My Favorite Sofa

Rhoda, of Southern Hospitality, recently posted about her favorite piece of furniture, a lovely french style chair of many fabrics. She then tossed out the question, "What is your favorite piece of furniture?" Without a doubt, my favorite is the striped Chippendale-style sofa in our library. It is probably 50 to 75 years old, as my parents got it second-hand in the late '50's. My mother worked for a time as a hairdresser, and the story goes that she got the sofa from a wealthy client who was redecorating. It's worn the same cranberry striped fabric for all the years we've had it, and I wouldn't dream of changing it. Reds and cranberries are the colors that thread their way through all the rooms in our Little Red House.

The sofa has a down-filled cushion, which seemed very expensive and exotic to me when I was growing up -- all my friends lived in ranch houses with mid-century modern furniture. Whenever I had a sleepover, we pulled that cushion off and put it under our sleeping bags. And my daughter does the same thing with her friends.

The wood frame is beautifully carved -- they just don't make things like this today.

Look at the scroll arm, with it's delicate line of drooping bluebells. I'm a flower fanatic, so I find this little touch so endearing. And of course, the sofa holds fond memories for me. My mother and I used to move this sofa all over the room in our fits of furniture rearranging. I opened my Christmas presents here, including a very desired and unexepected gift. And when my children were born, and we brought them home from the hospital, it was here we sat to let their grandparents hold them for the first time. I love this sofa. I just think it's beautiful.

It's my favorite piece of furniture.