Hooray for Thibaut Fine Furniture!

Wallpaper and fabric purveyor, Thibaut, has launched a lovely line of American-made furniture. I'm excited about it because the entire line has a classic, timeless aesthetic and from what I've read about the construction, the quality is top-notch. I also like that each piece can be customized in countless ways, so the sky is the limit in terms of style direction and color palette. Finally, Thibaut promises fast delivery. It's rare to see a 3-4 week lead time with custom furniture, so that's definitely a plus.

Thibaut Fine Furniture's offering includes headboards  and a wide variety of seating options. I love pretty much every ottoman/bench that they make, including this little stunner, called Preston (it's also available in a bench size):

And their collection of chairs is chock full of iconic styles. Here are some of my favorites:

And finally, I LOVE every single Thibaut dining chair...here they are in all their glory:

They also have some beautiful sofa options. The Kendall style is my top pick:

I'm pretty thrilled to have Thibaut as a source for furniture now. Despite the higher cost, it's always best to buy furniture that will last a lifetime and these goods seem to fall into that category. Thibaut wallpaper and fabric is represented at the Hickory Chair showroom here in Dallas and I'm so hoping that they will stock Thibaut's furniture so that I can see it. Will keep you posted on that!

Deep-Seated Sofas

One of the many factors to consider when you are choosing a sofa is seat depth. Old-school sofas are relatively shallow (seat depths often range between 20-24") because they were designed for use in formal sitting areas. If you're trying to be prim and proper, it's easier and more comfortable to sit up straight when the sofa back is close by.

Nowadays deeper sofas are a popular choice for less formal spaces like den/family/TV rooms. The extra depth is more conducive to lounging, especially if two people want to lay across the sofa at the same time! Also, a nice deep sofa can make a great extra bed. If sleeping is a major consideration, then focus on styles with a single seat cushion and make sure they're long enough.

Here are a few examples of sofas with deep seats...

Sofa Liljevalch - Svenskt Tenn

Belgian Shelter Arm Slipcovered Sofa - Restoration Hardware

Greyson Sofa - BoBo Intriguing Objects

Piazza Velvet Storm Sofa - CB2

Bliss Sofa - West Elm

The Theodore Sofa - Jayson Home and Garden

Silhouettes Sofa with Dressmaker Skirt - Hickory Chair

Tufted Deep Sofa in Sand Velvet - RoomService

If you're considering a sofa with a deep seat for a casual room in your house, just be sure that there are plenty of other more upright seating options in the area. The addition of a pair of armchairs or a more traditional sofa will not only accommodate guests, it can also keep the room from looking sloppy and overly lax. Choosing a structured sofa style (like the tufted ones above) will also keep the space looking orderly and put-together.

What do you think of deep-seated sofas? Do you have one in your home? Do they annoy you? I really like them but they annoy my husband which is one of the reasons why the one in our den isn't super deep!

Stunning Sectionals

Ok, the adjective "stunning" might be a bit of a stretch for sectionals. These oversized sofas aren't normally considered attractive, much less stunning. I tend to think of pleather and recliners when I hear the term. I will say, however, that there are some really good looking sectionals these days which is fantastic because it's hard to beat the comfort and functionality that they offer. They provide lots of seating space and most importantly, plenty of room for lounging which is precisely why I put one in my own den.

Besides the one I have, which is made by Sherrill, these are a few of my favorite styles:

1) Sienna - High Fashion Home

2) Cobble Hill Tribeca - ABC Home

3) Clarke - Room & Board

4) Blake - West Elm

5) Agosto - Cisco Brothers

6) Jodi - High Fashion Home

7) Lampert - Jonathan Adler

8) Clifton - Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

9) Hyde - Williams-Sonoma Home

10) Sidecar - Crate & Barrel

11) Roman - High Fashion Home

12) Jackson - HW Home

13) Cobble Hill Prescott - ABC Home

14) Phoenix - Z Gallerie

15) Brooks (Thomas O'Brien for Hickory Chair) - HW Home

16) Gramercy - High Fashion Home

17) Tristan - Cisco Brothers

18) Cody Slipcovered (Taylor Scott) - Layla Grayce

Hickory Chair is an excellent source for a quality, American-made custom sectional. I also love lots of styles from Room Service, but their product photography isn't conducive to my needs :)

Do you have a sectional in your home?

Layla Grayce Custom Furniture

I just found out that one of my favorite online sources, Layla Grayce, is now producing its own line of American-made furniture. With a focus on comfortable, classic pieces that can be customized through a huge variety of fabric options (or COM), the line is sure to be a success. Many of the styles were familiar which leaves me curious about which manufacturer they are using. In any case, I'm excited about the line because a) I love furniture that's made in the USA, b) the price points are good, and c) the overall style is timeless and transitional. Here is a sampling of what is available:

The Best of the Web: Room & Board

I spend lots of time prowling furniture and decor sites and I definitely have to give props to Room & Board for being one of the best (their brick-and-mortar stores are fabulous too). Anyhow, the Room & Board site is very clean, the navigation is intuitive, and the product images are fantastic. I love that clear photos are available on a large scale and that the different finish/fabric/material choices can be viewed accurately and quickly (many sites do this, but few do it well). I also appreciate how Room & Board usually displays the item in at least one room scene, which makes visualizing the size and scale much easier.

