The Sullivan Sofa (also available in leather).

This is not the classic sofa. Call it what you will: an homage, a knockoff, a clone, a replica, whatever. It looks like that sofa, but it is not.

Now, there are many arguments around this issue. Is it fair to the manufacturer, Knoll, which charges twelve grand and up for this piece, to sell this lookalike for a thousand dollars? Probably not, depending on what metric you use for “fairness.”

On the other hand, the trademark/copyright for this piece is now many, many decades old, and better thinkers than I have made a strong case that the Framers of the US constitution did not intend for that protection to last anywhere near that long.

I tend to view it from a somewhat different viewpoint: The intention of the designers who created MCM furniture like this was to use the (at the time) new mass production methods and materials to create beautiful, functional, and inexpensive furniture for Everyman. It was supposed to be (in current parlance) “furniture for the rest of us.”

It has, instead, become vastly expensive, so much so that it is really furniture for rich people now, and I think that makes a travesty of the original intentions of its creators. In any event, I’ll be running a fair amount of these posts, with sourcing for items you might like to use in your own home, at quite reasonable costs.

If, for instance, you click on the link at the top of either this post, or this page, and end up purchasing the piece, MCMI will receive a commission on the sale, which will go to help support the blog – a win-win situation for all of us, it seems to me. You get a gorgeous piece of MCM-styled furniture, and we get a modest emolument against expenses here.

And if you’d like to complement a Knoll-style sofa with matching Knoll-style chairs like the ones pictured in this vignette, well, those are available, too, in both fabric and
leather upholstery.
UPDATE:

Introducing the Kennedy Chair (in leather, too).

The Final Piece of the Puzzle: The Sullivan Ottoman (also in leather).

It is no secret that I think one of the triumphal accomplishments of the MCM era of home furnishings is the suite of furniture Florence Knoll designed as “meat and potatoes” furniture.

Here are two more pieces in this wonderful puzzle: Above, the “Sullivan Bench,” (also available in leather) and below, the “Sullivan Ottoman” (also available in leather).

Use your imagination. You can set up the ottoman as an extension of either your Sullivan chair or sofa, to make a recliner-type arrangement. The bench is perfect against a wall for backup seating. It’s only real rival for sheer design brilliance is the iconic Nelson bench, at least as far as I’m concerned.

Thrive builds very high quality furniture, and this particular group is my favorite of everything they offer. If you like MCM style, you’ll love these pieces. Clice either the link or the picture for further information.