Gondola Sofa: from B & T Antiques
Photographed here, we have a stunning vintage gondola sofa; this piece was crafted circa 1950 amongst many highly regarded pieces of Scandinavian furniture, and most of these renowned works were crafted primarily with functionality in mind (likely as a subsequent result of newly acquired social attitudes following the second world war) and as a result often present themselves with modern design aesthetics. Though the forward thinking logic of Scandinavian designers is visible with regards to this piece, the overall look is more ambiguous than some others.
The piece was crafted from an unspecified wood; however, based on other such pieces of furniture from the era, it’s safe to say that it was likely crafted from rosewood or some other readily available hardwood. This assumption is supported by the fact that the properties of these woods offer both choice functionality, as these woods generally last significant lengths of time whilst showing minimal signs of wear in comparison to some soft woods e.g. teak, as well as a bountiful sense of visual pleasantry, stemming from gorgeous grain patterns and the general tendency of these woods taking well to some forms of lacquer.
Vintage Scandinavian furniture was rather highly sought after during the latter part of the 20th century as it was known for the application of high quality woods and impressive utilitarian and simply beautiful design features. The exact same can be said for this gondola sofa; firstly, with regards to the use of high quality woods, it’s safe to assume that this sofa is no different, it has survived over half a century and the wooden components of the piece really do express minimal signs of wear, many more recent pieces could not have the same said for them.
In terms of utility, this piece meets all required criteria: it looks very spacious and comfortable, the velvet covering provides a comfortable surface feel, the spaces either side of the curved arm rests provide ample space for a small table to partially sit under (should it not be able to fit otherwise) and the legs take up as small a space as possible for a sofa of this size.
Finally, in terms of interesting and aesthetically pleasing design features, there is much that can be said; the beige velvet covering is simply exquisite and makes the sofa look very inviting, the smooth curved lines of the sofa are quite passive and as such make the sofa a very interesting and tasteful addition to the room it may find itself in, without dominating the overall look of the room as some sofas have a tendency of doing. Again with regards to the light curvature of the lines in which the sofa was crafted; they offer an almost ambiguous modern design. For a 1950s piece the design is undoubtedly modern in nature, however it certainly does not lend itself to either an antique or modern setting. This detail is probably the most impressive about this sofa and really expresses the genius of the renowned Scandinavian designers of the time, whilst also exemplifying why such pieces were so highly sought after.
This piece is offered at a price of £2,800.00 and it’s clear why - though it is safe to assume the presence of a high wood quality in furniture such as this, it's the design which really sets this gondola sofa apart even from modern pieces of furniture. It takes an impressive thinking to draw up and create a piece that has features that lend themselves to either setting equally effectively; it is this characteristic especially which should make any buyer or home owner consider purchasing it.
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