Although its authorship remains a mystery, it is said that the Chesterfield sofa was created from early XNUMXth century to furnish with packaging the select clubs where the men of London's high society attended, and its design was thought to keep the back straight and place the arms with bearing, hence the backrest and the armrests are at the same height. What is indisputable is the permanence of the so-called "Chester" sofa in the world of decoration; characterized by its quilted motifs and decorative studs, it is defined by its elegance, craftsmanship and compactness.
Over time the original dark tones were replaced by skins in bright colors and even for different luxurious fabrics such as velvet, silk or canvas. Today Chester vintage sofas are listed, both in antique shops and on the internet, but it is also possible to commission the design to a good cabinetmaker and give it a touch vintage if we choose an aged leather or an old fabric with which to upholster it.
In the middle of the XNUMXth century, the possibilities of using the Chester were expanded by developing its sofa bed version, which has continued to be produced to this day. It has a lot to do with the fact that it is a really versatile and easy-to-frame piece of furniture, since it fits equally in a hotel, a company or a private home; It works as a key piece in the living room, a room divider, in a relaxing and reading corner, in the bedroom, the office, the hall or even on the porch. There is not a sofa that has had so many revisions and at the same time continues to maintain its spirit so strongly.
Nor has there been a sofa model more versioned: This design by Paula Navone for the firm Baxter simplifies the forms of the classic Chester sofa and extends the tufted throughout the entire sofa, Italianising the codes of an essentially British furniture.
One version futuristic and reduced from Chester would be the Star System collection, created by Enrico Buscemi and Piergiorgio Leone for Giovannetti collezioni. As monobloc sculptures, these sofas are made of high-density polyurethane foam, removable bioelastic upholstery and steel buttons that shine when the light hits them. Despite the state-of-the-art materials, it seems that things have not changed much in the last 200 years ...
More information - Choose vintage furniture for your home
Sources - In the name of vintage, Deco Soul, Easy peasy, Internum, dezeen, forest sofa