Michel Ducaroy
1925–2009
Design director at Ligne Roset who took the frame out of a sofa entirely and left foam, quilting and a zip.
1931–2009
German designer who put the sofa on the floor, turning seating into a landscape of cushions a room can be rearranged around.
Why they matter
Hopfer trained as a painter and sculptor and began designing furniture in Nuremberg in the mid 1960s, with a convertible seating system called Bausystem in 1965 and a sofa collection called Mobiliante in 1967. He met Philippe Roche in 1970 and the Roche Bobois collaboration began.
Mah Jong followed in 1971: low upholstered modules, backrests and floor cushions, with no frame and no fixed configuration, which the owner arranges and rearranges. It has been in continuous production ever since, and Roche Bobois has issued it in fabrics by Kenzo Takada, Missoni and Jean Paul Gaultier.
It only works with space around it, which is why it reads well in a Los Angeles house and badly in a small room. Buy the configuration the room can take.
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Key forms & materials
Forms
- Mah Jong modular sofa
- Mah Jong floor cushion
- Mah Jong wood platform
- Informel sofa
- Bausystem sofa bed
Materials
- Polyurethane foam
- Cotton and linen upholstery
- Wood platform
- Leather
What to look for
Marks, editions, patina and production partners — fact-checked for this designer.
- Mah Jong has been made continuously since 1971, so a first edition claim needs evidence beyond the shape.
- No label or date-coding scheme for the vintage pieces has been published, and Roche Bobois is the source worth approaching for anything of real value.
- The Kenzo, Missoni and Jean Paul Gaultier editions are documented by Roche Bobois and add genuine value when the covers are original and the set is complete.
- Modules get split up and sold on constantly, so count the pieces and check that covers match across the set before bidding.
- His life dates are poorly documented, with 1931 to 2009 the best-supported figures and none of it traceable to a primary source.
Past Circa results
Search all Hans Hopfer results- $12,000
- $3,500
- $4,000
- $2,000
- $12,500
- $12,000
- $7,500
- $4,500
- $5,000
- $4,000
- $3,800
- $5,500
- $6,000
- $1,900
- $16,500
- $5,000
- $4,500
- $4,500
- $4,400
- $4,000
- $600
- $13,000
- $7,750
- $5,750
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