1,500 certified chairs for Notre-Dame de Paris – interview with producer Sylvain Bastiat

9 August 2024 News

After the devastating fire at Notre-Dame de Paris in 2019, French furniture manufacturer Bosc was selected to create 1,500 chairs for the cathedral.

PEFC France met Sylvain Bastiat, Commercial Director of Bosc, who spoke about the Archbishop of Paris’ vision for the chairs’ design, his company’s history, and their commitment to using PEFC-certified wood.

Can you introduce us to the company Bosc and its position in the furniture sector?

Bosc is the high-end brand of the company Sièges Bastiat, founded by my grandfather in 1964 in Hagetmau dans les Landes, Southwest France.

For 60 years, and thanks to the carpentry, cabinetmaking, upholstery, and sewing expertise of our entire team of 17, we have been manufacturing chairs, sofas, and armchairs entirely in wood in our workshop.

Recognised as a Living Heritage Company, our family business differentiates itself in the market by choosing to work with and integrate wood into all our projects.

In an increasingly globalised, competitive sector dominated by metal, the presence of French wood in all our products allows us to meet the growing consumer demand for offerings while maintaining a reduced environmental impact and contributing to the local economy.

Bosc was selected by the Archbishop of Paris to create the 1,500 chairs for Notre-Dame Cathedral. In your opinion, what was the most determining factor in your offer that won this emblematic contract?

One of the points that allowed our proposal to stand out was undoubtedly the design of the chairs imagined by French designer Ionna Vautrin.

The Archbishop of Paris wanted almost silent chairs that would highlight the cathedral's architecture.

The designer proposed a chair with a lower backrest, making it easier for worshippers to lean on it while praying, and equipped the chair with bars to let light through.

We are truly delighted that Ionna turned to us to bring the chairs of this historic monument to life, with a model that stands out from most models found in religious establishments.

The choice of wood from sustainably managed French forests was also crucial in the Archbishop's final decision.

As with all our products, we offered Notre-Dame Cathedral chairs made of French oak from our French partners, the sawmill Gaudelas and the Ducerf Group – both PEFC-certified – allowing us access to PEFC-certified, local raw materials.

As specialists in wooden seating, it is unthinkable for us to use wood without the assurance that it comes from sustainably managed forests. This is precisely what PEFC certification allows us to attest.

What does PEFC certification represent for the company Bosc?

PEFC certification perfectly aligns with the story Bosc wants to tell: local production through a broad network of French PEFC-certified companies, with a limited environmental impact by choosing wood from sustainable, PEFC-certified forests.

Today, our clients – particularly in the hospitality and restaurant sectors, co-working spaces, and corporate offices – are increasingly aware of PEFC certification.

They seek proof of our commitment and their contribution to forest sustainability, which we can assure them of thanks to the certification.

Photo credits: Atelier Arnaud Sabatier