Where can you put a sofa inspired by years gone by?

Established more than a century ago, Carl Hansen & Son, a Danish furniture business established more than a century ago, has produced modern furniture based on an old design.  In an article posted on the Core77 blog, Hipstomp/Rain Noe explain:

“In the section of their file room filled with work by Hans J. Wegner, the Danish Modern designer, they found blueprints for a sofa he designed in the mid-’60s. And now, nearly fifty years later, Wegner’s mid-century modern piece is once again rolling off of the assembly line, in two- and three-seat versions…” [Read the full article here]

The sofa in question is a smart, versatile piece, appearing more retro than traditional.  While it’s not the kind of ‘come here and relax on me’ seating that encourages the lounger to kick off their shoes and put their feet up, it can serve many other purposes adequately, in both the home and the workplace.

If you like the idea of mixing old and new, you are not alone!  In fact, each one of these great examples from Notonthehighstreet.com could be a real statement piece rather than an eyesore, if placed amid otherwise contemporary decor…

The above image shows the Savannah Beige Flocked Upholstered Armchair.   This awesome chair leaves nothing out when it comes to comfort, with deep set buttons at the back giving it a really warm, cosy feel.  Also, the neutral tones of the upholstery will fit into many existing colour schemes.

The absolutely stunning Upcycled Vintage Armchair pictured above is another 1940′s piece, which is undoubtedly a ‘one-off’.  Imagine this chair alongside contemporary, black leather sofas, pulled together with cushions in either a matching or complementary shade of red… a truly beautiful conversation starter!

The  Betsy sofa above is part of a range, described as “a fusion of design elements from different periods”. One of the best things about the contemporary Betsy range is that, being made to order, you can customise the piece to suit your tastes by opting for metal or wooden legs or choosing to omit the buttons from the back.   Indeed, the Betsy allows you to create something that fits into your home perfectly.

We read an article this week in the Ashland Daily Tidings about The Paddington Jewel Box, which is an interesting new store that’s opened up in Ashland, Oregon.

Janet Eastman writes:

“Everything inside the shop is girly-girl: from the $15 hair accessories – some that look like mini feathered hats from the 1940s – to Vera Bradley’s floral fabric $10 notebooks, $50 handbags and $100 travel bags. The one manly oasis: A brown leather couch… Males are supposed to feel comfortable sitting here, but there isn’t a man in sight.

Outside on the sidewalk… Jonathan King of Portland is tapping his feet and waiting for his wife, Barbra, to finish shopping inside for their three grown daughters. “It felt kind of lonely being a guy in there”, says the retired Oregon State University business professor”. [Read the full article here]

OK, this is a shop for girls, so if a man doesn’t feel comfortable in it, he can stay away.But what happens if he doesn’t feel comfortable in his own lounge?Though today’s men tend to be more involved when it comes to interior design than in generations gone by (when their contribution may well have been of a practical rather than aesthetic nature), if a man doesn’t express a decor-related opinion, it can still be awfully tempting for a woman to make choices according to her own tastes – which could veer a little too far on the girly side for the man in her life! (On the other hand, it might be worth twisting his arm for the fabulous Isabella sofa below…)

It stands to reason that, for a home to be happy, all who live in it need to feel a sense of belonging. Therefore, we would suggest that imagining which sofa or armchair would work well in your room is insufficient. Instead, it might help if you extend your imagination beyond this point and try to picture your loved ones enjoying time together in the new space you are creating.

As a general rule, if you can’t picture your man sitting on the sofa of your dreams, you’ve either got the wrong sofa, or it’s time to change your man!

Charles Wilson, you’re a VERY naughty boy! But enough of the seductive music – it’s time to get back to reality…

If Charles Wilson’s track pushed all your buttons, we apologise in advance that this article is unlikely to leave you trembling, but you just might let out a sigh of desire when you hear about this fairly underused, but increasingly popular, seating option. You’ve guessed it, ladies… we’re talking about the love seat!

So what is a love seat?

In living room terms, of course… a love seat is typically bigger than an armchair and smaller than a sofa. Some people refer to 2-seater sofas as love seats, but we prefer to define them as 1.5 seater armchairs. Big enough for two, but why share when you can rest your head on one side and put your feet up on the other? Alternatively, you could simply do some straight ‘sitting’, and experience how wonderful a chair can feel when your bum cheeks don’t reach the sides – which is surely more pleasure than even Charles Wilson could ever hope to bestow upon you!

