Michel Ducaroy: Seven Models for Ligne Roset, from the Togo to the Adria
Michel Ducaroy (1925-2009) designed a great deal for Ligne Roset, yet he remains little studied. For decades his models set the look of Ligne Roset and, more broadly, of the low French sofa of the 1970s. Of the dozens of models he drew, seven are covered here: Togo, Yoko, Kali, Kashima, Marsala, Brigantin and Adria. For each, we note what defines it and, for a buyer, what separates a first model from a reissue.
Michel Ducaroy
Trained at the Beaux-Arts in Lyon, Ducaroy spent most of his career at Ligne Roset, in Briord, where he ran the design office. His work centres on two things: the foam and the fold of the cover. Where his contemporaries thought of the sofa as a wooden frame dressed in fabric, Ducaroy thought of it as a mass of foam held by a cover. That is what gives his pieces their low, enveloping outline.
The Togo received the René-Gabriel prize in 1973.
The seven models
1. Togo (1973)
The best known. Entirely in polyether foam, with no frame. Five modules exist in the catalogue: armchair, armless chair, chaise longue, two-seater and three-seater. It has been made continuously since 1973, which complicates dating (see our Togo authentication guide).
2. Kali
A low sofa with a modular structure and a deep seat. Less well known than the Togo, it is more elaborate technically: the Kali has a concealed base and removable arms.
3. Yoko (1973)
Introduced at the same time as the Togo, the Yoko has a more upright outline, with a high back. Its production was shorter, and a period Yoko in good condition is now distinctly rarer than an equivalent Togo.
4. Kashima
A low sofa with large square seats and a heavily quilted cover. The Kashima went through several generations of production, including a revival in the 2010s. A first-generation example can be recognised by the density of its foam and the depth of the quilting folds.
5. Marsala
A low armchair with an enveloping shell, less common than the Togo and the Kali. For a few years it has interested buyers looking for lesser-known Ducaroy pieces.
6. Brigantin
A more structured modular sofa, closer to a "1970s office" spirit than the other models. It is less sought after today.
7. Adria
A set of low seats with removable cushions and an exposed frame. It turns up rarely, and is sometimes confused with low seating by other makers of the same period.
First model or reissue: what changes
Several of these models have been reissued by Ligne Roset, either continuously (Togo, Kashima) or for periods (Yoko, Kali). Between a first model and a recent reissue, three things change:
- The foam. 1970s polyether foams do not have the same characteristics as today's (resilience, density, lifespan). A period piece, even well preserved, does not feel the same.
- The covers. The original fabrics (large-loop bouclé, corduroy, first-generation Alcantara) are no longer made identically. Reissues use equivalent but different upholstery.
- The markings. The way the labels changed allows fairly reliable dating, documented in the Ligne Roset archives.
Beyond the Togo
For anyone interested in French furniture of the 1970s, Ducaroy is more than the Togo. The six other models covered here are less well known, often cheaper, and show other ways in which he worked foam and cover. A Togo, a Kali and a Yoko together already give a good idea of what the French sofa was in that decade.
Frequently asked questions
Has Ligne Roset reissued all of Ducaroy's pieces? No. The Togo and the Kashima are made continuously, or nearly so; the Yoko and the Kali have been revived; the Brigantin, the Marsala and the Adria are no longer made.
How can a Ducaroy be told from an anonymous sofa of the same period? By the Ligne Roset marking, the quality of the foam, the evenness of the quilted seams, and by comparison with period catalogues.
Is a Ducaroy piece an investment? We do not present it that way. The lesser-known models (Yoko, Adria, Marsala) cost less than a Togo and are more in demand than a few years ago, but nothing guarantees where a price will go. Choose a piece for its condition, its comfort and the place it will have in your home.
Where can you read up on Ducaroy? In the Ligne Roset archives (catalogues from 1970 to 1990), books on twentieth-century French design (éditions Norma, éditions du Regard) and the Artcurial sale catalogues devoted to French design.
Do a Togo and a Kali go well together? Yes: they are two different types, a frameless seat and a structured sofa, by the same designer, a few years apart.
Further reading
By
LAPIERRE MARKET
