With curves to rival Kim Kardashian and celebrating its diamond anniversary, this siren sofa continues to call for our attention.
Born to a Bauhaus-style cabinet maker and sculptor in Germany, Vladimir Kagan is considered an American furniture designer famed for putting the sex appeal into seating.
His Serpentine sofa is one of his most enduring pieces.
Kagan debuted the sofa in 1950, and in the 75 years since, it has continued to garner an A-list designer following that includes Kelly Behun.
Its curves have graced the interiors of some of the world’s most well-heeled.
When he was just 10, Kagan moved with his mother from the Rhineland region of Germany to New York in 1937 to reconnect with his father.
He studied architecture at Columbia University and, after graduating, went to work at his father’s midtown Manhattan cabinetry shop.
It was here that he honed his woodworking and cabinetmaking skills.
He was inducted into the Interior Designer Hall of Fame in 2009.
Upon his death in 2016, in an obituary The New York Times published, writer Jacob Bernstein described the curved piece as the designer’s “best-known” creation, going on to outline it as something that “might be found if the Jetsons decided to relocate from Orbit City to the Trousdale Estates in Beverly Hills.”
The sofa comes with a serious price tag. New, it can be ordered through Paris-based official stockist JGS Décoration, where it costs from €44,500 upwards, inclusive of VAT, delivered within Europe.
Vintage models can be sourced through 1st Dibs, a high-end marketplace for fine jewellery, luxury furniture, and furnishings.
These range in price from about €22,000 upwards.
Kagan’s furniture was very important to Francis Street gallery-owner Killian McNulty at the start of his career.
“I unfortunately arrived on the scene at a time when my budget would not stretch to Vladimir’s pieces, but what he did teach me was that shape and form and sculptural lines were extremely important when creating a wonderful space.
"He taught me to look at space like a canvas and add shape and beauty accordingly. And this has informed my buying patterns.”
He was also lucky enough to meet him once.
"He was introduced to my wife (lighting designer Niamh Barry), and he was fascinated by what she was doing and encouraged her to keep moving forward.
"He struck me as not only an enormous talent but a warm and generous person."
Valdimir Kagan's full catalogue is available to order through New York-based Holly Hunt
