Stemming from the corner of a sheet of paper that was accidentally turned-down, the concept of “Tapis-Siège” became an obsession early on in Pierre Paulin’s work. Fascinated by the tatami, a major feature of the design of the traditional Japanese house, Paulin often cites Liwan and Diwan as other sources of inspiration, imagining with relish the future of furnishing after the disappearance of furniture and the advent of modular floors. He started to sketch out the first drafts of the Tapis-Siège as early as the late 50’s, but it was only in 1968 that he drew plans and made a model as part of an ambitious modular project for Herman Miller. In the end, the project would never be put into production by the American firm. In 1980, still impatient to see his idea come into existence, Pierre Paulin would end up independently producing a simplified version of the Tapis-Siège for his family house on Rue des Ursulines.