In 1967-68, he developed the very first line of inflatable furniture, the collection “Aerospace” which will instantly become a standard of design.His ‘Chesterfield’ sofas, ‘Apollo’ chairs, ‘Relax’ lounge chair and other inflatable lamps … were manufactured between 1968 and 1972 in the suburbs of Paris, in a beach toy factory. They were made entirely in PVC by hand like pieces of “haute couture”, and for some, the assemblies were made with metal rings.
Quasar, whose real name is Nguyen Manh Khanh, was born in Hanoï, Vietnam. He arrived in Paris with his family in 1949 and studied engineering at the prestigious Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées. In 1957, he married a young fashion designer; both will mark their time and form a creative and avant-garde couple.
A portrait of Quasar Khahn. [Via]
Quasar Khahn’s family on his inflatable furniture. (1968) [Via]
The ‘Cube’, Paris 1968. A “Quasar Unipower'” design in 1967 and released a year after. [Via]
The Inflatable House of Phillip Starck made as a tribute to the great designer Quasar Khahn. (1969) [Via]
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Modular sofa ‘Apollo’ (1968) [Via]
The Relax Lounge (1968) [Via]
Chesterfield Sofa [Via]
The Aerospace Collection
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The Hydrairbus 100 [Via]
A book page showing an article on how Quasar Khahn revolutionized the decade with his idea. [Via]
A Vintage Ad on Quasar Khahn’s Inflatable Lounge Chair [Via]
