Sofa Savvy Sells

The sofa, davenport, divan, chesterfield, the couch…call it what you may, but this large upholstered lounge is the “Big Daddy,” “The Diva,” “The Patriarch” of the family room and the piece of furniture all the other furniture wants to hang around.

Sofa by Stanford Furniture.

Note: Any designer worth her weight knows the preferred industry term is “sofa;” however, the proper term for a piece of furniture on which one could sit or lie is a “couch.” A sofa is a couch with arms and back completely upholstered. Hmm, they say potato and we still say sofa!

The Ava sofa by Lazar.

Sofas are a big investment with many choices to be made and mistakes are costly. Making the right choices and asking the smart questions takes “Sofa Savvy.” Start by deciding the sofa’s role in your “approved” room design. Is it the little black dress you can wear over and over by changing the accessories? Or is it the unforgettable red dress, a statement piece that makes the room? Then, advise your client accordingly on the division of funds, between sofa style and sofa substance…

Sofa by McKinley Leather.

Sofa by Christopher Guy.

In the cycle of trends, every decade or so the sofa stylings will be spot lit  with key features defining the trend and giving a cutting edge sofa “15 minutes of fame,” plus an expiration date! Go ahead and give them that TRENDY room for a 3-4 year run…That is what “Flores” is for! When a classic, timeless sofa design is the right choice, make the investment in a good piece.

The quality sofa has a balanced, kiln-dried hardwood frame. The joints are double doweled and the corner blocks are both glued and screwed, and the legs extend from the frame. The 8-way hand-tied spring coils are “dropped” into the core of the seat cushions, then encased in foam and wrapped with a 50/50 blend of poly and ester and duck down. Remember, the cushion and frame construction are the key to the sofas comfort and longevity.

Sofa by C.R. Laine.

When a customized sofa is necessary, a checklist of choices will need to be made, starting with the frame style. Over the years, the most popular sofa styles have gone through many variations and modifications, but the vast majority of sofas have morphed out of one of three styles:

• The Camelback: a sofa with one or more humps along the back
• The Chesterfield: a sofa with the back and the arms at the same height
• The Club: any one of a variety of sofas with arms at a lower level than the back.

The Camelback sofa.

The Club sofa: Van Buren Sofa by Kravet.

The Chesterfield sofa.

These are the “bones” you build on to determine your style. All of these sofas can be traditional OR contemporary depending on the parts you pick and the proportions of the profile.

For a comfortable sit, know your clients leg room needs. Try the “40/44 Rule,” by adding a seat height of 16” to the seat depth of 24” that equals 40” for short legs and a seat height of 20 with a 24” depth equaling 44” for long legs.

Check List Choices:

Arm Style                          Cushion Placement                         Cushion Style

Leg Style                           Skirt Style/placement                     Base Style

Back Style                         Trim/nails/welt application            Throw Pillows

The arm helps define the sofa style, and if it’s low and flat it can be another perch in the room. Do confirm how the sofa will be used with your client—is it more guest seating or a place for naps. Certain arms are classic like the “rolled” arm or “Lawson” arm, but move in and out of style. Others are timeless, like the “English” arm on a tight back sofa with a serpentine base and turned front legs.

Gianna sofa by Michael Amini. The arms make a great perch.

Sofa by Kravet.

Carley sofa by Lexington.

Cushions are very important to style and sofa maintenance. For example, a “T-Cushion” on the seat and back suggest a more traditional look. The “Box Cushion” with a knife edge is more informal than a box with welted seams. Fitted back cushions can go either way; a cushionless “tight back” tends to be more traditional. Also, you want to avoid “scatter back pillows” on large pieces, like a sectional… it’s just a big mess all the time!

Sofa by Leathercraft.

The base band and leg or skirt style is another area that changes with the styles. Exposed wooden legs are timeless on many classic vintage sofas and mid-century modern pieces. Currently, exposed wooden legs are very popular with all styles, with turned legs on the more traditional pieces. The normally traditional sofa skirt is now trending on transitional pieces with the “waterfall” or “dressmaker” skirt, creating the slipcover look!

