Photo by Line Klein (see more) for ALT Interiør // Styling by Nicola Kragh Riis
OK, that’s just perfect. Yep, we’re all done here, no need to look at any more interiors, ever. Bye, everyone!!
(EDIT: The more I look at this room, the more I love it. I’m going to post a breakdown tomorrow of everything in it with links to the artists’ shops and the lamps and so on!)
You know when it’s 2AM and you can’t sleep so you’re watching videos of porcupines eating pumpkin and obsessively searching for vintage rugs on eBay and then you start looking at all of the nice Danish furniture you can’t afford and fantasizing about a wealthy benefactor giving you one just because…and also paying off your mortgage at the same time? Well, that’s how I cope with insomnia, and it was on a sleepless night a few weeks ago that I realized the Mayor sofa from &tradition is truly the stuff my dreams (well, the ones I’d have if I could fall asleep) are made of.
In 1939, Danes Arne Jacobsen and Flemming Lassen designed Søllerød Town Hall (now Rudersdal Rådhus) and everything in it, including the Mayor sofa. As far as I can tell from pasting Danish text into Google translate, the sofa was never in full production as a consumer product. Danish furniture company &tradition changed that this year, and the Mayor sofa is now available in a bunch of colors, fabrics and wood options. In the US, it’s carried by A+R.
LOOK AT IT, LOOK AT IT. That’s the best sofa ever, right? The way the high back curves into the arms, the thin seat cushion, the subtle tufting, those sturdy wood legs and the exposed frame…yes, yes, yes. This is everything I’ve ever wanted from a sofa. Well, not everything, because it’s totally and completely forever out of my budget, but hey, this is a fantasy.
Arne Jacobsen did everything just right. Sigh.
More fantasizing: Maybe DWR will start carrying it and I’ll find one at the Annex for $500. And it’ll just have, like, a little coffee stain on it that I can cover with a pillow. I would accept the coffee stain, and maybe even love the sofa a little more because of its flaw. That’s how it would be. My sofa.
Photo by Line Klein (see more) for ALT Interiør // Styling by Nicola Kragh Riis
69 Comments
THAT SOFA IS HOT!
…I am too boring for this sofa. Getting a new Room&Board Jasper delivered next week. :S
My mother has the Jasper — it’s nice! Not boring at all. 🙂
This is my second Jasper! They hold up well. At least I picked a new color this time. 😛
And all of the colors are the perfect shade of everything. I think if I start saving now I *might* have enough by the time I have an actual place to put it in.
(Also, those fly chairs!)
I just realized your blog is like a vision board. You put it here (Smeg) and it manifests! Better start thinking about which color you want your sofa to be…
Hahahah, unfortunately it doesn’t really work that way!
or does it….http://www.doorsixteen.com/2011/09/20/let-there-be-random-light/
Does this mean I have been reading your blog for too long?
But that’s only when thrifting is involved or when there are DWR miracles! This sofa isn’t widely available enough here for that to happen. Now, if DWR starts carrying it then that’s a possibility, but there’s a HUGE HUGE HUGE difference between a light fixture and a gigantic sofa. Even a 50% reduction is still completely beyond what I’d spend on a sofa…
Of course. I was just being a little silly, because I remembered the lamp and how it came your way. That was cool! My mind was half on getting dinner organized though, so I forgot any sort of punctuation that would let you know I wasn’t being serious. I’ve been reading long enough to know you work hard and don’t expect things to fall into your lap.
I knew you were joking, I just got carried away wondering if I really COULD miracle-blog its way into my life, hahahaha
That would be amazing! If that guy could trade his way up from a paper clip to a house, I think anything is possible. My go-to daydream is a little teardrop trailer. I would love to conjure one of those up.
What is a Jasper?
I see the gorgeousness that you mention (I saw it in a magazine yesterday as well), but it doesn’t look very comfortable. So I have to reserve my final opinion. Because the first function of a couch is comfort in my mind. That first picture is just great! Kind regards, Simone.
Jasper is the name of a sofa style from Room & Board.
Yeah, I have to agree. I love the look of this sofa but I am definitely questioning the comfort level. Does anyone have one/has anyone experienced one of these and has a full report? I remember discovering this couch: http://www.organicmodernism.com/index.php?p=135 and loving it, when I went to the store to try it out it was about as comfortable as sitting on a rock.
I do love everything, aesthetically, about that room though 🙂
I don’t really like squishy/plushy sofas, personally — I prefer a firmer, more structured seat.
Considering the Mayor sofa is about $8000, I’m not too worried about the comfort factor. Hah.
Yes, I wonder about the comfort factor – it IS beautiful, but I went from a plushy couch to a thin-cushion (that’s also a little lower to the ground) and it just isn’t the same. Googling the Jasper now…
Oh, the Jasper looks nothing at all like this one, but it’s definitely a very popular, reliable sofa. (It’s not my style, but it looks great in other people’s houses!)
