160 YEARS OF SAVOIR FAIRE AND EXPERIENCE

First walking sticks and umbrellas. Then furniture. And with it world-wide success. The company's long history began in 1860. Following Antoine, Emile and Jean, the company has for many years now been headed by Pierre and Michel Roset.

1860 is the founding year of Ligne Roset … When Antoine Roset, the great-grandfather of today's owners settled in Montagnieu, he found ideal conditions for his wood-working business: the nearby beech woods of the Chartreuse de Portes supplied ample raw material for his products, while the little Brivaz river was strong enough to keep the waterwheels of the adjacent sawmills turning uninterruptedly. Over the first few years the company confined itself to manufacturing walking sticks and wooden handles for umbrellas. But the times were changing: the small craft workshop gradually blossomed out to become a company that manufactured furniture - in particular period furniture.

Roset made its first upholstered furniture in 1936, and from 1946 on increasingly turned to modern chairs and institutional furniture. After the war, the brand Roset left its mark on hospitals, schools and universities in France. And no doubt the residential furniture also owed a great deal of its innovative character to this fact.

On March 19, 1946, Emile Roset and his son Jean established the company "Veuve A. Roset S.A.R.L.". Almost twenty years later Roset adopted a company policy that is still being pursued today by the brothers Pierre and Michel: manufacturing upholstered and storage furniture with a sophisticated design and incorporating the latest technology. The first agency in a German-speaking region was established in 1967. One year later, the first chair made entirely of solid foam was put on the market and went on to become an absolute sensation world- wide! In 1973, the brand Ligne Roset was created - with its first exclusive outlets in 25 countries and on five continents.

The manufacturing facilities of Ligne Roset had to be expanded to meet the huge international demand. In the meantime, Ligne Roset is manufacturing its products at six plants east of Lyon. The technical progress achieved in association with other companies directly benefits the quality of the products. But technology is never implemented at the expense of design. The aim is always to achieve the ideal symbiosis between form and function. The success of this circumspect co-operation is confirmed by the strong international demand.

The co-operation of Ligne Roset with the renowned designers Peter Maly of Hamburg, or Pascal Mourgue, Didier Gomez, Inga Sempé, Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec of Paris has been particularly fruitful. They designed many of the brand's successes that are so well-known today, such as the LUMEO storage system by Peter Maly, the CALIN armchair by Pascal Mourgue, the NOMADE sofa by Didier Gomez, the RUCHÉ sofa by Inga Sempé or the PLOUM sofa by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec.

The range of Ligne Roset products is sold via selected trade partners, and exclusive Ligne Roset shops. This unique concept of Ligne Roset in the field of furniture, has led to a remarkable development in many countries.