Decorating & Design
Celebrating 50 Years Of Togo
Updated on November 15, 2023
H&H Publisher Lisa MacIsaac had the opportunity to tour the Ligne Roset factory in France.
This past July I took a dream trip to Lyon, France as a guest of Ligne Roset, the French modern furniture brand, to learn more about their iconic Togo seating. Besides enjoying great meals in the eating capitol of France — I got to tour the fifth-generation family-run business and its craftspeople at work. In 2023 the brand marks 50 years of Togo, with two limited-edition designs — La Toile du Peintre, by painter Heather Chontos for fabric house Pierre Frey and Atom by fashion designer Raf Simons for Kvadrat.
Togo, the low-slung, slouchy “seat cushion” was designed by Michel Duaroy for Ligne Roset and made its debut at the 1973 Salon des art managers in Paris. The seating is beloved by many, including celebrities Lenny Kravitz and Lady Gaga. “Togo’s shape was inspired by a tube of toothpaste folded back on itself like a stovepipe and closed at both ends” says Michel.
La Toile du Peintre, one of the limited-edition designs, features a reinterpretation of a pattern by painter Heather Chontos for Pierre Frey. The Togo has been hailed for its comfort, its modular design, but also for its life span — the seating lasts for 40 years or more.
The second limited-edition design, Atom, sports a speckled boucle fabric by fashion designer Raf Simmons for Kvadrat, which comes in three colorways; Bouleau, Labradorite, and Confettis.
The Designer: Michel Ducaroy trained as a sculptor at the Ecole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts before becoming head of the Ligne Roset Design department in 1960.
Ligne Roset uses only first quality leathers, which are shaved and perforated at the seams to lay flat and eliminate any air bubbles. All leather scraps are used for a secondary purpose, such as small leather purses and accessories – so there is no waste.
Today, more than 900 upholstery fabrics are available including custom options. Attention to detail is at the center of Ligne Roset’s manufacturing process.
Togo continues to be produced at the Ligne Roset factory in Briord, where all fabrics are manually inspected and each fold is meticulously created by hand. One Togo Fireside chair takes more than 40 hours to produce with 440 yards of thread.
A Togo Advertisement from 1974.
Due to civil unrest in the ’60s and ’70s, there was a strong desire for design with a fresh perspective. “People wanted something that didn’t look like their parents’ furniture,” says Antoine Roset, a fifth-generation Roset and Co-CEO of the company. “There’s a playfulness about it that is very appealing.”
Ligne Roset factory tour group pictured in front of giant foam blocks in Briord, France.
Togo seating is made from layers of multiple-density foam topped with a masterfully crafted quilted cover. During my factory tour, the level of craftsmanship, creativity and care at every step in production was amazing to see first hand.
Courtesy of Ligne Roset
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