Discover the allure of curves and modular design in luxury French brand furniture collection

World-renowned for its signature blend of French sophistication and avant-garde flair, Roche Bobois has been captivating its Australian clientele of designers and homeowners with its custom pieces since the launch of its first Australian showroom last year in Sydney.

ArchiPro recently sat down with Eva Nosek, Roche Bobois’s General Manager Australia, to delve into the history and evolution of the brand’s most iconic pieces: the Bubble Sofa, known for its playful curves, and the Mah Jong Lounge Sofa, admired for its modular freedom. Discover the design history, how the pieces have evolved and why customers still desire them in their interiors.

Comfort meets play with the Bubble Sofa

Like each of Sacha Lakic’s iconic designs, from futuristic cars and motorcycles to furniture, The Bubble sofa showcases his signature style of supple yet dynamic shapes. 

For Roche Bobois, Sacha Lakic designs furniture with fluid, sleek lines for rigour, sensuality, logic and passion. The Bubble sofa has remained an iconic piece for the past 10 years in the Roche Bobois collections thanks to its unique shape and style.

Eva remarks, “The Bubble Sofa was originally straight and narrow while the Bubble 2 has a curvier design, but we still have both versions in the collection. The original narrower design is more suitable for smaller spaces, while the rounded one is more organic and inviting.”

Eva notes there have been numerous changes regarding the fabrics for the Bubble Sofa over the years. “The original fabric is called Techno, which resembles a honeycomb wool-type material exclusive to Roche Bobois; it is quite stretchy to cater for the curves and is available in a 2D tone-on-tone finish and 3D finish, which has a black background to give the 3D impression,” adds Eva.

Other fabrics available in the collection include the Orsetto, Italian for ‘teddy bear’, and the Calin, a wool fabric that is soft and plush, while another fabric named Smile is just that: additional texture and brighter colours to light up the room.

From plain to Gaultier: the evolution of the Mah Jong Lounge sofa

Designed in 1971 by Hans Hopfer, the Mah Jong Lounge Sofa remains an iconic piece from the Roche Bobois collections, offering total freedom of form and function. The three simple elements can be stacked or juxtaposed, allowing the Mah Jong to have infinite compositions.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary and dressed in exclusive fabrics, each cushion is made and hand-sewn in a dedicated workshop. The freedom of form of this modular low seating system broke the design mould at the time, creating a unique way of organising living spaces. Upholstered in plain fabrics at inception, today, it is ‘dressed’ by some of the world’s finest couturiers, including the latest design by Missoni, Kenzo and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

“In more recent years, Hans Hopfer’s design has incorporated platforms with backrest adjustments, and interestingly, his daughter, Jacqueline, is the head architect for the Roche Bobois stores and designed our Sydney interiors,” says Eva.

Eva notes, “These two sofas are our top global bestsellers for a reason: offering a unique and high-end finish, yet designed for comfort. The compositions are endless, particularly the Mah Jong, with the sofa growing and moving with you to work in any room with any colour scheme.” 

Visit the Roche Bobois showroom at 2/1015 Pacific Hwy, Roseville, NSW or view the latest products on ArchiPro today.