Blog of B/A Sofas

There are few activities as relaxing and stimulating as reading. Those who enjoy it so much usually have their own special reading corner within their crib, a place where they like to get lost in the fascinating words of who knows what authors.

Helsinki-based designer Inbar Paradny Kalomidi came up with a fantastic way of enjoying a good book in a versatile, modern environment. His Recamier Reading Corner gives a new meaning to the activity of reading a book. This is a perfect combination between a comfortable chaise-longue and a shelving system. Designed to offer a comfortable position, the recamier can be taken out of its place in the bookcase. A sinuous shape completes the round corners design of the simple, white bookcase and gives it an interesting twist.

With this type of furniture item, reading will seem more intense than ever, as the ergonomics of this design ensures maximum body comfort and a high level of concentration. A light blanket and a comfortable pillow is all you need to feel like this space belongs only to you as long as you enjoy the adventures of the main character in your book. The uncommon reading corner looks perfect for the living room and when it is not in use by one of the passionate “readers” within the home, it can serve as a regular sitting item. With the shelves near by, all of the user’s favorite books are easy to reach and so are other items that can be used during reading intermissions. Keep your books close, maybe a cup of tea and enjoy the wonders and luxury of escaping into fantasy lands of your choosing.

Couch and causette, duchesse and recamier are outcomes of French gallant century. The furniture fabrics actively use the heritage of past epochs.

Now nobody except antiquarian and certificated art historians sees the difference between the couch and other mentioned elements. But any of them has its own history, its own construction. Only one distinctive feature unites the sittings: it is supposed to sit on them lengthways, a little obliquely, not stretching the legs completely.

Couch (from French coucher – “sleep”) This is a soft bench with one armrest or chaise longue with fierce head (in some models its position can be changed). Initially couch, which came into fashion at the times of Louis XV, looked like a stove bench with eight legs without any head. Later it got a back and the number of legs decreased to four.

The modern producers often ascribe such models to “day beds”.

Just two elements of soft furniture sprang from the couch – these are recamier and duchesse. But no the sociable!  The sociable has its own unique history of origin.

Duchesse (from French duchesse – duchess). This is a chaise longue with the back of round form which looks like the form of sociable. Afterwards it transformed into “duchesse-breezie” – a spacious armchair with attached pouffe.

Recamier (from French recamier – the surname of famous society lioness who lived in the end of XVIII—middle of XIX century). There is a portrait painting by Jacques Louis David which is kept in the Louvre where madam Recamier is lying on the couch with character outlines. The owner of the most important in Paris salon invited the famous politicians, poets, artists to her house. It is not surprise that her manner to have guests lying quickly spread to all enlightened society. The couch-recamier acquired “armrest”: it served the continuation of the back (situated in the end of the bench) and repeated the line of the hand stretched along the body.

Causette (from French causette – easy conversation) The years passed, customs became stricter. It was not considered to be a good form. The ladies straightened their backs but did not stop to embrace coquettishly the back of recamier. And then the cabinet-makers created the hybrid – so called causette. The causette is a sofa with the character hollow: here two former “armrests” meet. The lady and the gentleman are sedately sitting on the different sides of causette, there faces are turned to each other. And only putting the hand on the bend of arrest they can touch with the fingers by stealth.

The difference of causette from sofa and banquette is clear: the first one has the full-fledged back, the second one does not have it at all. The causette have the shortened one. Compared with chaise longe this element is shorter and its sit is wider.

So if you decide to make your interior refined, choose a couch or any of its relatives to add some uncommon element to your furniture.