Axel Enthoven

It all began in 1983 with Bora Bora. Then came Bora Bèta and - after a short restyling - Bella Bora. Now, thirty years later, the Bora series is still there. What is the secret behind the success of this classic design and how is its spiritual father Axel Enthoven inspired in his creations? A conversation with an inspired designer: “In the early eighties, quality sofas were still ponderous and pompous,” says Enthoven beginning his story. “The level of comfort was in fact defined by wooden frames and large quantities of foam material. For the more modest among us, who elect to live on a smaller scale, that was of little use. The furniture took up too much space and, under the influence of the advancing modernism, more elegant models came into favour. Leolux asked me to come up with something thinner and lighter; in wood and with the famous ‘Leolux’ seating quality. That was a challenge I was happy to take on.”