One name: Ligne Roset. And then another one: Ruche sofa. Bring them together and an adventure is fired. Not your most typical one possibly, but still quite an interesting one. Location: the factory of the since 38 years family owned furniture company Ligne Roset, resting at the base of the Alps, in Briod France. I guess magnificent objects have to be manufactured in breathtaking places, don’t they? Asides its rather common and seemingly uninteresting concrete and metal exterior, what unfolds inside the 382.000 square foot factory is a lively, colorful and vividly energized scene. Dozens of workers, gigantic bolts of fabric, robotic sewing machines, foam cutters and glue sprayers. All protagonists in the same film.
Ruche sofa was designed by Inga Sempe in 2010 and has already become iconic. Seeing it in all its simplicity, hardly evokes thoughts of all the processes, the hours and the number of different hands being involved in its production. Just note this down: 10 and half labor hours and 11 different workers, each performing their particular skilled task with accuracy and devotion. Not our average mass production piece, yes? Yes.
There are four basic production steps involved: the frame, the foam, the cover and the final assembly. The frame is made of beech and is offered in four variations: natural, stained grey, blue or red. There are layers of different density foams carefully stretched to the frame, to ensure maximal endurance and comfort. There are 35 fabric and leather options available in hundreds of colors, which combined with the four different frames provide a fully customized sofa, which is made on demand.
The final assembly seems to be the most glorious of parts done fully by hand and involving strategic karate chops on the corners and hits all across the fabric so that it is fluffed out. The person responsible for the final assembly and delivery preparation of a Ruche proudly says that it’s not an easy model to make but such an interesting one.
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