de Sede is a Swiss leather upholstered furniture manufactory whose history began in 1962 when Ernst Lüthy founded a small upholstery and saddlery workshop in Klingnau (Canton Aargau, near the Swiss-German border), specialising in custom leather furniture of the highest quality. In 1965 the family business became de Sede AG. The first participation in IMM Cologne and first exports followed in 1964, and international expansion gained rapid momentum. In the 1970s de Sede achieved cult status with a series of iconic designs: DS-600 "Non Stop" (1972 — modular, snake-shaped sofa, still considered a design icon, whose segments can be zipped together), DS-1025/Terrazza (Ubald Klug — cascading landscape sofa in leather), DS-151 (Susi + Ueli Berger — "Boxing Glove Chair"). Further milestones: DS-47 with NECK-leather (1976 — oxhide up to 6 mm thick, celebrated as a milestone in the history of upholstered furniture), DS-150 (Santiago Calatrava, 1986 — sculptural lounger), DS-4000 (1989 — first furniture in the industry with an aluminium frame), DS-7 (Antonella Scarpitta, 2002 — world's first model with a patented folding/extending backrest mechanism). 1993 management buyout; 2013 acquisition by DESEMA Holding AG (seven Swiss investors); de Sede and Machalke integrated. 2014: Monika Walser assumes management. Today de Sede is part of the Volare Group AG. Production: Klingnau (11,000 m² production area), approximately 11,000 pieces of furniture annually, approximately 32,000 m² of leather processed per year, over 140 employees, distribution in over 40 countries. Key references: Bank Julius Bär Zurich, BMW Munich, Dolder Grand Hotel Zurich, Hilton Resort Maldives, among others.

Current key designers: Gordon Guillaumier (DS-48, DS-60), Stephan Hürlemann (DS-21 — Bauhaus-inspired), Philippe Malouin. Range: sofas, lounge sofas and armchairs, beds, coffee tables (DS-612, DS-777), contract seating (DS-1051), poufs. Special service: repair and restoration service for existing de Sede furniture to extend useful life — an expression of the Swiss sustainability philosophy. From 2017 also high-quality leather bags as a product line.

For architects and interior designers seeking leather upholstered furniture for residential, hospitality and contract projects that unite the craft of the saddler with the formal language of leading European designers — and that define the benchmark for Swiss leather furniture quality regardless of trend — de Sede is the most precise Aargau address: with a catalogue ranging from the DS-600 of 1972 to contemporary designs by Guillaumier and Malouin.