Pierre Paulin is considered the designer who best interpreted the change of the 1960s and 1970s with eclectic and sculptural furniture. He was born in Paris in 1927 to a French father and a Swiss-German mother, moving first to Vallaurius, where he worked as a ceramist and then to Burgundy where he specialized as a stone sculptor. He later attended the Ecole Camondo in Paris where he graduated in 1950. His design career began with training under Parisian artist Marcel Gascion, who suggests influence for Scandinavian aesthetics and modern American designers such as Charles and Rey Eames and Florence Knoll. His design takes inspiration from natural forms such as mushrooms, oysters, and tulips that create and define his sinuous and creative style. In 1958 Pierre began producing furniture for the furniture company Artifort, creating a wide range of seating made from molded wood shells filled with Pirelli foam and eventually upholstered with stretch fabrics. The distinguishing elements of his design are soft, rounded shapes and bright colors. Many artists took inspiration from his very works. In the 1960s he designed several types of furniture such as the Mashroom chair (still on display in the permanent collection of the MoMa in New York), the Ribbon armchair, and the Pacha composition of armchairs and sofas. All of these encapsulate the characteristics of his style and are still on the market today.