Where would you place your love seat?

Being smaller than even a 2-seater sofa, love seats work well in smaller rooms where maybe you’d ideally want two sofas, but haven’t quite got the space. Rather than settling for an armchair, a love seat could be a good compromise. Many sofa ranges have a 1.5 seater option these days, or you could opt for something that complements the larger sofa in the room. For example, the striking style and pattern of the Windsor love seat pictured below would work well with a brown leather sofa.

The Derwent (below) has the kind of look that makes you want to kick off your shoes, sling your legs over the side and relax for the evening…

Or what about the Poppy love seat below? Its bright colour and simple style could make a very attractive focal point in a room.

Whatever your preferred style, given the right setting we think the love seat is the absolute king of armchairs, boasting 1.5 seats of pure comfort and joy!

Do you look at your lounge and wonder how you could ever have thought those neutral tones would be a good idea? If this rings bells, then be assured you are not alone.

However, rather than reach for the paint pot and risk going way too far in the other direction, stop to think about how you can build on your original choice to create a whole new look.

You may need to be clever with colour to avoid neutral being confused with boring, but it’s really easy when you know how. And a brightly coloured armchair or sofathat you love is a very good place to start.

It is true that, in many rooms, a three piece suite with a striking pattern or bright colour could be distasteful or ‘over the top’. But adding one dazzling item to a neutral room can be extremely classy indeed and, if you include a few well chosen accessories, the effect can be even more positive.

If you look at the John Lewis Lotta Armchair, shown below in Daisy Chain Pink:

This armchair can work perfectly well alongside, say, a brown leather sofa. However, you can get an even better look if you add similar cushions to the brown sofa, or pick out the pink colour and add other accessories in a similar shade, such as a vase or bowl on the coffee table, or even a strategically placed throw on the back of the sofa. Either in addition or alternatively, you could look for artwork that includes this colour. In this way, you will have transformed your room into an interesting, vibrant space, without the need for redecoration.

Now look at this amazing vintage style patchwork armchair from Notonthehighstreet.com:

A superb armchair like this gives you a wealth of possibilities for different coloured accessories. However, when you find yourself in this situation, it is often best to pick out a colour from the armchair that you particularly like (e.g., blue or orange), and stick with this when it comes to accessories. You might get away with two complementary colours, but any more and you risk a style disaster.

Also, be careful to match your shade well. For example, if you choose blue, make sure you choose the ‘right’ shade of blue for accessories. If you go to a paint store and match the blue you are looking for with a colour swatch, this will give you a handy selection of blues that will be ‘right’ for your room if you choose an armchair like this.

Towards the end of her often difficult life, my grandmother – or ‘Nan’, as we called her, purchased a beautiful piece of furniture, which marked the beginning of my unexpectedly deep appreciation for armchairs.

I was taken by surprise by this, because armchairs had never really held my interest previously. You see, I’d always preferred nice sofas to armchairs, the type you could sprawl on and take a quick nap before a night out, or when recovering from said night out throughout the following day, and it was very obvious that armchairs were just not up to such a job!

Despite being quite a contemporary girl at heart, Nan’s classic choice from a range of armchairs caught my eye. Nan was suffering from a form of dementia at the time and obviously it was very upsetting to see her leaving us a little bit more each day. So maybe I’d formed an attachment to this particular chair because she had retained her taste in armchairs, and I’d interpreted this as proof that she was still ‘our Nan’. Or maybe my experience of armchairs in the past hadn’t included pieces of such good quality.

When Nan died, her much-loved chair came to live in my parents’ house. It lived in their bedroom for a long time, as we were too scared to let pets anywhere near it and, to be on the safe side, it was covered in a big throw for extra protection.

When they moved home several years later, Mum and Dad bought new armchairs, still not wishing to introduce Nan’s chair to the lounge. Unlike those new armchairs which quickly became dishevelled, the throws had protected Nan’s chair well, leaving it unscathed. But it was also unused and, to be honest, often forgotten.

We decided to put it in the music room. Nan loved to play the piano, so it seemed apt. Mum insisted on keeping the throw on for a number of years, but more recently Nan’s chair has been revealed in all its glory. And it has reminded me of what armchairs have to offer over sofas. You see, every so often I sit in that chair, with its high back, well padded arms and cosy seat, and sides where I can rest my head. And somehow it feels like I’m safe in my Nan’s arms all over again.