Sofa by Comfort Design.

As you know, nail heads are everywhere right now, way more than just a bottom edge or following the shape of a rolled arm. Now it’s  an 8” high nail head design on a sofa band, or covering the side or back of a sofa. Very dramatic and unforgettable, it could be the “red dress” so make sure this trend is worth it!

Bardot sofa by Classic Home.

Lastly is the fabric choice. Make sure you edit the choices before you show your client. Only bring fabric that is appropriate for the sofa style, fabric with a high thread count and 25,000-30,000 rubs. Beware of linen blends and the stretch factor, add backing to tweeds and watch the scale of big prints on small sofas. The more you know how your client will use their sofa, the better you can advise them, so lots of Q&A before you start looking.

Sofa by Stanford Furniture.

There is no denying the importance of the sofa’s role in a home. It occupies a prime location in the room and beckons you toward it with open arms. These days at Design Alliance we are loving sofas and sectionals. Have you seen all our new places to perch or nap in the showroom? All of the manufacturers seen here and more were handpicked by DA for their quality, diverse styling and custom programs in a full range of price points. Come see, sit on and feel what we have available. Finding or creating the perfect sofa that serves your clients’ needs can be a daunting task, but if you succeed, you will have a client for life!

Trend Spotting

This year the 2015 Las Vegas World Market was refined and defined. I liken it to the fashion world. At the 2014 market they presented the over the top “couture creations” and at the 2015 market we saw a refined interpretation of last year’s extreme statement in the “ready to wear collections.” Polished and integrated into a lifestyle look, and adapted for more universal wearability.

Toned down after their debut, the following 2014 trend elements bring just a hint of their previous claim to fame to a room design as part of the current trends in concept development.

The “Industrial Look” and metal laden rooms, with chairs wrapped in silver flash, a pipe and elbow joint bookcase or a whole wall of school lockers, is gone. Yet still trending in its memory is a metal representation through table bases, zinc tabletops, elaborate light fixtures, metal accent strapping and sculpture.

Something “Organic.” Not just for garden rooms and beach houses, it’s nature applied as an elegant display accessory or part of the furniture. A gnarly tree trunk table base, coconut shell finish, sea shell accents, rope-reed-bamboo-wicker, anything green. Any style room can support the organic trend, because everything goes with nature.

“Reclaimed wood”…still here, in wide plank floors, exposed beams, table top or base, maybe a chest, in natural, bleached, antiqued and washed finishes, but natural wood tones from pale pine to rich cherry are welcome, too, in 2015. Bottom line, a room designed in “50 shades of grey” is reaching its saturation point, and the beloved real wood finishes were sneaking into every showroom.

Seen below, “Island Fusion” by Tommy Bahama Home, is a stunning collection from Lexington and the main event of their 2015 showroom. Rich, natural elements like bamboo veneers, woven rattan, coco shell and lampakanai created finishes that added to the island authenticity. A nod to the visual merchandising team for the most tasteful displays at the show!

“The Mid-Century.” The cool, stylish lines of the 60s and quirk of the “Atomic Age” still show their influence in 2015, with trends still strong in the 60s silhouette for furniture and the return of the “bar cart,” as a floating accent piece. Seen in every collection and made of every material from iron to plexi, gold leaf, chrome, wood and wicker. Plus the whimsical tiered accent and cocktail tables, shown in tri-level, moving circles, pullout squares, stair step and layered surfaces, for a 50s feel and style over substance!

The importance of the “Cocktail Table” as a statement continues, with the return of the glass top! Shown in a metal frame for traditional and transitional looks and as a slab atop an arty base of any material, for contemporary rooms, the cocktail table should bring style in support of a look or a big, trendy show-off as a focal point. Whatever the material, this key player is not just for coffee anymore!

