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New Sofa: Florence Knoll in Ivory Cato

A Y

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Originally Posted by mafoofan
I can see some slant, but there's a bit of that in many of the panels. The fact that the tufts are quite mounded can make the effect more pronounced from certain angles.

You know I'm a stickler for not using photographs as a medium of judgment, but the reason this doesn't appear to be an optical effect is because it deviates away from the 2nd vertical seam --- it looks like it's sewn together crooked.

It's not a big deal, and I would bet that you will end up with another problem if you get Knoll to fix this. Knoll is just not very good these days.
frown.gif


--Andre
 

Flieger

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Originally Posted by mafoofan
The back cushions are not removabe.

Ouch, there goes the easy solution.
So you cannot take it to a tailor to get him to 'line' the fabric properly 'out'?
 

Flieger

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Originally Posted by mafoofan
Maybe they're screwing with me, but there is a bit of a slant. If you look at the third column of panels on the middle back cushion you can see that the two lower panels are perfectly aligned vertically, but the top panel appeals to slant to the right a tiny bit. Like this:

/
|
|

It's no big deal though; the effect is not noticeable in real life and appears in many other places on the sofa.


Don't you mean the bottom right cushion? I see a "pull" in the fabric there.
In a design so minimalist it is an absolute must to have the lines to be properly aligned, because if not it will detract from the design as a whole.
So in order for this couch to fulfill its function as a work of art it has to be made to standards that exceed a normal piece of furniture.
 

radicaldog

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I actually like this better than the leather. It has more depth (for lack of energy to think of a better word). I don't know about your wife's tastes, but this choice of upholstery also seems more in line with your clothing choices, as you seem to like carded, mottled and generally textured cloth. As for the sofa itself, it's difficult to take issue with such a classic design. With a pinch of malignity some might add that this makes the choice too easy, in a slightly pejorative sense of the term; but I don't think I agree, even though interior decoration with unusual pieces tends to look better, ceteris paribus. But then again other things are hardly ever equal, thanks to the superiority of classic designs to most others. Which is just a convoluted way of saying that this was a safe choice, and safe is almost always better. Finally, a point of detail. I also think the lack of buttons is an improvement: I don't see much point in heavy references to traditional models (in this case the Chesterfield) in a mostly modernist design.
 

TheFoo

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Originally Posted by A Y
It's not a big deal, and I would bet that you will end up with another problem if you get Knoll to fix this. Knoll is just not very good these days.
frown.gif


Oh man, even if the issue were an order or two more serious, I still wouldn't try to get Knoll to deal with it at this point.

Originally Posted by Flieger
Don't you mean the bottom right cushion? I see a "pull" in the fabric there.
In a design so minimalist it is an absolute must to have the lines to be properly aligned, because if not it will detract from the design as a whole.
So in order for this couch to fulfill its function as a work of art it has to be made to standards that exceed a normal piece of furniture.


This must be the first time in the history of Styleforum where I'm less picky than everybody else in the discussion.

Originally Posted by radicaldog
I actually like this better than the leather. It has more depth (for lack of energy to think of a better word). I don't know about your wife's tastes, but this choice of upholstery also seems more in line with your clothing choices, as you seem to like carded, mottled and generally textured cloth.

As for the sofa itself, it's difficult to take issue with such a classic design. With a pinch of malignity some might add that this makes the choice too easy, in a slightly pejorative sense of the term; but I don't think I agree, even though interior decoration with unusual pieces tends to look better, ceteris paribus. But then again other things are hardly ever equal, thanks to the superiority of classic designs to most others. Which is just a convoluted way of saying that this was a safe choice, and safe is almost always better.

Finally, a point of detail. I also think the lack of buttons is an improvement: I don't see much point in heavy references to traditional models (in this case the Chesterfield) in a mostly modernist design.


