Six of the Best: Curved Sofas

This is the part of the year where the actual stuff catches up with the endless trend reports. Back in April I wrote, not for the first time, that curves were the new shape. I didn’t say then, and wonder now, if they are an antidote to the clean, straight lines of mid-century modern. Be that as it may, there is always a time lag between what you see at said trade shows and what you see in the shops.

But they’re here now. Two of these are from Heals, the high end of the high street, so if this is out of your budget, then wait another few months and it will filter down. Now, as ever, yes this is a fashionable shape but that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to buy one.

If you love and think you would love it even if everything else was a rectangle then you should go for it. A trend is only a trend if, for you, it’s a passing fad. Curved sofas can be a brilliant solution as they contrast with all the straight lines in a room. For what it’s worth, I would say that if you don’t want to be “trendy” I would stick with a rectangle or square coffee table rather than adding more curves to the mix. That might look like you were buying whole heartedly into the fashion – a bit head to toe Burberry rather than just taking the parts that are right for you and your home.

Kris Manalo, Senior Upholstery Buyer at Heal’s, said: “Curves have become a recent trend within interiors, taking centre stage at prominent design fairs from Salone to Maison et Objet. This comes as part of a movement away from the hard lines of mid-century modern and introduces soft, organic profiles that are not only gentle on the eye but create a more relaxed appeal within the scheme.

“Curved furniture can create a beautiful statement, particularly when paired with tactile fabrics such as velvet or bouclé wool. Our new season collections are influenced by the refined opulence of the Art Deco era, with swooping lines and arched profiles to soften those boxy, rigid edges within a room for an elegant and sumptuous feel. Curved profiles are perfectly suited to contemporary, minimalist schemes.”

As you can see from these they come in all shapes and sizes and you don’t have to have a huge room to have a curved sofa. Yes, two facing each other in a large square room where one has its back to the door, will look amazing (Cherry I’m looking at you) but equally a smaller one that has its back to the wall with the ends curving slightly away will work well in a typically narrow Victorian terrace.

What’s more the curves at the ends also mean you might be able to tuck a tall, narrow floor lamp behind each end, overlooking the sofa, which will work beautifully as reading lamps and you won’t need a side table – so it might even save you space. You can put your drinks on the coffee table in front.

Below is a modular version from Habitat which, to my eyes at least, is a much more pleasing shape than the more common version of two rectangles stuck together and is just curvy enough to look good and not so curvy that you might mistake it for a fashion only.

And of course the Tiffany, which I have featured before, but which was the first to of the so-called High Street end of the collection. This is a stunning sofa but I’m not sure it could be your only sofa in a television room. It’s more of a chatting sofa than a Netflix and popcorn sofa, although I think it would be perfect for one to lie on but two would have to sit quite upright.

So what do you think? Curved sofas yay or nay?