Know Your Sofas: The Tuxedo Sofa

Originating in the Art Deco1920s and named for Tuxedo Park, a village in New York (where the likes of William Waldorf Astor, J.P. Morgan, and Dorothy Draper, previously here, partied!), the Tuxedo sofa is sharp and tailored; not only is the sofa named for the town but also the formal menswear suiting got its name here as well! A hallmark of the sofa is that the arms are the same height as the back. A true Tuxedo is tufted, as shown below. But what is the difference between a Tuxedo sofa and a Chesterfield sofa, previously covered here in Know Your Sofas? The Tuxedo is sleeker, with track arms whereas the Chesterfield is plumply overstuffed with rolled arms. Overall, the Tuxedo feels more delicate and the Chesterfield feels burly.

The pair of sofas below, the Powell and the Laguna models from Burton James, offer a classic Tuxedo silhouette. The Powell is presented with a bench seat that feels a little mid-century, but the Laguna is shown with two cushions, small nickel nailheads, and acrylic legs lending it a more Deco air.

Powell Tuxedo sofa from Burton James

Laguna Tuxedo sofa from Burton James

Bernhardt's Beckett sofa features traditional diamond tufting on the back and arms.

Beckett Tuxedo sofa by Bernhardt

Beckett Tuxedo sofa by Bernhardt

The extra width of the three-cushion Matteo sofa from Century is welcoming...they also make a four-cushion for additional seating!

Matteo Tuxedo sofa from Century

Matteo Tuxedo sofa from Century

Lexington's Camille sofa has a double row of nailheads...

Camille Tuxedo sofa by Lexington

Camille Tuxedo sofa by Lexington

...while the Byatt from Theodore Alexander has a row of nailheads inside the seating area which defines the tufting, making the design even more crisp and tailored.

Byatt Tuxedo sofa from Theodore Alexander

Happy designing!

Know Your Sofas: The Serpentine Sofa

Yes, it's time once again for another installment of "Know Your Sofas" and this time we are looking at the classic yet thoroughly modern Serpentine Sofa designed by Vladimir Kagan.

Vladimir Kagan in his 100A Barrel Chair, circa 1950s

Here is an image of an original Serpentine Sofa from 1950, the year it was introduced. You can clearly see how the sofa relates to the freeform/kidney and boomerang shapes that were popular in the 1940s/1950s, and a bit into the 1960s.

Even though it was created within the Mid-Century Modern milieu, this sofa transcends the style of that era in a way that very few other Mid-Century Modern pieces do. It fell out of favor for a few decades, but, as styles swing like a pendulum, there has been a huge, renewed interest in the Kagan Serpentine Sofa, as evidenced by the stunning, beautiful, and quite modern applications used by some top interior designers. The sinuous and sensuous shape pairs well with elements as disparate as 1970s furnishings or Baroque antiques!

Serpentine Sofa in a room designed by Jean-Louis Deniot

Serpentine Sofa in a room designed by Julie Hillman

Serpentine Sofa in the Parisian apartment of designer Klavs Rosenfalck

Serpentine Sofa in a room designed by Robert Couturier

Serpentine Sofas in a room designed by Martyn Lawrence Bullard for Tommy Hilfiger's Miami home

Serpentine Sofas in a room designed by Francis D'Haene

Serpentine Sofas in a room designed by Ingrao, Inc.

Serpentine Sofa in the apartment of Amanda and Clayton Benchley

If you would like a Vladimir Kagan Serpentine Sofa of your very own, it is available through showrooms open to interior designers. Give me a call!

Happy designing!

Know Your Sofas: The Victorian Sofa

When surveying antique furniture, one of the broadest--and most abundant--periods is the Victorian Era. Strictly speaking, the term "Victorian" really only applies to a style in architecture, art, clothing, and interiors in Great Britain since Victoria's reign, from 1837 to 1901, only covered that realm. People use the term for a certain style of architecture here in the United States for homes that are actually more aptly termed "Italianate" but that is for another post.

During Victoria's reign which was quite long (a record broken by the current Queen Elizabeth II), several styles came into vogue. Interestingly, nearly all were revivals of some sort. The decades of her rule saw a Rococo Revival, a Gothic Revival, an Egyptian Revival, a Renaissance Revival, a Jacobean Revival, and digressions into styles known as Orientalism and American Eastlake (based on the work of English architect and furniture designer Charles Locke Eastlake). But I think more than any other style, we equate the Rococo Revival with what we stereotypically think of as Victorian furniture. Massive pieces, elaborate curves, dark woods, and phenomenally complex and ornate high-relief carvings are hallmarks of the Rococo Revival (Victorian) style which lasted longer than any other style in the era.

Sofas were upholstered in luxurious fabrics like velvet, damask, brocatelle, satin and silk and feature oval, round medallion, or cartouche backs.

As you see, Rococo Revival is a very specific style that is not easily integrated into other periods or designs. I feel it works best in a strict period room of the time. But it's helpful to know about this period of furniture since subsequent styles such as Art Nouveau, the Secessionist Movement, and Arts and Crafts were rebellions against the massive, heavy design and over-the-top sense of embellishment of Rococo Revival. If there's one thing one can count on in matters of style in any art form, it is that the pendulum will eventually swing the other direction!

Happy designing!