Note to a friend
Jun 16, 2010Dear old sofa,
In my home you are a super, ‘luxurious teenage armchair’, stretching out just longer than one person can fill.
You are a fantastic piece of furniture to relax in, to curl up in, to hug in, to read in, and to put cushions on. Cushions reflect the mood, ‘the flavor of the month’ – one month it’s stripes in hundreds of colours, the next, velvet in great pastels. Right now, it’s flowers.
But back to you, dear sofa.
I wonder how long you will play the role of a sofa to sit on now we all – almost all – choose to lay down on you. There is definitely something wrong. Personally, I get kind of frustrated if I have to ‘share’ you when I haven’t chosen to – suddenly the length is somehow wrong, the cushions support everywhere but where you want them, and usually the material is not ideal.
My favorite place in the living room is my old, reupholstered black velvet Bruno Mathsson armchair, ‘Karin’, and together with a comfy footstool, there I sit reading, watching TV, knitting or just thinking.
Some good friends and neighbors recently asked me what they should do in their living room. They have a separate TV room so they want to keep their living room for socialising. I said, ‘just furnish with armchairs! Chuck the sofa out and add a large round table for drinks, magazines or a big bowl.’ They have a mix of different armchairs. One is IKEA, one is designer from her parents’ home, and two are great flea-market buys. It means everyone can find their personal favourite. I love the idea…
So, dear sofa, are you leaving us, or are you just going away for a facelift and coming back stronger than ever? You’ve got to do something!
Blog / Mia
Mia Lundström, working with creative direction at IKEA. Passionate about home furnishing. Mother of a teenage daughter. Lives by the sea.
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