In September, I posted about "The Sofa That Wasn't", which is this Lee Industries sofa (below). I had coveted this sofa for a long time but decided not to order it (during a custom furniture sale) due to concerns about dimensions of the piece (read my post here) and not being able to sit on it. I have tried enough Lee furniture to know that the seat will feel great in their Haven fill package, but I was concerned about seat depth (24", requiring a pillow behind you) and the deep rake of the back:
I have tried quite a few Lee pieces in the meantime and know that I might have to order a piece "sight unseen". I am becoming more comfortable with that as I know how their seats feel and what dimensions work best for our bodies. But it is hard to know how the back will feel.Because I'm 5'5", I don't even consider a seat height above 18" nor a seat depth above 22" if I want my feet to hit the floor! However, a seat depth at or above 22" does work well for curling up your feet under you (which I like to do while reading). 22" is the perfect depth for sitting normally and curling up.
I also like a tight back as I don't want a lot of pillows, which to me look messy. And because I have a very bad back, I tend to like taller backs, which make it feel supported. So many criteria! Besides size, this furniture will be used a lot for reading and resting, so it has to be comfortable, besides looking crisp and elegant.
At the time I was considering the sofa, I also coveted this Lee chair, a modern wingback (which I had sat in and LOVED). I did not initially love the look of the chair (I didn't even notice it at first) but it felt wonderful to sit in. It had me at hello as a perfect reading chair:
In the last few months, I've been on the prowl around town, trying sofas and chairs everywhere. While I have found many pretty items, nothing has met all my criteria and my other high standards: perfect dimensions, clean-lined with a nod to traditional, very comfortable, plenty of beautiful natural fabrics to choose from, and environmentally-friendly.
I know exactly what I want if I could just afford to custom-design my own!!
I am still thinking about the Lee sofa. Here it is in the apartment-size (76") with a slipcover. We would need to get this size as the full-size (94") is too large:
To throw a wrench in the works, I just discovered this newly-introduced sofa on Lee's website:
It is only 75" long but the interior length is 67" which means I can lay the length of it!!! And the scale is perfect, with an 18" high seat and a 22" seat depth, perfect for me and the same as our current sofa. I would prefer a bench seat (which Lee can probably do for extra). Now I am wondering if I can live with the slip-covered look.
I've always adored slip-covers in other people's homes, but prefer the more polished look of legs for our house. This little sofa is very tailored and more "skirted" than slip-covered and I think it looks very refined in its skirt.
The coordinating chair resembles more of a slip-covered look, but is also listed on Lee's site as upholstered. I think the chair is just darling. I don't think I would ever tire of a classic piece like this. It has all the right dimensions too, but the back is not quite as high as I normally prefer:
I think the slipped look would be nice in our living room which already has plenty of legs (the console table, the coffee table, the cabriole leg on the china cabinet, and the little armchair which is waiting to be reupholstered), as you can see from these Christmas photos. Legs o' plenty!:
Since I just bought a new car and spent $2k today on winter tires and rims, I think it will be a LONG while before I allow myself out of the house with my wallet to go further than the grocery store. So I may have a while to dream about this...
What do you think? Do you like the tailored slipcover look? Or do you think I should follow my first instincts and get the deep sofa (which would be great for curling up on) and the chair I loved? I do think the second set looks more attractive and coherent but the chair is not as good for reading.
Thoughts?
