Buckle detail on Chameleon Divina Mélange 180 from a collection of slipcovers available through the Moooi boutique at Inform Interiors, 1220 Western Ave., (206) 622-1608.
Design Report
Sofa, So Good!
Whether quiet with clean lines or bold like the life of the party, the right sofa makes living—and lounging—easier and, often, more entertaining. We share some of our favorite new models along with insights from those in the know.

“It’s like buying a custom pair of shoes. The fit is just better because you’re not leaning back, and it just feels right.”

—Polly Teeter, Del-Teet Contemporary Furniture
Dune Sofa by Carlo Colombo for Poliform, shown as a sectional with chaise and pouf in cotton linen, $16,000, available through Poliform, 2512 Second Ave., (206) 443-9546.
One Night Stand sleeper sofa, $1,799 as shown in gray wool blend, available through Seva Home, 900 Lenora St., (206) 323-9920.

Sofas are a lot like people: They can be moderns, traditionalists, revelers or comfortable old friends—and we can love them all, but often for entirely different reasons.

The “right” sofa depends largely on the expectations of its owner and its intended use. Is lounging first and foremost? Or is formal entertaining the priority? Should the sofa blend quietly into the environment or serve as the focal point in a room? Do pets or small children call for a durable covering? These and other questions can be answered with a range of great-looking and beautifully functioning solutions.

We spoke with showroom owners at Seattle Design Center and in-the-know retailers around town to learn about new design directions in the wide world of sofas. They shared their insights on emerging trends as well as some of the most significant considerations on their customers’ minds today.

Most important, the experts say, is comfort. “People are becoming very discerning,” says Terry Draheim, principal of Terris Draheim (Seattle Design Center, Ste. P-288, 206-763-4100). “The end users really think about the seat depth and where their feet are, relative to the floor. They think about the pitch of the back and the relationship of their arms to the frame,” he says. “Obviously, there must be design integrity, but comfort is paramount,” he says.

Draheim refers not just to the experience of sitting comfortably, but also to “implied comfort,” which begins with visual cues such as softer, more sensual profiles and continues with upholstery that feels as good as it looks. “The tactile rounds out one’s understanding of a piece,” Draheim explains. Cotton velvet, chenille and suede are just a few of the options—with boundless possibilities for color and pattern.

Wonderful opportunities for customization are also available at Seattle-area retailers. Daniel Meltzer of Capitol Hill’s Area 51 (401 E. Pine St., 206-568-4782) is excited about Pepper Berry, a California-based furniture company that’s run by a husband-and-wife team: husband Matt Cicero oversees operations; wife Michelle handles production and design. “Pepper Berry is passionate about design and they really care about their customers and the quality of their products,” Meltzer says. In addition to a wide range of fabrics from Pepper Berry, customers may also specify their own upholstery selection.

At Inform Interiors (1220 Western Ave., 206-622-1608), customization achieves new meaning with the Moooi Boutique line by designer Marcel Wanders. In Moooi Boutique, Wanders has created a range of removable covers and multiple feet that transform a universal sofa profile into a wide variety of looks. Design consultant Stephen Dooley likens the system to the fashion world—customers can enjoy the longevity of quality construction, but freshen up their interiors with a change of wardrobe. “You can make the sofa look very conservative in a gray wool ‘tailored suit’ and wooden carved legs, or you can cover it in a gold brocade with a sleek chrome sled base for a classy night on the town,” he says. 

Another take on customization comes from Del-Teet Contemporary Furniture (10308 N.E. 10th St., Bellevue, 425-462-5400), where the company’s Right-Size Furniture takes a scaled-down approach to the industry’s standard sofa dimensions. While it’s always possible to specify the length of a sofa, Del-Teet owner and president Polly Teeter explains that the critical dimension for seating comfort and for fitting a sofa into a smaller space is the depth of the sofa from front to back. Del-Teet’s Right-Size Furniture has an average depth of 34 inches while the industry standard is 38-40 inches. Teeter explains that for many customers, the scaled-back dimensions not only fit their rooms better, they fit their frames better, too. Feet are comfortably on the floor and knees are at a perfect angle. “It’s like buying a custom pair of shoes,” Teeter says. “The fit is just better because you’re not leaning back, and it just feels right.”

Also ideal for small spaces is the One Night Stand, available through Seva Home (900 Lenora St., Ste. 116, 206-323-9920). Seva Home owner Jeff Vandiver describes the sofa as a simple, functional design with a completely new approach to the typical sleeper. “The best part is that it does not look like a sleeper,” Vandiver says. “Just remove the back cushions, flip the seat forward and voilà—instant queen-size mattress.”

Kim Babcock, director of sales and operations of City Home Store (517 E. Pike St., 206-324-4663), sings the praises of the sleeper sofa from American Leather for outstanding comfort and a footprint that she says is smaller than anything else on the market. “These sleepers are easy to open and close with one hand, and because the back pillows are cleverly zipped into the frame, you can just flip them over the back of the sofa,” she says.

Babcock also identifies curvy sofas as a trend on the rise. “People are reacting to rounder shapes with a greater ease,” she says. “It’s about softening up their living spaces.”

Of course, when it comes to curvy frames, Donghia’s curves are part of the designer’s signature style. At Susan Mills Showroom (Seattle Design Center, Ste. A-200, 206-682-6388), the recently introduced Toulouse sofa graces the floor with pared-down elegance that Mills describes as “both classic and modern.”

Many of the experts also see the emergence of cleaner lines on traditional styles—essentially, designs that work well with a range of other pieces. Designer Michelle Cicero of Pepper Berry points to the company’s Diamond Back style as an example of this trend. “It’s a very contemporary frame with very traditional, hand-tufted upholstery,” she says. Cicero says many people who see the Diamond Back reference a classic Chesterfield. “But this doesn’t have that huge Chesterfield 12-inch arm. We took that off and pared it way down,” she explains.

“Lately, I’ve been seeing more and more button-tufted sofas,” reports Ali Records of Velocity Art & Design (251 Yale Ave. N., 206-749-9575). “Blu Dot just came out with a lovely one called the Paramount Sofa, a style that’s supercomfy and well-priced. Autoban by De La Espada also has a button-tufted box sofa that is amazingly beautiful.”

From B&B Italia, the sofa concept takes on new meaning with the continuous form of the sculptural Moon System from Zaha Hadid, available through Diva (1300 Western Ave., 206-287-9992). And like the friend who is happiest on stage, Hadid’s design would look stunning in the middle of a room. Centrally positioned within a grand space, it could be admired from every angle.

The Moon System was introduced in North America earlier this year and rumor has it that the first person in the United States to own one is a certain celebrity known for jumping on sofas. We wish sofas were even more like people, imagine the stories they could tell.