I was just thinking the same thing–that it looks kind of hard and uninviting, not like a flop-down-and-stretch-out sofa, as opposed to a costly piece of sculptural perfection not intended for actual use. But the proportions and sinuous curve are lovely.
Well, I’ll just have to bring all of them to my house. Sorry!
That sofa. Need.
Love the one in pink. I perfer firmer sofas, this looks like it would be okay. I was uber lucky a couple of years ago and won the blu dot One Night Stand Sofa. Some folks think its too firm…but for me, its just right. Maybe its because I already have enough cushioning on my backside 🙂
HAH! Yeah, the same could be said for me, Keyse. 😀
Two beautiful styled rooms, I’m dreaming now too.
Lovely sofa, but I’m really crushing on the gallery wall.
you could rock that sofa, FER SURE. this whole post is eye candy. yum.
do you know where one could find a link to that print with the person with a fur looking vest and pink clouds in the first photo? i’ve seen it somewhere else but can’t find it now. i love it. and i want it.
happy holidays!
Rachelle, the artist’s name is Samantha Totty. You can buy her work (including that print!) on Society6:
http://society6.com/SamanthaTotty
We finally realised our dream and bought our first grown up sofa this year – a 1957 Hans Wegner oak daybed. It was definitely worth the wait. We found it second hand and had it restored and life is beautiful! Ha! And yes, anything from Arne Jacobsen is fabulous! xx
Ahhh…that sofa! Want one in every room!!
No. But it looks so uncomfortable. Only in my dreams do I sit bolt upright with good posture on my sofa..
I love everything about this room as well…especially all the art. When I first saw this room i desperately searched for the black and white print by One Must Dash (I think it is called Small Talk). I am so glad I found it! I love the pink sofa but as someone else mentioned it doesn’t look very comfortable.
So many comments about the sofa looking uncomfortable, hahaha!! I think I’ve seen that same comment about every single piece of furniture in my house at some point, too. (It’s all very comfortable.)
I think deep, soft sofas are unbearable, personally…
I agree deep, soft sofas are also extremely uncomfortable (because I just seem to fall into them in an extremely uncomfortable position). However, something about this sofa seems very narrow and straight…I kind of like to lounge on mine. B/t/w I love all the furniture in your house and they all look comfortable not to mention fabulous!
I find a sofa with shorter arms more comfortable, but I want every single other thing in that top photo! So glad you’re doing a sourcing post on it tomorrow. I’m despairing of finding those Louisiana posters outside of Denmark, though– they’re my favorite part.
One of the Oxford Colleges (St Catherine’s) is entirely designed by Arne Jacobsen, it is amazing! I was there this week, it has all Arne Jacobsen furniture, clocks, etc too. The scale of the place is also what makes it as the buildings can be surrounded by appropriate landscaping so you get these great vistas. If you are ever passing it is worth a look!
Wow just looked it up, so cool,
Do you know where that grey chair on the left in the last photo is from?? Gotta have it! 🙂
Vanessa, that’s the About A chair from Hay (another Danish company):
http://hayshop.dk/products/25-lounge-chairs/470-about-a-lounge-low-aal82/
I kind of want to live in that room. Can we share? Lol…
Ah what a work of art, and I love a structured chair. Well actually i like to sit up ramrod straight…feet on the floor….aaand relax. I feel like an insect on it’s back on a big couch, especially leather ones…uhhh.
AIN’T NOBODY GONNA RUIN MY SOFA FANTASY BY SAYING IT’S NOT COMFORTABLE
la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
Hahahaha. LOL’d at this comment. That is one gorgeous, tiny sofa.
Tiny?! It’s almost 80″ long! Same size as my IKEA Karlstad sofa, which I’ve never thought of as tiny…
So gorgeous… I think the thing I like most about it is that it’s pretty to look at, but also not too “fancy”, if that makes any sense. I don’t like big, overstuffed couches either – but I also don’t like couches that look like you can’t sit on them. Perfect compromise!
This sofa and the ruche sofa by ligne roset are my favourite sofas and I think I will covet them forever!
… but about that porcupine. I can not stop watching that video.
Right?!?!
Uh oh. That porcupine is too cute for words…
Also. How do people manage to hang their art so perfectly ? And how do they find art that matches so perfectly ?
I spotted it in pink (of course it was the pink one) a couple of weeks ago, and oh man. Can’t stop thinking about it. One would look perfect in your house.
