The celebrated king of the squish has been around for half a century, and there’s still nothing quite like it. These days, it crops up again and again across Instagram feeds worldwide, particularly in the studiously nonchalant homes of celebrities and influencers, a perennial symbol of anticonformity. Its designer, Michel Ducaroy, who was born in Lyon in 1925, was certainly a rule-breaker: he was apparently inspired by the shape of a folded-over toothpaste tube – hardly the most conventional starting point for a sofa. But this was the early 1970s and French furniture manufacturer Ligne Roset was refocusing its business strategy to appeal to a more creative market. It was time to experiment. Despite meeting with some scepticism, particularly since it didn’t include a base or a frame, the Togo won the prestigious René-Gabriel prize at the Salon des Arts Ménagers in 1973 in recognition of its ‘innovative and democratic’ design.
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