Pure Sofa Design By Mehmet Orel For Capella

As the weather grows colder, our minds turn toward nesting and all things soft and cozy. In the wintry months especially, bouclé armchairs, sofas, lounge chairs and other bouclé furniture bring warmth and comfort to our spaces.

This soft fabric is characterized by an irregular pattern of looped threads that yield its rich texture and volume. The yarn from which bouclé fabric is made — the name is French for “buckled” or “curled” and refers to the yarn and the fabric — is made up of twisted fibers. It has been used in furniture to reproduce the look and coarse feel of traditional handwoven textiles since the 1800s. But it was architect and designer Eero Saarinen’s revered Womb chair, crafted for Knoll in the 1940s, that turned this cozy but breathable fabric into a staple of modern furniture design.

Bouclé fabric can be found in mid-century modern, Scandinavian modern and Hollywood Regency furniture styles on 1stDibs, and a range of designers and firms including Pierre Paulin, Christian Sorensen, Fritz Hansen — and, of course, Knoll — have produced covetable bouclé furnishings over the years.

Given that Florence Knoll — a revolutionary modernist designer and former protégé of Eero Saarinen's father, Eliel, at Cranbrook Academy of Art — hoped for "something I could curl up in" when she requested what would become the famous Womb chair (and series), could it have been upholstered in anything other than her company's trademark "Classic Bouclé"?

Find antique, new and vintage bouclé furniture on 1stDibs today.

Black leather, silk velvet cushions, breathable bouclé fabric — when shopping for antique or vintage sofas, today’s couch connoisseurs have much to choose from in terms of style and shape. But it wasn’t always thus. 

The sofa is typically defined as a long upholstered seat that features a back and arms and is intended for two or more people. While the term “couch” comes from the Old French couche, meaning to lie down, and sofa has Eastern origins, both are forms of divan, a Turkish word that means an elongated cushioned seat. Bench-like seating in Ancient Greece, which was padded with soft blankets, was called klinai. No matter how you spell it, sofa just means comfort, at least it does today.

In the early days of sofa design, upholstery consisted of horsehair or dried moss. Sofas that originated in countries such as France during the 17th century were more integral to decor than they were to comfort. Like most Baroque furnishings from the region, they frequently comprised heavy, gilded mahogany frames and were upholstered in floral Beauvais tapestry. Today, options abound when it comes to style and material, with authentic leather offerings and classy steel settees. Plush, velvet chesterfields represent the platonic ideal of coziness. 

Vladimir Kagan’s iconic sofa designs, such as the Crescent and the Serpentine — which, like the sectional sofas of the 1960s created by furniture makers such as Harvey Probber, are quite popular among mid-century modern furniture enthusiasts — showcase the spectrum of style available to modern consumers. Those looking to make a statement can turn to Studio 65’s lip-shaped Bocca sofa, which was inspired by the work of Salvador Dalí. Elsewhere, the furniture of the 1970s evokes an era when experimentation ruled, or at least provided a reason to break the rules. Just about every area of society felt a sudden urge to be wayward, to push boundaries — and buttons. Vintage leather sofas of that decade are characterized by a rare blending of the showy and organic.

With so many options, it’s important to explore and find the perfect furniture for your space. Paying attention to the lines of the cushions as well as the flow from the backrest into the arms is crucial to identifying a cohesive new piece for your home or office.

Fortunately, with styles from every era — and even round sofas — there’s a luxurious piece for every space. Deck out your living room with an Art Deco lounge or go retro with a nostalgic '80s design. No matter your sitting vision, the right piece is waiting for you in the expansive collection of unique sofas on 1stDibs.