals: both of these give Ligne Roset the perfect stand-point from which to spot emerging talent. The success of its collections by Pagnon & Pelhaitre, Eric Jourdan, François Bauchet & Didier Gomez brings the very “French touch” one would expect from Ligne Roset. Appealing to the next generation – Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Inga Sempé, Philippe Nigro – is at the heart of house policy, which is com-pletely design-focused. Thus desig-ners have found an attentive ear in a business which each year invests 4 % of its turnover in design. “We are con-vinced that in constantly developing exclusive creations with French desi-gners, we are assuring the longevity of our business,” emphasises Michel Roset. And what about collaborations with designers from other coun-tries?  Ligne Roset also collaborates closely with designers such as these, as evi-denced by numerous models in the

collection which were created by eit-her established or young designers of diverse origins, many of whom are German-speaking. 

Interview Thomas Edelmann

  

Reportage

A commiment to design Interview with Chantal Hamaide

Constance Rubini, design historian

Chantal Hamaide There is no theme more international than design – for it thrives on exchange. This is why the bilingual magazine “intra-muros” is justly considered to be a design magazine of international stature, being published in both French and English. Its cover portraits of designers are the magazine’s trademark. However it also offers a specifically French view on the world of design. After its inception in 1985 this magazine, which is still independent today, gained the journalist Chantal Ha-maide as its Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director. If she sometimes approaches de-sign from a commercial standpoint, she is nonetheless primarily interested in its di-verse cultural aspects. Chantal Hamaide is the elected ambassadress of French de-sign, she sits on numerous judging panels and has organized a range of exhibitions, conferences and events on current design themes. In 2000, she was accorded the ho-nour, “Cwhevalier de la Légion d’Honneur” by Laurent Fabius, the Minister for Indus-try and Finance of the time. 11