487: The quest for a forever couch, realized
And Xavier's inaugural travel shopping diary.
Welcome to Magasin Interiors. In a dedicated monthly send, Xavier Donnelly shares his latest on-the-ground intel, dives deep into a timely interiors topic, and pulls together a useful edit of resources from his vast network.
First up…
I returned home from a trip the other day to a truly exquisite surprise: a set of 4 teas in a deep burgundy (vegan) leather case, the product of a brilliant collaboration between Clqssique and Conservatoire des Hémisphères. The teas are presented inside the repurposable ‘Vanitea’, inspired by the vanity cases that once accompanied women on their travels. If you’re in need of a stunning gift, look no further.
The cult-favorite vintage store Ending Soon is launching “Kiosque” this week at the New York location, which is a new section of the store devoted to books, magazines, and prints.
British lifestyle brand Toast held a residency at King last week, hosting groups of creatives each night. It was a chic pairing that reminded me that the restaurant’s roots extend across the pond, and that I need a pair of new summer shoes.
The venerable Brownstone Boys are hosting a Summer Stoop Sale on Saturday, June 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., offering vintage clothing, ceramics, linens, decor, homewares, antiques, etc. (375 Vanderbilt Ave. Brooklyn, NY)
The roving art and design fair NOMAD, known for popping up in the world’s fanciest resort towns—in season, no less—is coming to the Hamptons from June 25–28. One wonders what took them so long?
In honor of my Instagram handle @funwindow (I can’t actually remember why I originally chose that, tbh), I got a new pair of swim trunks from Italian brand Ripa Ripa with an all-over fun window pattern.
The quest for a forever couch
About 6 months ago, I realized it was time to buy a sofa—a process that felt daunting, even to me, and that I had been putting off for as long as I could. For years I had a sofa that I didn’t like; I draped a large white sheet over it, an age-old creative solution that really should have been much more temporary. (Pottery Barn has recently gotten wise to this hack: they now sell a huge white sofa slipcover.)
Sofas are odd creatures if you think too hard about them, as I evidently have: big and lumbering and clumsy and indelicate. I have always found them among the most difficult pieces to shop for, up there with office chairs with wheels, sideboards, and coffee tables (I hate most coffee tables).
This task of finding a new sofa felt intimidating was because I had already come to know my dream sofa, an aspiration so impractical and unrealistic it threatened to become more of an obstacle than a guide: a “Divan” by artist Franz West, a sofa composed of a richly colored Afghan carpet flung across a delicate metal frame and secured by cylindrical cushions. I’ve sat on one of these, they are not very comfortable. I’ve watched them go up at auction, selling for north of $100,000. However, to me it’s perfection—loose, elegant, free, and expressive.
I tried to translate what I loved about West’s piece into some essential qualities. It had to be unstuffy and unpretentious. It had to feel at home, but not in competition with the antiques and art that would live around it. It had to be well made and worth the investment. And if I wasn’t getting a Divan, it should be comfortable, deep, and plush.
A sofa is, in essence, a casual piece of furniture, intended for lounging and sitting comfortably. The ancient ancestor of the sofa was a kind of daybed, designed for lying down or sitting half-upright—something owned only by those patrician couch potatoes who could afford to assume this luxurious posture. For such an informal fitting, it’s one of the most important and potentially expensive pieces in today’s home.
The sofas I am drawn to tend to be slightly more traditional in silhouette, more country than city. An easy choice for me would be a classic English roll arm—a good version used to be hard to find, but now there are lots of good options out there, like these from Soho Home, Sophie Conran, and English Farmhouse Furniture. I’m personally turned off by the big, sculptural 1970s designs that have been the thing for the past decade; I appreciate them, but they have too big of an ego for any room of mine.
Not to immediately contradict myself, but I did come across this incredible 1974 draped sofa by Kazuhide Takahama, which is a much better version of my sheet slipcover. I kept returning to an image of a fabulously monumental sofa from Cy Twombly’s Rome apartment, of which I'm reminded by House of Leon’s Palazzo sofa. Bridging the gap between contemporary and trad are a thoughtful take on the roll arm by Pinch, a skirted sofa by Nickey Kehoe, and this dramatically skirted bench by Sharland England (which I suppose could be arranged as a sectional, if that’s what you’re into).
