Roche Bobois, the world's largest French editor and distributor of high-end contemporary furniture, recently celebrated their 20th anniversary in Beirut - Lebanon. More than 400 guests were invited to an auction of ten pieces of Mah Jong, the iconic Roche Bobois modular sofa, designed by Hans Hopfer, that were reinterpreted by ten of the capital's artists and designers. Guests included Roche Bobois' VIP clients and friends as well as designers, architects, bloggers, editors and publishers from the media. A staggering USD 86, 300 were raised and 100% of the proceeds will go the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon.
Dubbed THE EVENT OF THE YEAR, the showroom was transformed into an art gallery with a touch of mystery, with all the 'art pieces' displayed on a runway, hung from the ceiling or on a wall. The upper floor included a retrospective of 20 years of the French design brand in Beirut.
The re-imagined pieces, were unveiled during the event where guests were able to discover the work of an eclectic mix of upcoming and established artists that were handpicked by Bruno Hitti, the general manager of Roche Bobois Beirut, the man behind this event.
Bruno wanted to highlight new and upcoming artists in illustration, street art, and product design such as Cynthia Merhej, Ashekman and Anastasia Nytsen, and of course, to include established names to secure raising an important amount to the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL) such as Zuhair Murad, Gala Mahmoud, Georges Mohasseb and Ramy Boutros. Thinking out of the box, he also wanted to include names that weren't necessarily in the furniture and product design sectors such as the celebrity photographer Roger Moukarzel, floral artist Marwan Hamza, and the musician Guy Manoukian. Although very famous in their own fields, their collaboration with RocheBobois Beirut marks their first steps in product design.
Being at the helm of Roche Bobois Beirut for the past two years, Bruno's strategy has been to inject a new spirit and strategy for the brand that revolves around art, and design and promotes a certain lifestyle while giving back to society. Being a lover of beauty and design, he wanted to help a cause that is a very close to his heart, the CCCL.
Consequently, after hearing about the similar events that Roche Bobois had done in Paris, Brussels, Barcelona, London, Hong Kong and the USA, he wanted to add Beirut to this design map as well.
In the presence of Nora Joumblat, Chair of the Children's Cancer Center of Lebanon, Mira Samaha, the evening's master of ceremony (judge of the TV show, Dancing with the Stars), and Mr. Benoit Tabutin, Roche Bobois International Area Manager - EMEA; the reinterpreted Mah Jongs pieces were auctioned off by the international auctioneer, Tom Best, coming from London for the event.
