Design Discovery

So, once in a while you realize that your subconscious knows more than it actually lets on. About four years ago, I spotted a sofa in my friend’s basement. The sofa was small, teak-framed, with orange cushions, and looked european. If you knew my friend Jon, you would realize that this sofa is completely out of place in his house. Jon loves hockey, coke, eating at McDonald’s, and all things tangible and predictable. Jon would be the first to admit he doesn’t ‘get’ art. Though I think he can appreciate a job well done, and could tell with things ‘look nice’. He is a pragmatist and God bless him because we need those kind of people. So back to the sofa, when I saw it, it cried out to me ‘take me home’ so I asked Jon to let me know if he ever was clearing out his basement and needed a new home for his sofa. Fast-forward a few years, and our mutual friend Morganne moved into a little attic up the street, her first ‘solo’ abode, and was in need of some furniture. Jon donated the sofa as a loaner, and it became Morganne’s sofa for the forseeable future. Well, last week, Morganne moved out, and the sofa needed a temporary home. We are working on a little guest cabin in our back yard, and the compact, European design would fit perfectly (if I ever get to finish the drywall). Thus, my son Finn and I hauled the sofa down four sets of stairs, loaded it onto the top of the trusty Suzuki, and off-loaded it into our garage/jam space (for now). While I was re-attaching the legs I noticed a little brand emblem that read ‘France & Son – Denmark’. My curiosity piqued, I did a little Google search and found out that not only was this sofa a true mid-century modern item, but a mint example of it was for sale on an art auction site for $3500. It was then that I understood what my intuition was telling me those four years ago in Jon’s basement: you need to have this sofa. Unfortunately, Jon is not ready to part with it just yet (particularly after I informed him of it’s probably value) but maybe one day he will get in a very pragmatic frame of mind and realize that the sofa needs an new permanent home. Please?