sofa

How does anyone manage to paint freehand on porcelain, one of the most unforgiving materials for an artist? Yet Irina Zaytceva does the impossible, painting birds and butterflies so close to nature that you almost expect them to take off any minute. No wonder this Russian-born artist,now living in the U.S.,was a hit at New York SOFA (Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair). But don't be misled. There's nothing functional about her vases, cups, and teapots. There's also nothing cynical, political, tortured, or abstract. No one looks at one of her elaborate compositions and says "I don't get it."

Zaytceva emphasizes that she wants her work to be accessible, appealing, and beautiful. Working in her New Jersey studio, she listens to CDs of Jane Austen. And like her favorite author, her work has a story-telling quality that places it squarely in the category of "narrative" sculpture. But the story is yours, not hers as even her titles such as "Green Sphinx" don't reveal what the artist was thinking. But who cares? The portrait of the woman in the work evokes a young Juliet from Verona with one butterfly wing emerging from her headdress. As you turn the piece around, the surprise is a perfectly formed orange-crested bird with a butterfly (a Green Spinx of course) in its beak. This is not a cup for tea drinking but a centerpiece deserving of its own, perhaps mirrored space, and lighting. The light is essential as the gold painting, the result of a meticulous process, and virtually shimmers when well-lit.

Blithely ignoring what so many clay artists are currently pursuing, Zaytceva's work is seductive, romantic, and adoring of nature. What's astounding are the many stages from raw clay, to firing, painting, refiring, glazing, refiring, and over-glazing that are necessary to produce each piece. Along the way, constant mishaps are a threat. Moisture, heat, and timing have to be calculated with infinite patience and skill.

Currently, Zaytceva is represented by Jane Sauer. Her work is still under the radar although several museums have bought her sculpture. Count on prices starting at about $2,000.

Sure, we'd all like to ride around town in the back of a Rolls-Royce Phantom. But who short of the wealthy elite can afford it? Thanks (whether sarcastic or genuine) to some skilled craftsman, we can at least get the feeling in our own living rooms.

This sofa has been crafted to look like the rear end of a Phantom, complete with wheels, tail lights and trunk. It'll cost you $5,500 if you want one, but that's still a few grand shy of the four hundred grand or so the actual limousine would set you back.

Roche-Bobois is a nominee for a Luxist Award for best in furniture.

The company's roots is a tale of two families. In 1950 Jacques Roche bought the old Alexandre Dumas theater on rue de Lyon and built two stores. His sons, Philippe and Francois, joined him and together established the company's developmental strategy. They began to distribute the very best contemporary furniture, which was heavily inspired by Bauhaus designers such as Pierre Paulin and Marc Berthier. At the same time, the Chouchan family were selling furniture in Paris on Boulevard Sebastopol at "Au Beau Bois" (which later became Bobois).

In 1960, Philippe Roche and Patrick and Jean-Claude Chouchan met at a Scandinavian furniture expo in Copenhagen. They soon designed their first catalog which launches the national franchise. They combine their resources and names and Roche-Bobois is launched.

Today, Roche-Bobois is a global leader in design and distribution of home furnishings, while retaining the unique position of molding its furniture designs. Each piece created is the result of close collaboration between designers, manufacturers and Roche-Bobois. It has three categories of furniture: Les Contemporians (avant-garde pieces), Les Voyages (a fusion of ethnic influences), and Les Provinciales (which rethinks traditional French furniture). Roche-Bobois is prolific as it introduces a new exclusive collection every six months.

Roche-Bobois is among the most internationally renowned and exclusive brands in home furnishings. Its products are sold in nearly 30 different countries. The company is expanding its reach rapidly, too. In fact, a new Roche-Bobois store opens every month somewhere in the world.

Kreiss is a nominee the Luxist Award category of best in furniture.

Since its founding more than 70 years ago, Kreiss has been family-owned and operated. The company is credited with pioneering the "California Look" with its stylish use of natural materials and casual yet elegant and comfortable designs.

Each Kreiss piece is an impressive combination of originality and master craftsmanship. They are made with all natural materials including pure, artfully woven fabrics. Every design is an original, inspired by the lives and travels of the Kreiss family while created by craftspeople whose skills in hand-detailing and hand-finishing is unrivaled. Indeed, everything made by Kreiss is "done by hand", from being handmade, hand-carved, hand-finished and hand-stuffed to hand-packed and hand-delivered.

The Kreiss Collection of furniture, offers hundreds of combinations, encompasses California Casual as well as European Formal, Spanish Mediterranean and other classic styles. This diverse selection allows a versatility to create living spaces that suites homeowners' unique personalities and lifestyles. From a coffee table with a polished travertine top, to an armoire finished with French wax, a bed of hand welded iron or the look of hand distressed wood, the Kreiss Collection offers fine furnishings and accessories for a life of casual elegance.

First available only to the trade, the Kreiss Collection has now grown to 20 retail/trade Kreiss showrooms across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The company has a loyal following of clients, ranging from international celebrities, to captains of industry, to a cross section of discerning homeowners.

The entire Kreiss Collection is designed and manufactured at the company's San Diego headquarters.

