This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
This year, the prestigious furniture brand Roche Bobois is celebrating 50 years of presence in Quebec. This is an opportunity to look back at what has made her distinctive style over time until today, as her high-end furniture boutique in Montreal has just reopened its doors after major renovations.
After major renovation work, the Roche Bobois boutique, located on Avenue du Président-Kennedy in Montreal, is reopening its doors to the public. As you wander through the vast, bright space, surrounded by walls of windows, you almost have the impression of being in a design museum, as pieces from several major designers, architects and creators sit side by side.
The brand’s gateway to North America, Quebec was the first city to welcome a Roche Bobois boutique in 1973, on rue de Courcelette. Montreal will come a little later in to broadcast its flagship pieces created by talented renowned designers: the German Hans Hopfer or the Frenchman Marc Berthier, who signs the line of Ozoo tables, in polyester and fiberglass, innovative materials at the time. Two other stores will then follow in Laval and Brossard. Today, the manufacturer has 255 stores in 55 countries, including 38 in Canada and the United States. Roche Bobois plans to open five other establishments in Canada by the end of the year, riding the wave of the brand’s popularity in the North American market.
According to Nicolas Roche, proud descendant of the family line and international collection director of the brand, “Roche Bobois stands out from its competitors, particularly Italians, by a certain freedom of tone and a touch of extravagance. » This extravagance of principle gives pride of place to the creativity of the artists and craftsmen associated from the beginning with the manufacturer.
Furniture with panache
The first French high-end furniture brand was created in 1950 by two families, the Roches and the Chouchans — the latter owned a boutique called Aux Beaux Bois, in Paris. They first imported, then decided to create their own contemporary Scandinavian-inspired furniture.
From the beginning, the productions aim for excellence, refinement and modernity by integrating the principles of Bauhaus, the German school of architecture and applied arts, which combines all forms of art with design and craftsmanship. Result: living room furniture, signed Minvielle or Steiner, more akin to collector’s works than mass production.
With the advent of television, the sofa became the center of the home, which encouraged the manufacturer to make it a flagship piece of its collections. In this regard, the now famous Mah Jong, which also celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, synthesizes a freedom of form and function, with three juxtaposable and superimposable components. Designed in 1971 by the designer, painter and sculptor Hans Hopfer, it can be converted, as desired, into an armchair, sofa or lounge chair. Its ultra-modular nature allows its owner to make this iconic piece their own according to their uses and living space.
Stylish sofas
Roche Bobois has always sought the talent of designers, but also of renowned architects, such as Stephen Burks, Sacha Lakic and Marcel Wanders, from all over the world. The manufacturer also joins forces with the most famous haute couture houses, such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Missoni and Christian Lacroix, to dress its creations. “It’s been our trademark for a long time,” says Nicolas Roche. By working with renowned stylists, we express this fantasy through fashion, an important vector of the spirit and image of France abroad, from China to North America. »
This fusion between fashion and design results in bold coverings and a unique assembly of patterns and colors, whether pastel or bright. For its 50th anniversary, Mah Jong, revisited by Kenzo Takada and Missoni, happily combines exuberant floral and geometric prints. Made of gray burlap 50 years ago, today it resembles an explosion of colors, daring to juxtapose the palette of reds, greens or blues. In terms of materials, the manufacturer now favors looped fabrics and soft textures which give its sofas sensuality and comfort. The result is an avant-garde aesthetic and a voluptuous tactile effect.
BOMBOM, a popular anniversary collection
To mark its 60 years of creation, the brand launched, in 2020, the BOMBOM collection, seats and accessories signed by the Portuguese artist and visual artist Joana Vasconcelos, whose design and tones (not to mention the name!) make reference to the world of gluttony. Its colors are inspired by azulejos, the traditional tiles that line the walls of Lisbon. All of these pieces have achieved international success and are very well received by Quebec consumers. Only wooden tables are less popular than in Europe, “probably because wood is a preferred material in Canada and people prefer to have wooden tables designed by local designers,” believes Mr. Roche. And Quebec artisans and designers are today absent from its creative teams abroad. An absence that Nicolas Roche intends to remedy by planning to seek new talent from Quebec design schools.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.