MaDDI: April 2012

Believe it or not, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams features some really rockin' art. The giclee prints of sketches by North Carolina artist Jim Morgan are particularly nice. And I'm not just saying that because one of his pieces is a landscape of Davidson, NC, home of my alma mater Davidson College.

I stopped in their SoHo location last night to pick up a fabric swatch before the Affordable Art Fair (more to come on AAF). And lo and behold, affordable art! Check out the links for a sense of scale.

[Note: Recognizing that affordable means different things to different people, I'm borrowing from the AAF's benchmark definition of "affordable" as $1,000 or less. Any pieces pictured that are currently on sale are listed at their sale price.]

Jim Morgan, Crossing Seventh Avenue ($756)

Jim Morgan, Early Summer Storm ($756)

Jim Morgan, From the North ($996)

Jim Morgan, McAuley Road Farm ($700)

Jim Morgan, Somewhere in Davidson, NC ($700)

Karen Cappotto, Map IX ($900)

Karen Cappotto, Twister 1 and Twister 2 ($620 ea.)

Has anyone else noticed the recent barrage of English roll-arm sofas in the design sphere? The New York Times latest edition of T Magazine was a veritable eulogy. Somehow it feels wrong to apply the "trend" tag to an enduring classic like the English roll-arm sofa. Come-back doesn't quite fit either, because there's no evidence it ever went out of style. But whatever you want to call this resurgence, I like it. The shape is ultra-traditional-- but, amazingly, it's a perfect fit in interiors as diverse as Downtown Abbey and a modern Brooklyn brownstone.

The Inspiration:

George Smith Sofa. Source: Elle Decor

Winnifred Sette. Source: Anthropologie.com

Sofia Coppola on a George Sherlock Two-Seater. Source: Habituallychic.blogspot.com

London townhouse. Source: NYT T Magazine

Tom Delavan's Greenwich Village Townhouse. Source: NYT T Magazine

George Sherlock in Jenna Lyon's Brooklyn Brownstone. Source: HousetoHome.co.uk

How to Get the Look:

The gold standard of English roll-arm sofas remains the George Sherlock-- with a price tag to match it's prestige:

Source: GeorgeSherlock.com

How to Get the Look (without taking out a second mortgage):

The good news is there are a slew of affordable alternatives for almost every budget. I've rounded up a few of my favorites at a range of different price points, in order of decreasing cost for the basic model. (Wider and/or deeper models and upholstery options may entail an upcharge.)

4. Restoration Hardware - English Roll Arm Sofa, $2,195 (variety of upholstery options)

Source: RestorationHardware.com

5. Sofa.com - The Bluebell, $1,660 (variety of amazing upholstery options including custom fabric)

Source: Sofa.com

6. Pottery Barn - Carlisle Apartment Sofa, $1,499 (variety of upholstery options)

Source: PotteryBarn.com

7. Home Decorators Collection - Markham Sofa, $999 (variety of upholstery options)

Source: Home Decorators Collection

Accessorizing the Look:

Personally, I'm a big fan of the traditional turned wood legs. (See Anthropologie, Pottery Barn, Sofa.com and Mitchell Gold models above for variations.) If the model that fits your budget doesn't have said legs, do not despair! Tablelegs.com is an amazing resource. And changing the feet is the easiest way to makeover a sofa. (Note: Feet come unfinished. While you'll need to stain and sand them, on the plus side you can select the finish.)

Adding casters is a great idea if you're (like my mother and I) a perennial furniture re-arranger with a partner who disapproves of perennial furniture re-arrangement. With casters, you can move the furniture yourself. Spousal disapproval be damned! If you'd like to include casters, keep the height of the casters in mind when you select a new pair of feet.

Here are a few styles I could picture on an English roll-arm :