Two new trends that deserve mention and were prevalent throughout the show: one is the “Open Book Shelf,” in every shape imaginable, floating as room dividers or up a ladder on the wall. This could be the last hurrah for the bookcase, as it mourns the demise of the hard cover book, for the “Kindle.” #14 #15

The second is the “Writing Desk,” apparently all the desk we need today due to the computer and found in most furniture collections. From bamboo and rattan to glass on trestles, the horizontal writing surface, perched on long legs, is a natural floater in a room or backed up to a sofa or the foot of the bed. #16 and 17

In conclusion, the rooms at market, even in their difference, shared these similar qualities; a neutral ground and for anchor upholstery pieces, a vintage feel in the silhouette, the finish or the accessory, eclectic styling and a “look” that created an undeniable atmosphere through the illusion of design…warm, elegant, fun, cozy, cool, whimsical, bohemian, intellectual, sophisticated, modern, formal……..and so on.

Christmas Rehab

Last year, I was invited to a Christmas Party at the home of one of my past clients. I was excited to go, as I adored this project and the 18 months working with this lovely east coast traditionalist with impeccable personal style and a blue-blood esthetic.

The results of this re-decoration were beautiful—very “Barbara Barry” calm and elegant, wearing a quiet and unusual color palette of cream, taupe, navy blue and celadon green. Most of all I was eager to see how Miss Connecticut class act “decked the halls” at Christmas. I was confident I’d be impressed.

Well… the night of the party, as we started up the walk of their home, my confidence began to wane when I saw the full size, lit up Santa and sleigh lawn display, followed by the “HO HO HO” door mat. And when the hostess answered the door in a Santa hat and a relatively ugly Christmas sweater, I feared for her good standing with the D.A.R.!

As we entered her beautiful home, the bad choices continued with blots and slashes of bright red that overwhelmed the quiet background and looked like a crime scene.

The heavy-handed ribbon was everywhere, the tree was in bondage and the garland up the stairs was swaddled in ribbon with a huge “pom-pom” bow at every swag. Buffalo snow covered every other surface in the living room to display her extensive collection of expensive Christmas…stuff. Ceramic, china, blown glass Nativities, angels, Christmas trees, dancing reindeer, Santa Claus AND St. Nicolas, etc.

Frankly, nothing was spared the Christmas icon: the bell-shaped soap, the holly hand towels, the poinsettia napkin rings, the wreath napkins, the stocking-handled cheese knife and, lest we forget, the cream cheese cracker dip shaped like a snowman! We were in the presence of a full blown Christmas junkie! I know. You can only help those who help themselves, so I left my card and jotted on the back, “I fix Christmas too.”

I understand. It’s Christmas, tradition and favorite things, and all that is wonderful. But when it’s lost in a sea of red and green junk, it just looks cheap, right? It’s about the feeling you get when you enter the well-dressed Christmas home. When the embellishments are in sync with the environment it feels like the house is dressed up and festive, not in a funny costume. Warm and cozy or elegant sparkle and glow, the decorations should be supported by the interior design.

I’ve been decorating homes at Christmas for over 25 years. Many of them were design clients and some of them were Christmas junkies. I knew that to keep the junkies clean I would have to make some obvious improvements in their holiday display. So over the years I’ve refined my formula for any Christmas installation to look like Christmas!

First, define the style of the home and the color scheme. Never ignore the background you will be embellishing. Do not assume that red-green-white will sit well with every décor. If these colors overwhelm and “lay” on the background, rather than blend, they need to be toned down. Consider a range of warm colors (reds) and cools (green), like; red, burgundy, rust and burnt orange and green, hunter, lime, olive, etc.

When creating your color palette, use a variety of balls in different sizes and finishes. Always pick a “main” ribbon and an accent ribbon. Main ribbon should be at least 3-4” wide and wired. Accent ribbon should be less wide in an accent color. Your ribbon will be the element that ties things together, no pun…

Pick a theme that becomes your thread throughout. This is an overall “feeling.” You will dress your garlands and wreaths like this, top your tree like this and have the theme feeling in your table and chandelier design. Traditional themes might be pine cones and berry branches or clusters of fruit and pine, mixed into your design of balls and ribbon. Often, the ribbon will dictate the theme. Some are quite elaborate and two sided, and when used on a garland or tree and properly woven they can be enough.