The Borge Mogensen 2213 sofa ruined sofas for me. I’ll never be satisfied until I have it, and I’ll never ever have it. So sad.
gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! major covet. it’s modern and so clean-lined, without being cold. beautiful. i too do not like overstuffed furniture, i feel like i am being swallowed whole. :O i own the ikea stockholm leather sofa, which i adore, and is clean-lined AND very comfy – and was well under 2k when i bought it too, haha. not nearly as beautiful, but of course – this is my reality, not fantasy. 😉
i think the issue with this sofa is not the seat – looks quite comfy to me, but the back – SO upright, tall and thin. NOT a sofa for lounging in front of the tv. it was designed for a town hall folks! remember that! in that instance, it is PERFECT – a place to pause, sit a moment, upright. yea, if i had a house with a spot for a piece of furniture with only that function, i’d get it. well, not really as i cannot afford it in any case 🙂 – and i live in a little bungalow under 1200sf. yeaaaaa……..
it’s a beautiful, beautiful sofa fantasy!
I’m am quite sure it’s much more comfortable in reality than what everyone is imagining based on the photos.
Funny how everyone is so concerned about the comfort factor!
I’m not sure what the chances are you will see this since this post is a few years old but… I’m seriously considering but the Stockholm sofa in the light brown leather…. What do you think now that you’ve had it a few years? Does the leather age well? Do the cushions start to look frumpy and out of shape? I think it looks beautiful but I’m only looking at professional photos on their website.
How dare you show this to me. Now I won’t be able to stop dreaming about it too..
You know… maybe they want to trade one for 3 years of ads on your site… After all, you have a *huge* viewership- most whom have that *exact* taste and style, and you just made every reader lust after that sofa! Imagine if they were to give you one and you posted the followup! Win-win for you and the company!
Hah, I don’t think it works that way! At least not with super expensive stuff like that. Or maybe it does? I don’t know!
I’ll let you know if I come home and find a free $8000 sofa on my porch one day.
I have long stared at this photograph. So looking forward to the breakdown. Meaning sources, not envy-propelled collapse.
It’ll be up in the morning, erjeya! I’m just finishing up the links right now.
You did NOT disappoint. Damn.
isn’t one usually concerned about comfort when considering a sofa? just a thought.
i think it’s a perfect work of art that you can sit on – great for entertaining, but if i wanted a sofa to curl up on and watch a dvd, this wouldn’t be where i’d want to be.
but hey, it’s YOUR sofa fantasy! and it IS beautiful!
i love beautiful pieces, i’m merely a big believer in form follows function. for me, a functional sofa needs to be quite comfy. of course, i want it all too. 😉
Hah, no, it’s not that I’m anti-comfort, it’s that there’s SO MUCH focus on something that would need to be determined in person (as in by sitting on the actual sofa), not from a set of photos all taken from virtually identical angles. As far as I can tell, no one commenting here has actually seen or sat in this sofa in real life, so…well.
The other thing is that it seems a little like speculating on the gas efficiency of a Ferrari. That’s a primary concern for many (most?) people buying cars, but are they actually going to buy Ferraris? Probably not, so maybe it’s OK to just appreciate the beauty and not worry about the other stuff. That’s kind of how I feel about this (unattainable but beautiful) sofa.
I have the Ikea rug pictured…it’s start right?!
…a start…
Thank you for the breakdown of all these pieces! Love the little dog, love the number next to the dog, love the coffee table (I’ve mulled over that Urban Outfitter one), and love the lamp on the table (and the IDEA of the lamp on the table). What’s bothering me is where the cord would go. In the picture, there isn’t one, of course. You could cut a hole in the table and run a cord through, but then there’s still a cord :). Hmm. Anyway, love, love, love the room and so appreciate all the hard work you did in finding where it all came from. A big thank you.
Hmmm…could I justify the cost of the Mayor by admitting I haven’t bought but one sofa in 26 years?
Don’t hate me Anna but I have this sofa (in grey as pictured, not the pink that I really wanted – husband couldn’t be convinced). Like you, it’s my dream sofa, but I did laugh out loud at the comments above. It is so very, very comfy. admittedly, we have it in our 2nd sitting room, which is more like a reading ‘nook’ so yes, we have a softer, more slouchy TV sofa, but this is just perfect for reading,chatting, socializing with friends etc….and for me I could even sit back and watch TV on it, if we were to ever move it into the main part of the living area.
Anyway, just wanted to tell you it’s great in person, and any British readers out there – it’s currently 15% off online! (The discount was the final straw and made me get it – had been lusting after it for too long!)
Lisa, your comment has made me simultaneously feel smug, greedy AND envious!! 😉
Hello,
i love the small round table on the last picture. do you know the designer or brand?
best wishes
ola
Hi Ola, that’s the Habibi side table from e15, designed by Philipp Mainzer.
http://www.e15.com/?id=615&showUid=137
ahhh THE SOFA! THE ONE AND ONLY!!!
i’ve visited copenhagen a few weeks ago and tried every chair and every sofa at illums bolighus. (https://www.illumsbolighus.dk/)
i found quite a few of jacobsen’s designs like the egg or the swan uncomfortabe – but the mayor sofa is fantastic. i sat down and fell in love, unconditional surrender. the mayor is not only very beautiful – but also super COMFORTABLE.
it’ll take some time but i save money for it….