As I kept searching, I got the sense that I was going to end up choosing either a very strong color or pattern, or go with a stark white. Everything in between seemed like a compromise that I couldn’t bring myself to make. I kept returning to images of Maureen Paley’s leopard print sofa in Apartamento magazine (someone cooler than I should buy this one), an electric blue skirted banquette, and countless references of English sitting rooms full of chintz. ‘80s chintz is cool again, especially in a non-chintzy setting. Sophie Conran makes excellent chintz and boldly striped sofas that look fresh, not fusty. I also quite liked a sofa I saw from Serena & Lily with a wide ribbon border framing the seat cushions.
Looking again at my Franz West reference, what I really wanted was a sofa upholstered in a kilim fabric—the only suitable off-the-shelf one I could find was by iconic British furniture maker George Smith, and way above budget. If I was going to go in the white direction, I figured it had to be slipcovered. A slipcovered sofa has always struck me as breezy and bohemian, and because they can be washed, utilitarian. But they’re still elegant, as proven by Maiden Home, Rachel Donath, a very deep one from the Belgian maker AM Designs. On the lower end, there’s something beautifully uncomplicated about this classic Ikea model which has been a mainstay since the early ‘90s.
As is often the case, the one I ended up choosing was ironically the first one I looked at: the Dahlia sofa from Sixpenny, before my Franz West reference started playing mind games. Trust your instinct, I suppose! I’d purchased a sofa from Sixpenny a couple of years ago for a project, so I was already familiar with the quality of the build and fabrics (I chose a cotton linen in the pacific pearl color), and the silhouette was just right. It looks great amongst all the clutter, and I’m very happy with it.
Practical notes:
Most sofas worth their salt are made to order and will have a lead time between 8–16 weeks. I know we all want everything right now, but trust me, the time goes by quickly and your patience will pay off.
I decided I didn’t have time for this, but if you’re going the vintage route and want to reupholster, be prepared to spend between $3,000 and $7,000+ on labor and material. IMO it’s not worth doing unless it’s a really special piece.
You can always have a slipcover made, if the sofa allows, which is a cheaper alternative to upholstery. This shouldn’t cost more than $3k depending on what fabric you choose.
The Directory — Xavier’s travel shopping diary
I’ve been on what feels like a never-ending trip since Salone, stopping in NY twice for 3-4 days to repack. Instead of the directory this time, I’m detailing what I picked up on each trip.
Vienna, AU
Vienna was a fab way to unwind after Salone, and was great shopping. I came back with an delicately painted vase from Lobmeyr, an Art Nouveau iridescent glass vase (similar) from Florian Kolhammer, and a sleek lacquered art deco tray (similar).
New Orleans, LA
I was in NOLA specifically to shop for Hotel Peter and Paul, which has a brand new pool just in time for the summer (!!!). I didn’t buy, but should have, a skirted dressing table that was under $200 at Old Arabi Marketplace. New Orleans readers, I bet it’s still there!
Seattle, WA
I was only here for 24 hours. I bought a bag of dried cherries that I meant to bring home for the pantry, but finished before I left.
Los Angeles, CA
This Andie Dinkin x Artists Support limited-edition T-Shirt in support of Oceana, for World Oceans Day!
London, UK
A cashmere cardigan from Vivienne Westwood and a light jacket from Lemaire at Liberty. (It was cold and rainy and I had packed for southern Spain.)
Barcelona, SP
Two essential pit stops in Barcelona: the iconic Bel y Cia where I bought one of their impeccable shirts, a pair of sort of shiny linen trousers from Paloma Wool, and Vermut from Morro Fi. Oh, and two antique leather sling chairs which, in 95 degrees, we boxed up in the parking lot of a Leroy Merlin near the airport, paid a guy outside the airport 30 Euros to shrink wrap, and fought with the check-in counter until it was accepted as checked luggage. One does what one must.
Lahore, PK
This was a dream trip of mine and it won’t be the last! More on this later, but the shopping was incredible as you can imagine. I bought Kilim pillowcases for the new sofa (partially fulfilling my sofa dream), detailed painted trays, inlaid pietra dura coasters, and handpainted silk shawls.
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