Happy Thanksgiving 2024!

I wish all of my clients, readers, and followers in the United States a very happy Thanksgiving Day!

Know Your Sofas: The Settee

For this Know Your Sofas, I want to focus on something a bit more traditional and classic since the last many installations have covered very modern pieces from the late 20th century. But it is in a way a very simple post...honoring The Settee.

But what is the difference between a sofa and a settee? Or a settee and a bench for that matter? There have been all kinds of pieces of furniture which function as a bench or settee, going back to the Greeks and Romans. But whereas the citizens of antiquity liked to lounge back on such pieces, it wasn't until the Medieval/Gothic period when a bench on which one would sit upright would be seen.

The image below shows an interior of a house in the 15th and 16th century with a bench and cushions on the left. Even though the illustration comes a few hundred years after the fact, such pieces of furniture were still in existence and could easily be traced to their Medieval origins.

From “Le costume historique” by Auguste Racinet

Then looking back at the Renaissance, we see a piece of furniture come into existence called a cassapanca in Italian, which translates into "chest bench." Often intricately carved, these pieces had a seat on a hinge that hid storage!

Florentine cassapanca at The Met, New York City

Over the next many decades of furniture styles, we see variations of benches, lounges, and daybed sofas. But when we get to the Queen Anne style, beginning in the 1720s and 1730s, we see furniture makers hit upon the idea of joining three or four seats together to make what would be considered a settee with a continuous upholstered seat.

Into the Regence and Louis XV periods, we see settees look more like what we think of when we hear the word settee: a delicate, elegant piece of furniture that seats up to three featuring a padded back and seat, open arms, exposed legs, and an ornately decorated frame. Although during Louis XV, the piece was called by the French word for "sofa": a canapé.

But for me, it is the reign of Louis XVI that shows the world what a classic settee looks like, with lovely Neo-Classical legs and perfect proportions. Et voilà , the settee was born!

Happy designing!

Fiorito Interior Design Presents The November Noir Sales Event!

I find endless inspiration in the diverse furniture lines available to me as a trade source. And my clients appreciate the opportunity to acquire unique, customizable pieces from esteemed manufacturers!

To help you explore the diverse furniture lines I offer, I will be highlighting a different brand each month for the remainder of the year.

In November, I’m excited to showcase the highly distinctive products from Noir/CFC. With over twenty years in the industry, they create exceptional casegoods, upholstery, lighting, and accessories that draw inspiration from architecture, the Secessionists (previously here), Brutalism, and post-war Italian design.

For the rest of this month, you can enjoy an additional 10% off the already discounted designer pricing available through FID* on all furniture, lighting, and accessories from Noir/CFC.

Place your order by November 30th, 2024 to take advantage of this offer. Noir does not sell direct to the public so reach out to me soon to gain access to amazing, small-scale productions from skilled craftspeople!

*This 10% savings applies to the cost of the piece and does not apply to sales tax, freight, or delivery.

Happy designing!