It has to be said, I love the look of a tufted couch. Particularly a tufted couch that has clean, contemporary lines. Needless to say, when the term “tufted” comes up in a conversation about living room decor, the usual connotation is that of a dowdy, old-fashioned room. And sure enough, one can find unattractive tufted furniture. But the kind of tufted furniture that really speaks to me are design classics from the 20s and 30s. Think Mies van der Rohe’s classic Barcelona chair (surprisingly, it was originally designed to be used in airport lounges). One of my favourite chairs (I love it upholstered in buttery chocolate leather), it’s + $5000 price tag keeps it on my wish list and not in my living room. I also love another design classic, the Florence Knoll couch, which looks just as good in a room decorated in traditional decor as it does in an ultra contemporary room. I great spot to shop for Knoll furniture is on www.gabrielross.com, a fab Canadian-owned website that has designer names at a reasonable cost. They also include free shipping in their costs (you can’t go wrong ordering from them!). So now we know that I long to own these fab mid-century pieces. And yes, these pieces do work well in country decor. Their simple lines work fabulously in classic space. But tufting also works in other great pieces. I was transfixed by a couch I saw at Crate and Barrel when they opened in Toronto last summer. Upholstered in rich French blue linen, the couch had the simplicity I love with an insouciance of electic style. Though it is a new piece, it has the look and small scale of something I could have picked up at a French flea market. I know I’ve talked about this couch before (and certainly how the French blue has inspired the new look of my living room) but I had to share a picture of it because I think it is just the PERFECT upholstered couch (and available at a reasonable price too!) I can’t wait to unveil my living room when it’s finally ready. The sofa is called the Azure sofa. I think it’s just as beautiful in the neutral linen they show it in that I’ve posted below.
