why did no one tell me jean paul gaultier made a sofa?!?
objects of desire #1: the jean paul gaultier mah jong by roche bobois
this is objects of desire! the format where i spotlight sickeningly beautiful runway rarities, deranged vinted finds, contemporary obsessions, and everything in between. enjoy, freaks! x
As much as I bitch and moan about algorithms, I do have them – or more specifically, a targeted 1st Dibs ad – to thank for this: the discovery of a Jean Paul Gaultier edition Roche Bobois Mah Jong sofa.
Featuring archival JPG prints – including the iconic Breton stripes, tattoo prints, and a (modestly pixellated) couple kissing, it’s a wonderful mash up of archival Gaultier with one of the most iconic sofa designs of the 20th century… and I want it.
As far as I can tell, the sofa was released for the first time back in 2010 to mark the French furniture design house’s 50th anniversary. The Mah Jong itself, arguably Roche Bobois’ most famous creation – is made up of a modular system of different cushions that can be stacked on the floor according to the owner’s preference.
It was originally created in 1971 by Hans Hopfer – a sculptor and designer with a young family who thought about “seating landscapes”. Forget the stiff and stuffy formal furniture of living rooms past, this was the 70s baby, the era of conversation pits and sofas that had no rigid internal structures at all (shout out to my own sofa, a vintage Ligne Roset Kashima). The name of Hopfer’s design comes, of course, from the Chinese game – which I spent a recent Saturday learning! – where patterned tiles are stacked around a board, and then matched by players into sets.
Although they can be purchased in a variety of forms, thanks to the sofa’s modular nature, Mah Jongs are typically huge: the kind of thing you’d have in an industrial loft rather than my modest 1 bed flat. Gigi Hadid, for example, has the Missoni edition in her NYC apartment (as revealed when she posted about her renovation – remember those pasta cabinets?).
With a 4-5 month lead time, the Mah Jong is basically theeee sofa of sofas: handmade in Italy using techniques usually reserved for luxury mattresses, boasting an approach the company likens to haute couture. Which goes some way to explaining why the it’s one of the most consistently expensive sofas going – I contacted my local showroom, and was told that giving a quote is only really possible during an in-person appointment, where a customer can customise each element entirely to their own specification. However, one cushion (for which a single seat requires three) may average at around £1500. Gulp.
As for secondhand, a smaller JPG edition will set you back anything from £9000-£15,000, although good luck with those post-Brexit import duties. A bumper size? Recently sold at £36,400.
But, some good news. For the low, low price of £300, you can buy some chic and quite gothique Gaultier cushions, which I can’t lie… I am tempted by. Maybe they can tide me over until I have an industrial loft and a spare £40k?