It was, indeed, a safe choice. Honestly, all of our nice furniture is safe. We are fully aware that our tastes and preferences will evolve over time, so we wanted to pick very conservative staple pieces to begin with. Obviously, nobody can say for sure, but I doubt we will ever think this sofa is ugly.

I appreciate the careful observation of how I like to dress. It's true, I tend to like pronounced textures more than smooth ones. In that respect, leather was the wrong choice to begin with. We just figured leather would last much longer and thought it would complement the sofa's straight lines. Now, we both agree the Cato looks nicer and don't miss the buttons all that much.
 

EL72

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Originally Posted by mafoofan
I grew up in the suburbs, so I know what it's like to have a lot of space. A thousand square feet is perfectly alright for us right now, but not forever--and certainly not if we have kids.

If you ever have kids, you'll regret not getting leather. Toddlers will make quick work of that fabric.
 

Piobaire

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Originally Posted by EL72
If you ever have kids, you'll regret not getting leather. Toddlers will make quick work of that fabric.

Just put it in a room where the kids are not allowed. But overall, agree with your point.
 

robin

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Originally Posted by Piobaire
Just put it in a room where the kids are not allowed.
LOL. Good luck with that.
 

Piobaire

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Originally Posted by robin
LOL. Good luck with that.

Growing up, just about every family I knew had a "sitting room" where kids just were not allowed. It was like the formal room of the house. Every kid knew violating that space was just begging for a good paddling, grounding, extra chores, etc.

Surely this wasn't uncommon?
 

SkinnyGoomba

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that's how it was when i grew up, messing up the furniture was good a smack or a weekend doing yard work.
 

TheFoo

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My parents had a family room and a formal living room. The family room was where we spent most of our time together. I was allowed to walk through the living room, but not to play in it, and I was made to understand that there were nice things in there that were not for children to mess with.

I figure that, by the time we have kids, we'll either have more living space or re-upholster.
 

gomestar

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Originally Posted by Piobaire
Growing up, just about every family I knew had a "sitting room" where kids just were not allowed. It was like the formal room of the house. Every kid knew violating that space was just begging for a good paddling, grounding, extra chores, etc.

Surely this wasn't uncommon?


My family had this room. When I was little and the parents weren't looking, I snuck in just to see if I could get away with it. I entered, got my sticky fingers over everything, and then left without any incident. But my mother is smarter than that, my walking upset the delicate vaccume pattern left in the carpet and she knew instantly my step by step journey into that room.

It was the last time.
 

GQgeek

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Originally Posted by Piobaire
Now there's something I've yet to hear someone like pesjek comment on. I would have a hard time spending in excess of 10k on one sofa. I think it's great you have that type of disposable income, and I would absolutely love to spend 300k or so on having an interior designer do the house we're about to build. I'll be taking Matt's advice though, and moving into the house with barely any furnishings, and adding carefully as we go.

Matt can say that because he has like 2 other houses to live in besides the one that's not furnished.
crackup[1].gif


You've got 18 months to find nice pieces. That's plenty of time imo, even if you are being selective. You should seriously consider custom though. I've seen some beautiful custom stuff that wasn't much more than mid-end designer pieces.
 

GQgeek

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Originally Posted by mafoofan
For context, this is the 'defect' in the previous sofa that we couldn't live with:

sofadamagesmall.jpg


I'm surprised they even shipped that to you. Can't believe you took the bait on the pulled fabric though.
crackup[1].gif
 

pejsek

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Originally Posted by Piobaire
Now there's something I've yet to hear someone like pesjek comment on. I would have a hard time spending in excess of 10k on one sofa. I think it's great you have that type of disposable income, and I would absolutely love to spend 300k or so on having an interior designer do the house we're about to build. I'll be taking Matt's advice though, and moving into the house with barely any furnishings, and adding carefully as we go.

You misunderstand me. I don't know why you would think I might object to someone spending ten thousand dollars on a piece of furniture. I'd be much more likely to object to someone buying something cheap. Nice furniture should be expensive and made to last.
 

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