Global design drives seating and lighting
BY NADINE GUÉRIN
Craftsmanship and experimentation took center stage at the latest Milan Design Week, the leading launchpad for the sector. This was particularly evident in seating and lighting, by turns bold, refined and highly technical...
Source Édition is bringing André Monpoix’s 1967 Dialogue lounge chair back to life.
“Faire ensemble – Crafting the French Art de vivre.” The title of the exhibition organized by Manufactures nationales is a manifesto in itself. This collective showcase of excellence in French design on the international stage was held in Milan’s historic 5Vie district.
The young design house Source Édition was among the invited brands. At its helm is a female duo — more precisely, a mother and daughter. Isabelle de Ponfilly and Joséphine Bursacchi launched the company in 2025 to reissue 20th-century design pieces from the 1950–1970 period.
The former, previously with Knoll and Vitra France, is an expert in industrial and artisanal manufacturing processes. “The pieces we select are sometimes forgotten, never produced, or archived in the reserves of the Mobilier national,” she says. “We faithfully reissue them and have them manufactured in outstanding European workshops. They embody a fruitful dialogue between heritage and creation.”
Her daughter adds: “A piece of furniture is not static; it is memory in motion. To reissue is to reactivate a connection between craftsmanship, creation and use.”
The seating designed in 1967 by André Monpoix (1925-1976) is proof of this. At the request of the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the Mobilier national commissioned the Parisian designer. His Dialogue armchair first furnished Simone Veil’s office in its original tweed version.
Its clean lines and functional elegance have allowed it to stand the test of time without ageing. The modularity of the lounge chair, which can be extended into a sofa, is another feature perfectly suited to contemporary interiors.
