My grandmother had a curved sofa. I wish I could find a photo of it. I always thought it was so cool growing up, as she was the only person I knew that had something other than the standard rectangular ones. The curvature of her sofa helped create a definition in her long living room between the conversation area and the portion reserved for music. One end of the sofa was anchored against the wall, while the other gently arched into the room creating just a bit of separation between her baby grand piano, organ, and the rest of the living room.
Some 40 years after my grandmother’s passing curved sofas are back in vogue. They are generally larger and provide greater seating capacity than traditional rectilinear ones, and that extra capacity can come in quite handy in the era of social distancing. Milo Baughman’s iconic Midcentury #825 Series sectional sofa can create almost a full circle and provide ample room for 5 adults to sit facing one another without feeling uncomfortably close. Of course, one will need a large room to put this monster in as it has an 11’9” x 13’8” footprint!
Another great benefit of curved sofas is that they look good from all angles and don’t feel odd when they are not anchored by a wall the way rectangular ones do. That feature alone really opens up some new design options for creating a room that feels more fluid and less rigid, which is something we all need during this time while we’re spending so much time in our homes. As I recall my grandmother certainly did as it arched gracefully into the room. Now, I wonder whatever became of that curved sofa?
