Which leads us to the next Next Big Thing. This flexibility will be an important quality as Americans continue to fine-tune the ratio of comfort to function to fashion when it comes to furniture. “The angular sofa tends to be modular and customizable, creating the possibility to change the way a room is used.” “Contemporary sofas have become multitasking islands in the center of the living room, adapting to their new function of being one of the places where we rest, sleep, play, share experiences, even work,” explains Monica Mazzei, vice president of furniture design firm Edra. If a half-moon sofa is a little much, check out angular sofas, which fall safely in between trendy curved lines and straight-edge tradition. Curvilinear couches and chairs are a refreshing departure from the boxy aesthetic of MCM furniture and large, bed-esque behemoths, like mine. The design spotlight is shifting from specific sofa components-the chaise, the power recliner seat, the integrated table surface-and focusing instead on shape. (If one were younger and limber-er, that is.)Ĭoming Soon to a Living Room Near You: Curves and Angles Otherwise, I suppose one could approach the chaise seat from the opposite direction and vault over the arm like one of the Duke boys hurdling into the General Lee. It spans almost one entire wall of our living room, with just enough space on either side to squeeze in a narrow end table. (This is not ideal, as it invariably upsets the snacks and alarms the cats.)Īnd let’s not even speak of what my “dismount” looks like.Īlso complicating matters is how wide the whole sofa is. Or I can clamber onto the thing facing forward, knees-first, then execute an ungainly twist-and-flop maneuver. I typically sit on the edge before pivoting 90 degrees and swinging my legs up, but then I’m still obliged to scooch-in kitty-corner fashion, as though my butt is a knight in a giant game of couch chess. Into? Upon? (Aboard?) In order to occupy the innermost seat, next to the armrest, one must necessarily, if temporarily, abandon one’s dignity. The main drawback to our couch’s chaise? It’s awkward-really awkward-to get onto. (Alternatively, it provides ample elbow room for, say, one average-sized middle-aged woman along with one or both of her cats and all the blankets, throw pillows, knitting projects, and snacks she requires for an evening spent binge-watching “What We Do In the Shadows.” For example.) …and the Incredibly Awkward Instead, there’s usually only an armrest that mirrors the other end of the couch, so every seat is oriented in the same direction but only one lucky sitter gets to stretch out their legs.Īt 46 inches-a full foot wider than a twin bed!-our chaise can actually accommodate two people side by side, especially if they are small or have little regard for personal space. Unlike an L-shaped sectional, the couch-with-chaise doesn’t offer uninterrupted back support. Ostensibly, it also provides more seating capacity-but practically speaking, that’s not quite the case. (No more bogarting the whole sofa if you want to kick up your feet.) On the plus side, this design makes it easy to stretch out without sacrificing seats for others to occupy. The Good, the Bad…įolks are really divided when it comes to couches with chaise sections-with good reason. Now, having lived with it through all four seasons (as one should do before making a commitment to any relationship), I have some regrets. Our new couch made its living room debut in May 2021. We came, we saw, we measured twice, and we conquered. After an hour of test-sitting while being nonstop sold at by an eager, 20-something bro (“this is an hour of our lives we’ll never get back,” I muttered at one point), we settled on a charcoal-gray goliath with a left-facing chaise that looked wide enough to seat the entire Draper family. The latter’s aggressive, in-your-face comfort isn’t our style-acquiescing to it, I’ve always feared, would be the first step of a slippery slope toward poor health-so we turned our attention to the sleeker, Midcentury modern-style sofas. Either they were low, clean-lined midcentury modern numbers or bulky pleather beasts tricked out with power recline capabilities and built-in cupholders. As we surveyed the tiny living-room replicas staged around us, we noticed that nearly every couch conformed roughly to one of two types. My partner and I were in search of a new sofa, and so we had come to this colossal furniture store in the suburbs. “Well, what do you think? ‘Mad Men’ or ‘Wall-E’?”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |