Olivier Mourgue (Born 1939) French, Djinn Black Reupholstered Love Seat. The Djinn Love Seat is an icon of mid-century modern furniture, originally designed by Olivier Mourgue in the 1960s. The futuristic piece melds a sleek modernist aesthetics with comfort and ergonomics. The piece is part of the Djinn collection, which was initially produced in the 1960s by the French furniture manufacturer Airborne. 

Size: 47 1/2 x 28 x 25 in.

Olivier Mourgue was born in Paris, France in 1939. He obtained a degree in Interior Design from the Ecole Boulle and in Furniture Design from Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, graduating in 1960. He also trained in Finland and Sweden under Maurice Holland of Nordiska Kompaniet in Stockholm. Upon his return to France he quickly gained attention for his fusion of French opulence and Danish modernism, creating an elegant line of industrial-themed furniture. He also incorporated mythology into his design philosophy, resulting in a line of anthropomorphically-inspired chairs, tables, and couches named after the Djinn (or genie) from Arabian fairy tales. This work gained international appreciation when it was used in the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The main manufacturer of his designs, Airborne International, is no longer in business, but some designs were so popular that they are still in production by other companies to this day. He started his own studio in 1966, designing furniture for Disderot, Renault, Prisunic, and Mobilier Nationale. Mourgue was the interior designer of the French pavilions at the Montreal Expo ‘67 and the Osaka Expo ‘70. His greatest success was in the late 60s and early 70s, creating removable covers for his furniture in bright colors that were easily changed, providing new looks to a room while keeping his original pieces in place. In 1971 Mourgue created an entire natural landscape with carpets and textiles that resembled grass, rivers and other natural floor coverings. Presented as a platform to showcase innovative ideas called Visiona 3, it is considered an exemplar of the avant-garde philosophy that dominated the design world of the era, as well as being the finest representative of Mourgue’s own style. In 1976, citing distaste for rapid changes in fashion and design,  Mourgue closed his studio down and moved to Brittany, where he became a professor at the school of Fine Arts in Brest. He currently resides in Plouguiel, a small town in the same region, where he lectures from time to time on industrial design.