Like our headboards and chairs, we also have many tricks and tips for making your sofas stand out. Whether it is an inside out sofa, a sofa bed, a howard or a chesterfield, we are going to take you through how we dress our sofas to make them unique.

Inside Out Sofa

In this sitting room, we have an inside out sofa with an oversize scroll back and globe shaped legs. We covered this piece in a plain boiled wool by Holland and Sherry and added characterful plaid stripes. If you look closely, you will also notice the inside stitching which holds the two fabrics together. It is such a playful detail.

In this suite at The Soho Hotel, we have repeated the concept with red, white and blue wools. Resting in front of the Rick Rack curtains, it makes for a strong statement piece and grounds the room.

Here is one more example … We love the clash of the zingy green and citrus yellow.

The Chesterfield

The chesterfield sofa is one of our favourite styles due to its grandeur and the deep button detailing. It’s perfectly at home in the surrounds of the wood panelled Drawing Room at Covent Garden Hotel.

This particular chesterfield has been upholstered in Mulberry’s Pageant Stripe, which is a lively multi-coloured jacquard. We have piped the sofa in a sunny yellow leather and used the same bright yellow for the deep buttons.

In our newly refurbished Terrace Suite at The Soho Hotel, we have upholstered these two large chesterfields in Kit Kemp’s ‘Chainstitch’ fabric for Hazleton House. We have self-piped the sofa and used the same fabric for the deep buttoning, keeping it sleek and sophisticated.

The Willow Sofa

The Willow Sofa is one of our own contemporary sofa designs. Comfortable yet tailored it has a double row of studding, contrast piping and mattress style cushion seats. The arms are folded back, creating a comfortable padded side. Here we have upholstered the sofa in my ‘Ikat Weave’ design for Christopher Farr Cloth. Our take on this ancient design is a vivid and contemporary interpretation, inspired by the Turkish modern flat weaves I love. The stronger more intense oranges blend with lighter tones of green and the red punctuates the design, giving it that extra edge.

At Bergdorf Goodman in New York, we created a living space within the seventh floor loft space by framing the mantlepiece with two Willow Sofas. One dressed in Ikat Weave and the other in my ‘Friendly Folk’ fabric for Andrew Martin in the basil green colourway. This fabric is inspired by 16th century tapestries and shows bushy tailed creatures among the rolling English hills.

Mix and Match It

In this monochrome scheme at Dorset Square Hotel, the sofa has been upholstered in a fun and contemporary way by combining two of the same pinstripe wools in reverse colourways. We always like to include a hint of playfulness in a more serious room.

These are the sketches that we sent to our very clever upholsterers who turn our designs into a reality.

In this joyful room, we have used a mixture of colourful linens to make up these sofas. If you can’t decide on a fabric, why not choose a combination of materials to make a truly bespoke piece of furniture.

In the Drawing Room at The Soho Hotel, we have used two varying fabrics on the sofa. On the back, we have used a checked stripe in a lime green by George Spencer, and on the front is a larger checked pattern called Kenia by Abbott and Boyd. To separate the two fabrics we have used a bright pink leather piping, which holds the sofa together in a cheerful way.

Appliqué

To finish, we are going to show you our favourite appliqué sofa designs by Pippa Caley. In the Library at The Soho Hotel, two large Pippa Caley sofas dominate the room, each embroidered with individual delicate flowers and petals. The soft boiled wool panels have been embroidered together with lime green flashes, yellow ochres and sages. The detail in her work is mesmerising.

There are so many ways to dress your sofa, we hope this post inspires you to try something new!