Born and raised in the heart of the Bugey, in France’s Ain department (a stone’s throw from both Switzerland and Italy), Ligne Roset is a company profoundly anchored to its territory. Its story is one of craftsmanship, of family continuity, and of an inseparable bond with that rural France just outside Lyon – where the brand continues to manufacture today, exactly as it did in the past. «Our core idea is to create a luxury that is creative, accessible, durable. Always guided by a passion for modernity, an inheritance from the spirit of ’68», says Olivier Roset, the company’s CEO. A statement that encapsulates the philosophy of an international brand which, despite its 624 stores worldwide – 199 monobrand, including Cinna, distributed only in France, and 425 multibrand – has preserved the soul of a local, proximity-based manufacture.
Territory as a matrix of identity: Ligne Roset maintains its production across five factories located in Ain, Rhône and Isère. Here, forests, woodworking traditions and an unbroken local supply chain are in constant dialogue with contemporary design. It is in this region that everything began in 1860, when Antoine Roset opened a small workshop in Montagnieu producing parasol handles. A business born of wood and ingenuity that, at the end of the 19th century, was forced to reinvent itself as women abandoned the parasol. The company converted its lathes to produce chair legs and frames, and soon moved on to complete chairs. From that moment on, the story changed direction – but not place.
This year, after a two-year renovation, that original site has been reborn as Studio 1860: a public space where the brand’s memory becomes narrative, archive and inspiration. A place where past and present coexist, and where the future is actively imagined. Among the pieces on display are objects rarely shown before, such as the Astarac four-poster bed by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, the Elementaire armchair by Jean Nouvel, a chest of drawers by Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti, and the Marsala armchair by Michel Ducoy. Far from mere historical traces, these works form a true creative reservoir for potential future re-editions – particularly those from the 1970s, a period whose freshness and formal freedom feel remarkably current.
Studio 1860 is also a public showroom and a professional space reserved for industry insiders. Its expansive internal garden, where outdoor pieces from the catalogue are displayed, is conceived as a landscape harmonious in every season – an ideal complement that places design and nature in direct, ongoing conversation. The renovation, which exceeded three million euros, has been recognised for its commitment to sustainability: responsible materials, an environmentally sensitive approach, and the use of metal and Corten steel that blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.
The bond with the region is not merely historical: it remains an essential part of how Ligne Roset inhabits the present. In Lyon – a city that bridges tradition and avant-garde – the brand now counts no fewer than four spaces. Three are devoted to presenting the collections of the Ligne Roset and Cinna brands. The fourth, called L’Appartement, was conceived by architect and interior designer Marie-Christine Dorner as a true home and is refreshed every six months – a living place with soft, inhabited rooms that convey not only design objects, but an entire way of dwelling.
For decades, the maison has interpreted modernity through collaborations with more than seventy designers from around the globe. From the revolution of Michel Ducaroy’s Togo – an icon since 1973 and still a bestseller – to contemporary projects, Ligne Roset has remained remarkably consistent: cultural openness, creativity as method, non-conformism as principle. Today, in the words of Olivier Roset, this vision translates into an idea of “accessible, lasting luxury”, which rejects excess in favour of quality, long-lasting materials, and a production network that never abandons local expertise.
This is why Studio 1860 is more than a museum: it is a bridge between past and future. It tells the story of a brand capable of transforming itself without losing its roots, crossing eras and reinventing its language while remaining faithful to the small corner of France where it all began. A story that continues – today just as in 1860 – among the hills of the Bugey, guided by the enduring conviction that modern elegance is born from an authentic bond with one’s own territory.