Once you have picked your theme “feeling” use it in all your key installation locations (listed below). One important area is as a tree topper! Maybe start with a two sided bow as a topper, using your main ribbon, if your theme is little birds, stick a series of branches out the top and hot glue little red and gold birds on the branches. If it’s stars, shoot stars out the top, etc. Re-creating this “feeling” in key areas throughout the house will integrate Christmas into the landscape and the house will just be “warm and cozy.” You won’t need a plaid deer to tell you so!

Unless the decor is stark and contemporary, use greens as a ground for your displays. If your theme is “White Christmas,” use flocked greens, and if you have a flocked tree use flocked greens in your main applications. Greens like cedar and pine look great together, real or artificial. However, beware if you have never worked with real garland. Its uneven and “floppy.” The best way to use it is to wind a thin artificial garland into the live one, or add sprigs of real pine to fill out the thin areas. Otherwise, live is great to create a wreath around your chandelier, or lay on the arms of your light fixture, at the base of your candles, on your mantel or as a base to any Christmas element you are displaying.

If you are working with a stark, contemporary environment, have fun with it. Use unusual or bold color combinations, like red and purple, lime and orange, etc. Keep things simple, like an over-sized all-shades-of-green ball wreath or just hang various sized balls over the dining table or a series of various snowflakes. Use an artificial garland, double lit, to snake around the mantel with only a huge red plastic bow on it or replace traditional Christmas greens with various succulents. Remember to ALWAYS consider the space!

Next, define your application areas and stick to it. Like dressing yourself, if you are wearing a red dress, you don’t put on everything you own that is red… same with everything that is Christmas!

Good locations are:

The exterior entrance, on the door, around the door and or flanking the door.

Foyer: The entry chandelier, staircase handrail, entry console, chest, etc.

Living Room (or tree room): Tree, mantel, hearth, coffee table, top of windows.

Dining Room: Table chandelier, dining table, buffet, top of window.

Kitchen: Table and or over table fixture, corner of counter, top of window.

Lastly, go ahead and display the “Old Nativity” that’s been in the family for a hundred years, and if you must, go ahead and top your tree with the rubber-headed, one eyed, tree topper angel missing a wing, ‘cause it’s tradition. Anyway, the rest of the house will look like a “Winter Wonderland” or “Santa’s Village” or a warm and cozy Christmas Home and no one will notice the angel looks hammered!

Have a happy, tasteful holiday everyone!

Design Camp

I saw a pumpkin today. I guess summer is over…did you have a nice vacation Designers? What’d you do? Where’d you go? Paris, the Serengeti, Tijuana? Well, while you were working on your tan in Bora Bora, I was being a responsible designer and attending “Interior Design Camp.” For three grueling days I braved the wilds of Las Vegas, keeping a journal of my sightings and research, earning my “Good Designer” patch and scoring a big tote of vendor swag!

The camp leaders, celebrity designers Kelli Ellis and Lori Dennis, kept us busy every day with a packed roster of guest speakers, all industry experts in the field of design, retail, media and marketing. These programs were designed to help designers at every level to successfully brand, position and promote their interior design business. 

We learned about Sustainable Design, Connection Marketing, Design Law and bridging the gap between Design and Technology. It was hours of 50-cent words and abstract comparisons… arbitration agreements, non-disclosure, drive conversion, evaluate, control, focus, maintain, execute, clarify your responsibilities, establish your credibility, “Hierarchy of Needs.” Whew! Fascinating, you had to be there! Not to worry, I’m not empty-handed Designers. I brought back, to share with you, all my notes on “DESIGN,” ‘cause it’s more fun and that’s the kind of camper I am!

