Known for his thoughtful approach to industrial design, Sofia has worked extensively with European furniture brands, focusing on creating pieces that are both beautiful and practical for everyday use.
When Fermob was asked to reinterpret the historic Luxembourg garden chairs, Sofia was tasked with respecting the heritage of the design while making it suitable for modern outdoor living. His solution was elegant: keep the recognisable silhouette, but redesign the construction and materials for durability, comfort and lightness.
The story begins in 1923, when craftsmen working for the City of Paris were commissioned to produce chairs for the legendary Jardin du Luxembourg. These chairs, known as the “Sénat chairs”, were made from painted steel and quickly became a familiar sight across the garden. Their simple lines and horizontal slats were designed for durability and practicality, allowing Parisians to move them freely around the park to follow the sun.
For decades they remained a symbol of relaxed Parisian life — a chair you could drag under a tree, beside the fountain, or next to friends for an afternoon in the garden.
In 2000, Fermob partnered with Frédéric Sofia to reinterpret the historic chair for modern production. Fermob were at the time under tender to product the Senat chairs for the public gardens.
Sofia preserved the iconic silhouette of the original Sénat chair but introduced several key improvements:
- Aluminium construction instead of heavy steel
- Lightweight and stackable design
- Greater comfort and ergonomics
- Weather-resistant powder coating
- Fermob’s famous colour palette
The transformation was significant. Anyone who had previously tried dragging the old steel chairs across the gravel paths of the Luxembourg Garden would immediately notice the difference — the new aluminium chairs are remarkably light and easy to move, perfectly suited to contemporary outdoor living.
Today the Luxembourg collection has grown into a full family including chairs, armchairs, benches, tables and loungers, yet it still carries the unmistakable DNA of the original Parisian garden chair.
Author: Marnie Hammond
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