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Patterned Sofa from Pinch Design

So the Mad House totally likes to think of itself as a House of the People. To that end you can read about cushions from H&M one week and tiny one man band design studios the next. And all those ingredients need a little bit of high end spice thrown in to balance it.

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This week that is the work of husband and wife team Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon, whose work at Pinch is renowned for its sublime and understated wooden furniture. Their stuff is, quite simply, gorgeous and they have now added a range of upholstery.

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My favourite of these is Claude. Now I wouldn’t have thought I was a patterned sofa kinda gal but Claude is pretty special. It’s all about how you do it. I stayed in a Soho House hotel at the weekend (renowned for their amazing decor I just want to live in every branch – google it and you’ll see what I mean) and the carpet on the corridors was patterned. I know. I shock myself. But it wasn’t wall to wall patterned carpet, which would be a bit pub, it was a runner laid on dark wooden parquet. It looked stunning and had me thinking that when the time comes to replace the spots on my stairs, I might be looking at a dash of flowery carpet.

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And it’s the same with Claude. On the face of it you don’t want a patterned sofa. But Claude is grey with big white flowers with orange centres. And he looks great. But if you don’t love Claude like I do then have a look at some of their other pieces.

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When it comes to furniture then it’s often time to consider investing. Buy the best you can afford, you won’t regret it. Sometimes you can work your way up; I do it with clothes. I might buy a cheap green top to see if I really do like the colour/fit/style and if I find I am wearing it all the time then I might try and find something similar in slightly better quality as I know it’s going to work and I will want it to last for a long time.

Kate Watson-Smyth

The author Kate Watson-Smyth

I’m a journalist who writes about interiors mainly for The Financial Times but I have also written regularly for The Independent and The Daily Mail. My house has been in Living Etc, HeartHome and featured in The Wall Street Journal & Corriere della Sera. I also run an interior styling consultancy Mad About Your House. Welcome to my Mad House.