THE TREND REPORT

Michael Indursky of “Design Life Network,” with the aid of images, laid out the direction of trends, not just in palette and furniture style, but through illusion, metaphor and FEELING. If you look at each design year, as it adjusts to accommodate a new style movement, it will naturally expel the trend icon or the least adaptable element from the current trend, so a new “look” can be born. 

Looking at the layering of designs over 20 years, took us from big, heavy, dark and detailed to clean, light, simple and open…like a flip book. The movement is constant, but not jarring, it is an easy give and take and it always leaves you with something familiar. Trend life is from 2 to 10 years, yet some designs come, U-turn and go, like “Radiant Orchid” of 2014, a great color but, a shade of purple and the entire purple family has always had a reputation for being “different” and apparently the public was not ready for that responsibility. Other trends easily adjust through the years, like the “continental arm” on sofas and chairs, the rod and ring drapery, hardwood floors and ottoman seating, all adaptable to the changing trends.

As the New Year approaches, we slowly add color and accents to our neutral rooms, while the “classic” silhouette in furniture grows stronger.  The simplicity of the current clean designs remains sacred and welcomes a contemporary take on the white washed, raw linen, taupe/grey world of 2014. 

Blue, all shades of blue.

Meanwhile, if your specialty is creating complete environments, if your rooms tell a story and you enjoy finding the authentic touches, your time draws near!  The layering of details can be found in all the new offerings, creating much more specific statements of style; however quiet, peaceful, simple and neutral live on as the launching point for the new contemporary trends.

NEW TREND APPLICATIONS

COLOR TRENDS!  BLUE, all shades of true blue, blue as an accent or the all blue room. Blue as fresh! 

Browns.

BROWN, earth brown, in its natural shade, a beautiful, soft neutral with a defining quality, like black… Oh, did I mention, I heard it is the “new black”?? Stay tuned! 

ORANGE, at DA, we think bright, rich orange is very SoCal. And looks great on the beach combers!

Metals.

METALS. Mixed metal, flat, modeled, burnt and carved finishes. Bronze and copper raw accents. SILVER, soft polished silver as furniture, lighting, accessories, sculpture…accent with silver.    

                                                                        

Woodwork.

WOODWORK. Wood still wears many looks: raw, weathered, rustic and distressed stay strong in architecture and some furniture. Woodwork that has been white washed, grey washed or antiqued will still be the popular finish on classic furniture and on the wide plank hardwood and laminate floors.

Space sculpt.

SPACE SCULPT. Big, bulky furniture, creating a flowing landscape of shapes, volume within a room.

Simplicity.

SIMPLICITY. A new iconic contemporary, with a fresh take on the classics by altering all the scale.

Pleasant times.

PEASANT TIMES. An earthy, vintage feel, living on the land and the romantic notion of a peasant’s life. The river stone walls, washed, open beams and antiqued secretary bring a forest cottage, 16^th century feel to this cozy space.

Global views.

GLOBAL VIEWS.  Hand-embellished textiles, multiple batik patterns and prints, colorful painted pottery and baskets, wood carving on everything, detailed metal lighting, woven throws…etc. These fabulous handicrafts appear to be the treasures you found on your last trip to Bali, Kenya, Morocco, displayed on the neutral ground of linens and washes as bursts of colorful detail, texture and charm.

Inner sanctums.

INNER SANCTUMS. Multiple elements and activities sharing the same space, rooms within a room.

Transformative states.

TRANSFORMATIVE STATES. Deconstruction, shifting, veiling, fractal nature and conceptual.

CONCLUSION

In this camper’s opinion, there was a vibe around the future design ideas that was unmistakable. It was all about purpose and how you utilize your space. No frivolous decorator items or gratuitous accents, each application is there to serve you in one way or another. It felt like, in the future we may never leave our home. This is not a “style.” Imagine creating a purposeful, intelligent, worthy environment that reflects the needs and taste of your client, a place they feel inspired by and safe in, a home that is unmistakably theirs. If that is the challenge, where would you start?