The Grey House: So Close, Yet Sofa

By Chris Stout-Hazard

The Grey House is a web series that documents Roger and Chris' renovation of their mid-1800s Italianate Victorian in Upstate New York. Explore the series at www.designhazards.com/tag/greyhouse/.

State of the world this minute: A sleeping dog is smothering my feet. Very warm. Pandora has selected a Tracey Thorn track, and that is just about perfect. Roger's obsessively pouring over leather options for the living room sofa. Oh boy.

We left our old sofa in Austin. In the midst of starting a furniture company, it seemed a little silly to drag another company's product halfway across the country. Good thing we left it behind, because it never would have fit in the moving truck.

We did bring along a love seat. Well, "love seat" is a reach. Roger can sit on it. Or I can sit on it. But we can't sit on it simultaneously. NOT AWESOME. We also brought many mid-century modern dining chairs, which are lots of fun to look at but no fun to sit on. And then we drove to Omaha and picked up a pile of mostly-broken estate sale furniture we'd stashed at my parents' house. And at my brother's house. Upon reflection, it's possible that we are insane.

Regardless, the point is that we have zero-point-zero pieces of comfortable furniture. Our transformed home will be stylish, of course, because we're dudes that make houses stylish. But we added the requirement that our transformed home be comfortable. Because we're also dudes that like to nap or chill out while reading TMZ Dostoyevsky. I totally meant Dostoyevsky!

Mixing form and function isn't easy. It's a high wire act of compromise, and the domain of the best designers - people like Jonny Ive (Apple iMac, iPod, iPhone) or Chris Bangle (The funky BMWs) or Frank Lloyd Wright (Uhm...buildings?). It also invites controversy and debate; I'm sure at least a few of you cringed at the mention of one of those designers' names.

Luckily, there are a few classic furniture styles that offer a little from Column A, a little from Column B. And we just so happen to build them.

We're putting a big ol' sofa in our living room. Not an overstuffed, over-pillowed monstrosity, but a long, deep Higgins Chesterfield. A deep seat and bench cushion will make it even more comfortable FOR THE NAAAAPS! It will have a down-wrapped cushion and our pocket coil suspension system, plus our special angled back rest. I honestly didn't mean to write an advertisement. Let's just say that it will be one comfortable Chesterfield.

But it's still a Chesterfield. Which means it still has a bold, heavily-tufted, traditional appearance. Grace. Presence. Ready for a fashion shoot. Or an elegant dinner party. A sofa upon which one would be proud to read The Brothers Karamazov.

Function and form. Comfort and style. Sometimes an elusive combination, but one worth searching for.

Now, to select a leather...

Until tomorrow,
Chris

Chris Stout-Hazard · Owner · Decades · Sharon Springs, NY

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Chris Stout-Hazard brings expertise in design, technology, and marketing to Design Hazards. He leads design for Decades Furniture. READ MORE