The Mobilier National has a twin mission : to furnish official buildings and to embody French design at the point of innovation. Pierre Paulin participated in this project from 1971 with Elysée and Pumpkin. Philippe Nigro takes up the baton in 2020 with Ligne Roset and Hémicycle.
If the term « Hémicycle » might be evocative of the Assemblée Nationale, it was also chosen for its completely different geometrical connotation. The use of this straight seat must also be well suited to use in institutions, public spaces or more traditional habitations. It represents a classically-styled welcoming place capable of travelling between the highest echelons of power and the intimacy of a contemporary apartment.
The Hémicycle range comprises an armchair, settee and finally a conversation seat to help one always find good company. Each seat shares the common feature of particularly restrained dimensions, despite its undeniable character: it could just as well find itself arranged around vast reception rooms, as it might help optimise more constrained spaces.
Its semi-circular shape, which seems to be able to carry on and on into infinity, gives it a personality which invites conviviality. Here, comfort is twinned with the refinement of the superposed backrests which give it its strong character. One sees here Philippe Nigro’s very personal style signature, always seeking interlocking shapes and playing with customization.
Its slightly low-lying backrest gives it the very natural comfort of a lumbar cushion. The palette of fabrics and leathers enables it to be given a unique, sensual finish with the combination of materials and colours even suggesting an illusion of scales to some.
The metal structure and seat are as much a recognition of a certain cultural heritage as the work of the metalworkers and upholsterer who knew how to get on with the job of designing a seat which demanded the entirety of their knowledge and skill: a seat which makes « sense ». This difficult task would never have been possible without calling on all the very latest technological innovations beloved of the Roset factories.
« Imagining the everyday through surprising yet sensible objects»: this neatly sums up the challenge
faced by Philippe Nigro in bringing forth this creation which is classic in shape yet resolutely modern
in its commendable intention to reforge links : an invitation to come together and enjoy the present
moment whilst subscribing to French artisanal heritage in partnership with Ligne Roset. It is thus
possible, without blushing, to speak of high-end craftsmanship with Hémicycle and its trio of creators,
Phillippe Nigro, the Mobilier National and Ligne Roset : to indulge in the subtle pleasure of heritage
transmission, something which is every bit as pleasurable for those who manufacture as it is for those
who acquire...
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