French style: interiors on fleek with Ligne Roset
There is something about French style that makes it inherently classy and cheeky at the same time; the furniture brand that best expresses this je-ne-sais-quoi? We believe it is Ligne Roset. What do we love the most about this company? Well, there is a long list of all the things we simply adore about them, but we dare say, the first and most important reason that comes to our minds is their chameleonic ability to fuse and blend in with every environment, while at the same time, enhancing it and bringing out its personality. In fact, if you think about it, this is in a nutshell what it means to be really chic: never being out of place, still standing out from the crowd, but never apart from it. But what do we know about Ligne Roset?
You might find it amazing to learn that the history of Ligne Roset goes way back, much more than you could expect! It was established in 1860, which makes it almost 160 years old. It is safe to say that, to date, it must be one of the oldest furniture brands. What leaves us amazed is that despite everything that happened during these 160 years -- discoveries, economic changes and financial crises, wars, Ligne Roset kept prospering. And evolving too: you cannot expect a brand that has been around for so long to keep pushing the same designs on the market over and over again...especially when their very first designs belong to such a different time and era.
Initially, Ligne Roset was not even a furniture brand! The company’s founder, Antoine Roset, started out by opening a wood processing factory in the Ain province of France. Then, after a little bit, Antoine and his son started making something of their own: they started manufacturing walking sticks and umbrellas. True, they also did manufacture chair frames, but back then, at the very beginning, who could have imagined what a giant furniture design company their small factory would turn into, eventually?
Things started to change around the 1950s, in the post-War era. At this point, about fifty people were working for the company, while the management was in the hands of Antoine’s grandson, Jean. It was him who had the idea that it was about time to evolve and become bigger and more relevant. This is why the company, which back then was not called Ligne Roset yet, started producing artisanal-quality contract furniture. Basically, what the company was doing was manufacturing pieces of furniture for a variety of institutions, like offices, schools, universities, hospitals, and so on.
Things were going great, which is why, in ten years’ time, Jean Roset was able to enter the domestic market. And it is around this time that the real revolution happened: the youngest members of the family, Jean’s sons, entered the family business too, and by doing so, they brought with them all the bubbly, lively creativity of the 60s-70s area. How? Well, the company simply started doing what all smart furniture companies always do: they started collaborating with designers coming from a different background than theirs. Finally, in 1973, Ligne Roset became an official brand, opening their first official store.
The Mini Togo: the miniature version of the company's most iconic creation
From that moment on, Ligne Roset kept expanding and growing its business, to the point where it established itself as a recognized leader in the interior design world. Just think: right now, all over the globe, there are 200 Ligne Roset stores, to which we need to add a whopping 750 retailers. Quite an empire, right? It is a stunning result that would have been impossible to achieve without sticking to the principles of quality and style that were at the core of Ligne Roset before it even became Ligne Roset.
It is just fascinating how a small business that starting out working with wood and creating walking sticks and umbrellas could evolve into this creative brand we are so familiar with now. It is thanks to the amazing work of all the designers who love Ligne Roset and kept working with this dynamic and always young company. Creations like the SKIA floor lamp, designed by Vincent Tordjman, an eclectic genius who is a scenographer and a musician, besides an interior designer, would not have been possible in a company where not enough space is given to artistic inspiration.
If you take a look at the complex world you find inside a Ligne Roset catalogue, you will never stop feeling amazed at the amount of originality and creativity you will find. Take the Mold lamp, for instance. Designed by Katerina Sokolova, who despite being so young already has her own studio, it shows us what a lamp would look like before coming out of this mold: it is pure genius, as it is a creation that moves through time, showing us how our past will always be a part of our lives.
This, in short, is the wonderful world of Ligne Roset. A world made of past and present intertwined and constantly blending. A world where the classic “chic” of French style evolves, taking on a new edge, by meeting designers from all over the world. Who wouldn’t want to be part of it?
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