This is one bright purple couch! The Misfits Modular Sofa both looks like something out of a cartoon and acts like something out of a cartoon with its many shapes and configurations. It consists of corner and central elements along with two footstools, all of which can be arranged pretty much however you want. According to Unica Home the sofa elements "look natural as if shaped by wind and sea," but in my opinion they look more as if shaped by a Muppet. Although I do like it I don't think I could ever take it seriously! It really looks like like something meant to play on, not to relax and have an adult conversation on. Designed by Ron Arad the pieces are sold separately for $3,489 - $7,235.

If you like the wind in your hair and your hands on the wheel of a one amazing car, but want the option to share it with others in the comfort of your living room, then you'll love the Aston DB6 Couch. With the same handcrafted leather that envelopes the seats of the Aston DB6 automobile, and a replicated end of the car surrounding the plush cushions, it not only makes a statement about your taste in vehicles but provides a sexy alternative to the loveseat for only $7,300. As a limited edition, each couch will come with an engraved number plate and you have your choice in colors to suit your decor. Enjoy the ride of luxury and speed over drinks at your place.

It sounds like a dessert, but the Dulce de Leche Divan by Trevor O'Neil is a contemporary sofa that's both stylish and eco-friendly. Made of recycled cork and birch, this sofa is simple and contemporary in design. Besides neutral/natural colors (it looks almost unfinished) clean lines with rounded soft edges make this an inviting seat, although with no back it's probably not the best for real relaxing -- sit up straight! Only available in the one color scheme, and notice the handy built-in end tables on either side. $5,800


Via Born Rich

Say velvet sofa to me and I picture either a one of those plush Pottery Barn numbers or a threadbare davenport. The latest design from Sand and Birch is neither of these. Instead this spin on the velvet sofa, designed by Andrea Fino and Samanta Snidaro involves a looping wooden frame wrapped in velvet. Not quite as comfy as other velvet sofas I've seen but this one would work in a contemporary home. It makes an interesting companion piece to their diamond sofa which is a similar shape done in shiny aluminum.

At the spring Milan furniture fair, Philippe Starck once again brought the sexy with his Prive collection for Cassina. The pieces are made of black or white tufted leather. The leather lounge chair is particularly alluring. It is a big sprawling expanse with armrests, chair backs that seem to invite a variety of different lounging positions. The lounge also has leather strips along the base and leather hand-straps on the back cushions. There are also two different type of types of padded chairs available. It's not revolutionary but it does look like a perfect match for some of Starck's modern apartment and hotel designs.

[via Square Magazine]

This is one of the most inviting sofas I've seen in a long time. I'm not sure if it's the folded open shape or handmade appearance, but it looks like it's just begging for somebody to sit in it. As pictured above the Volant Sofa is wearing it's full dress so the frame underneath is completely concealed, but remove the ruffled dress and the coordinating colored frame figure is exposed for a completely different look. Designed by Patricia Urquiola, the complete Volant range includes the sofa, armchair, chair, and a stool.

Dot Kite Lab has an array of modern designs, but their latest furniture creation is Lund, a contemporary seating element somewhere between a chair and a sofa. Designer Thomas Mylonas combined clean lines, organic forms, and perfect proportions to create a nice feeling I would describe as casual modern luxury. It's upholstered in high-quality fabric in a pale but sophisticated pattern, and the seat backs (adjustable?) are complete with head rests reminiscent of an automobile (in a good way). Definitely a unique look, and for some reason I'm really curious if it's firm, or springy, to sit on?



Thanks Thomas!

I've always had a the recamier, the curved couch built perfectly for a languid swoon. This fainting couch shown in maple and pale green satin was designed by Steve Holman, who made those gorgeous Valentine chairs we saw in February. The couch can be customized with different woods and fabrics. Prices start at $20,000. You can check out Holman's work along with work from other Vermont Studio artisans at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show in New York from March 8-11.

You probably already know that we like to play with our furniture, given our love for all things modular, and the Damier Adjustable Sofa suits us perfectly. The sofa is made up of four, square modules, each with two individual articulated elements that can be flexed up and down to create the ideal seating situation. The sofa has thick polyurethane padding over a chrome-plated steel frame and is upholstered in ultra-soft black leather. Each of the square units, which can be used together or spread throughout a room, measures 101" square and is 12.25" high when flat. Price: $24,105.

The Slide Sofa gets its name from the fact that the back cushions can slide around on the sofa's wooden frame, providing the user with a degree of flexibility that most other couches don't offer. The drawback would be that not all sides of the couch would be cushioned at any one time, but as long as you're more likely to want a table-like place to set a drink down than to squash five people onto a sofa, you shouldn't have any problems with this design. It measures 79"w x 37"d x 24"h. Price: $4,985.

Made in Australia, schamburg + alvisse's Stretch Lounge is a work of art. The sofa is very minimalist, with clean lines and no detachable cushions that would distract from either the overall look of the couch or its stretched appearance. The backrest is level with the arms and, although padded, the angles are quite sharp. There is no mention of whether or not the accent pillow is included with the lounge. Price: $2,383 ($3,037 AUD).

[via cribcandy]