Henry Massonnet

Henry Massonnet was born in Oyonnax, a small village perched at an altitude of 700 metres in the Ain department of France.

After his baccalaureate, he went to Paris and entered the Lycée Janson de Sailly. His sights were set on the prestigious Ecole Normale Supérieure for teachers, and he was sought after by one of the top engineering schools, but he ultimately gave up his studies for a young woman in Lyon.

In 1948, he established the company STAMP inside an old mill in Nurieux, a small village located halfway between Bourg-en-Bresse and Oyonnax.

1968: Tam Tam stool introduced. A dazzling and completely unexpected success for its creator. With over 12 million items sold worldwide, the Tam Tam is a 70s design icon today. Massonnet is mentioned in the Guinness Book of Inventions for this achievement.

Created in 1973, Boston was the first single-piece polypropylene armchair made using injection moulding. This creation earned Massonnet a "Furniture Oscar" and led to other projects in this domain. It was during this period that he collaborated with Pierre Paulin, who worked on the initial design phases. Massonnet's hobby was creation, but he never ceased to be a technician. His focus was on implementation and manufacturing.

"Innovative ingenuity coupled with a dynamic approach" was Massonnet's motto. He filed nearly 150 patents over the course of his career!

A tenacious and charismatic company leader, he initially employed 340 workers, making a major contribution to the economic and social development of the region. That opened other doors: Massonnet was Mayor of Mornay, then Mayor of Nurieux-Volognat for 18 years (1965-1983). He was also a regional council member for Izernore from 1972 to 1985.

While Massonnet always lived in a house adjacent to the STAMP factory, Tam Tam can certainly be proud of having travelled the world.