Roche Bobois Canapes

The Roche Bobois brand has long been synonymous with stylish, high-quality seating — including sofas, lounge chairs, sectional sofas and more — that possesses an enticing French flair.

Founded in Paris in 1960 by the families Roche and Chouchan after discussions that materialized at a furniture fair in Copenhagen, the company grew exponentially in the subsequent decades. The firm’s name, Roche Bobois, derived from Au Beau Bois, the name of the showroom where the Chouchans had been selling furniture on Boulevard de Sébastopol in Paris. The newly minted Roche Bobois began initially as an importer of Scandinavian furniture to the French capital. Following a national advertising campaign in Elle magazine, their offerings became a huge success. It didn’t take long for the company to shift toward producing their own contemporary furniture line.

In the 1970s, as cable television programming expanded into more homes, furniture manufacturers prioritized the production of living room couches and lounges, and Roche Bobois debuted their sofa-centric Les Contemporains collection. The brand’s celebrated seating over the years has included everything from creative mid-century modern armchairs to leather loveseats produced in the 1980s and more. One of its best-selling furniture designs has been the modular Mah Jong sofa, designed by Hans Hopfer in 1971.

Composed of low seating elements and large cushions, the Mah Jong sofa has been in production since its debut and has seen some high-profile fabric updates by Jean Paul Gaultier and Japanese clothing designer Kenzo Takada, who worked with Roche Bobois to craft fabrics emblazoned with geometrically dynamic patterns to be used as upholstery for the firm’s iconic piece of furniture. Worldwide, over 500,000 Mah Jong cushions have been sold, and Roche Bobois has expanded globally since its founding to open more than 200 stores in 50 countries.

Browse an ever-expanding inventory of Roche Bobois sofas, armchairs and more on 1stDibs.