Essential Design 
3 October 2023
Essential Design 
107

Ueli Berger, Eleanora Peduzzi-Riva and Heinz Ulrich

DS 600 Organic sofa

DeSede
Switzerland, 1972
leather, felt 28 h × 245 w × 39 d in (71 × 622 × 99 cm)
estimate: $10,000–15,000
result: $23,940
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Sticker manufacturer's label to underside ‘Original Design Stendig Made in Switzerland’. Upholstery distributor's label to underside ‘Sold by Stendig, Inc.’.
literature: Furniture and Interiors of the 1970s, Bony, pg. 60

This work will ship from Lambertville, New Jersey.

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The Longest Sofa in the World

DeSede’s DS 600 Modular Seating System

Unveiled in 1972, Swiss maker DeSede's DS 600 Organic “Non-stop” sectional sofa was inspired by a legendary alpine creature known as the Tatzelwurm. The snake-like form was the brainchild of designers Ueli Berger, Eleanora Peduzzi-Riva, and Heinz Ulrich. For more than half a century, this whimsical and adaptable modular furniture system has gained admirers the world over. The Guinness Book of Records even acknowledged the DS 600 as the world's lengthiest sofa. Composed of individual elements, each of which features an L-shaped hard foam core enveloped by a leather-covered cushion, the separate pieces of the sofa are ingeniously linked together using a plug-in hinge and hidden zipper. The two most common configurations for this dramatic seating system are serpentine and semi-circular.

Infinite Design

A Versatile Form

DeSede's DS 600 Organic sofa features a system of hinges allowing for the addition and removal of seating elements; the infinite options of this versatile sofa are playfully highlighted in this early advertisement.

DeSede DS 600 Dinosaur Ad
Furniture and Interiors of the 1970s, Bony, pg. 60
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