Butterfly F675 armchair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort

• Butterfly F675 lounge chair by Pierre Paulin for Artifort, circa 1963, in cleaned and conditioned patinated leather, chrome structure showing signs of wear.
• Dimensions: W 82 CM × D 65 CM × H 65 CM × seat height 33 CM.

Butterfly F675 Lounge Chair by Pierre Paulin, a minimalist 1960s structure

Designed in 1963 by Pierre Paulin and produced by Artifort, the Butterfly F675 lounge chair holds a unique place in the designer’s body of work. Inspired by the Streamline Moderne movement and the research of Ray and Charles Eames or George Nelson, Paulin adopts a more graphic language here, breaking away from his later organic forms.

The structure rests on a network of thin, symmetrically intersecting chrome-plated steel rods, creating a light yet rigorous silhouette. The seat, made of two unpadded leather strips, sits on this minimalist frame, emphasizing the economy of means characteristic of 1960s design. The original black ABS glides contribute to this sense of lightness by visually detaching the chair from the floor.

The F675 model is featured in the collections of MoMA in New York, highlighting its significance in design history. It represents a transitional phase in Pierre Paulin’s work, prior to the development of his sculptural, enveloping seating. His collaboration with Artifort, starting in the 1960s, helped define the manufacturer’s modernist identity.

The Butterfly F675 lounge chair thus illustrates an approach based on structural clarity, material tension, and functional elegance, characteristic of both Pierre Paulin’s design and Artifort’s production.