To those unfamiliar with the company, their product line is fairly modern...much of their merchandise emits a polished, mid-century vibe. In fact, they have a whole section called Modern Classics that is filled with iconic pieces from famed designers like Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, and Hans Wegner. To give you an idea of the style of their merchandise, here is a small sampling of some of their newly released items...

Calvin Chest

I'm LOVING this gray finish

Clarke Sofa

Chloe Chair

Tyne Console

This console has a similar look to the petrified wood console behind the sofa in our den. The top is available in a wide range of materials...I obviously like the white Venatino marble best.

Shay Swivel Chair

I think a hidden swivel base is a great idea for chairs to be used in room with a TV. I hate it when all of the furniture faces the television, so this allows the chair to be part of a proper conversation area (while also being conducive to TV watching).

Steel Fruit Tray

This is not one of their new items, but for some odd reason I just like it!

Wegner Wishbone Chair

This is also not new to Room & Board, but I wanted to throw it into the mix because it's representative of the Modern Classics they carry (and it's really cool).

A final thing that I love about Room & Board is that most of their merchandise is made in the USA (of course, the chair above is made in Denmark). In any case, I've grown very tired of seeing "made in China" and I think it's important to recognize the retailers who stock their stores with American-made goods.

What do you think of Room & Board? Have any of you ordered things from there?

Sofa Questions Answered

I've been receiving lots of sofa comments and questions lately. Some about the ones in our house and others asking for advice on choosing the right sofa. Today, I'll start by providing information on our sofas. For each one, I'll give some background on why it was chosen and provide a little critique on its performance. Tomorrow, I'll write about my sofa selection strategy and will share an assortment of options from favorite sources. Enough chatter for now...let's get started with the Knight couch tour!

I'll start in the formal living room, where one sofa is made by Pearson and the other was purchased from Macy's.

The Pearson sofa was purchased years ago by my husband. It was originally covered in a Ralph Lauren herringbone fabric to mesh with the masculine style going on in his bachelor pad. It was later used in our old house here in Dallas as you can see here:

Totally sick of the overall look, I had Addison Upholstery recover it in an oyster-colored linen, add nailhead trim, and make bolster pillows when we moved. They did a great job and earned my patronage from here on out! Besides producing quality work, they pick-up and deliver for free, offer a discount on fabrics, and complete projects quickly.

Pretty dramatic transformation, huh?

When my husband originally ordered the sofa, he was hell-bent on choosing a style that wouldn't loose its shape since his previous couch had gotten lumpy. So he picked one without back cushions and chose ultra firm seat cushions. While firm cushions certainly hold up well, they are not comfortable! Same goes with the tight back...it looks sharp, but comfort is sacrificed. So, when deciding where to place the sofa in our new house, using it in the den was not an option and it got relegated to the formal living room where lounging doesn't often occur.

The other sofa in the room was purchased at Macy's and was chosen because the price was so low and it fit the bill in terms of size and style. I knew that it wouldn't get a ton of use, so quality wasn't a concern and I was willing to try it out since it was such a good deal (we got it on sale for about $600).

As it turns out, there was a huge screw-up in the ordering process of our sectional for the den and the specs got submitted to the manufacturer 6 weeks after I finalized them. It was very frustrating and we had to use the Macy's sofa in our den from August to October because of the delay. So, my husband and I, along with four dogs (our 3 + 1 foster) gave the cheapo, quality-is-not-a-concern couch a run for its money. I'm happy to report that it is comfortable and withstood our abuse. Amazingly, the microfiber velvet was super easy to keep clean. I will say that the buttonless tufting annoys me a bit and since the cushions don't have a welt, they look a little sloppy. Despite those minor grievances, I'm happy with it for now!

On to the den. I'm usually not a fan of sectionals, but we wanted to be able to lay around and watch tv in this room and sectionals are ideal for that purpose. They also provide a ton of seating, which is nice when we have people over. The sectional here is by Sherrill. Tales of Sherrill's high quality came from multiple sources, a factor which was the tipping point in buying their product over this other (cheaper) option. Knowing how much time would be spent in the den and the wear and tear that the sofa would need to hold up to, I did not want the quality of construction to be lacking in any way.

I love the color, texture, and durability of the fabric, which is a linen blend. In Sherrill lingo, it's Grade 8 Affirmed Beige 4. Here's a close-up...

I requested that nailhead trim be added around the base and upgraded to the "Comfort Down" cushions, which were supposed to be tufted, but that request obviously wasn't executed. I considered having the alteration done locally and decided against it. After having it for a while, I think the tufting would actually make it a little less comfy.