27/07/2026
This early ‘L09L’ sofa or bench, designed in 1975, captures the Pierre Chapo's distinctive ability to unite rigorous modernism with the warmth of traditional craftsmanship.
Dating from 1975, this piece is an early example designed by Pierre Chapo, known for his commitment to pure and clean design and construction principles. The ‘L09’ sofa or bench is characterized by its taut, understated form, simple lines, and the distinctive box joints at the corners of the frame. The cushions retained its original upholstery, featuring stripes in a variety of natural colors.
Pierre Chapo (1927-1987) was born in a family of craftsmen and trained as an architect at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He was only twenty-one when he left France in order to spend the next few years traveling through England and Scandinavia. In December of 1951, back in Paris, he met his future wife, Nicole. Their meeting was the beginning of a lifelong union and in 1957 they set up Société Chapo. Société Chapo was a design workshop and gallery in one where he showed his own creations. However, Nicole also presented her ceramics, and textiles here and they even exhibited other great designers of that period. In 1958, they opened their famous gallery at 14 Boulevard de l'Hopital. Chapo's work originated by means of special commissions that could later be adapted to universal needs. Throughout his career, Chapo combined his interest for contemporary design with his love for traditional craftsmanship. In his designs, he was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's balanced lines, Corbusier's research on proportions and the ideas of Bauhaus. The three principles that motivated Pierre Chapo were 'material, form, and function.' He measured his furniture by means of golden ratio and used elmwood as his preferred material. Unfortunately, Chapo fell ill, and he died in 1987, however, until his last day, he kept on designing and working.
