A leather De Sede DS-600 "caterpillar" sofa, Switzerland, late 20th century
A leather De Sede DS-600 "caterpillar" sofa, Switzerland, late 20th century
A stunning leather de Sede DS-600 segmented “caterpillar“ sofa, late 20th century, with rounded back supports and arms, the twenty segmented sections each joined by a zipped mechanism.
The 1970s were not as celebrated for iconic furniture designs as the two preceding decades, when modern furniture came into its own. Nevertheless, the decade witnessed some historic contributions and unquestionably one of its most striking designs was de Sede’s DS-600 modular Non Stop sofa.
Swiss furniture maker de Sede launched this whimsical and unorthodox model in 1972 and is still making it today. A hallmark of several mid-century modern furniture designs, including the Non Stop, is the ability to offer nearly endless configurations, giving owners the flexibility to rearrange the seating pieces with ease or fit them into different room layouts.
Resembling a caterpillar or an accordion, the Non Stop sofa is composed of modular sections that are connected with hinges, but can be detached. They can be bent so the sofa forms a C, S, U, or an L. Sections can be removed or added to create a look to suit every taste. Some choose to keep their Non Stops perfectly straight.
De Sede began in Klingnau, Switzerland as a tanner’s workshop and has long been known as a maker of fine leather furniture that is versatile and comfortable. The DS-600 (its formal name, according to the de Sede catalogue) is the most well known of the company’s furniture designs. The Non Stop earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s largest sofa with an example that boasted more than 400 connected sections. That record-setting behemoth was designed by the de Sede in-house team of Heinz Ulrich, Ueli Berger, Eleanora Peduzzi-Riva, and Klaus Vogt.
Interestingly, while the DS-600 has come to be known as the Non Stop sofa, this title seems to have not been used by de Sede. A Google search to find the genesis of this nickname yields no useful information, but the moniker has clearly stuck. The company notes on its website that the sofa was actually named after a mythical creature in Alpine lore, the Tatzelwurm, which is said to be a long and slender lizard or worm-like creature that has the face of a cat.
Condition: very good condition throughout, only minor signs of wear and tear consummate with light use. Seating comfortable. No rips or tears to the leather. Please refer to photographs
Dimensions: 468cm wide, 103cm deep, 77cm high, seat height: 45cm
For additional information please contact us:
Email: info@alessiolorenzi.com
Phone: +44 7701 088 288
REFERENCE: D2311d