Italian Two-Seat Velvet Sofa with Fairytale Fabric, 1960s
Sold
Ref: B-034
- Period
- 1960s
- Origin
- Italy
- Materials
- velvet, printed fabric, brass
- Color
- Green velvet / multicolour print
- Condition
- Good — original upholstery, wear consistent with age
- Height
- 82 cm
- Width
- 130 cm
- Depth
- 62 cm
- Seat height
- 33 cm
Some furniture tells you everything about the era that made it, and this Italian two-seater is a love letter to the 1960s — a decade when playfulness and craftsmanship could coexist without apology. The green velvet frame, with its elegantly curved armrests and gently rounded back, is the picture of mid-century sophistication. And then you look at the seat.
The decorative fabric on the seating area depicts scenes from Little Red Riding Hood — classical illustrations repeated across the surface with the confidence of a designer who understood that storytelling and furniture share the same purpose: to bring people together. The contrast between the refined velvet body and the narrative print creates a tension that is equal parts charming and audacious.
This example retains its original upholstery, which is in good condition with wear consistent with six decades of life. The brass legs — elegant and slender — remain bright and structurally sound. The printed fabric, remarkably, has preserved its illustrative detail.
Italian furniture of the 1960s often walked a line between high design and decorative art, and this sofa straddles that boundary with particular flair. It belongs alongside the more whimsical output of Fornasetti or the illustrative textiles of Gio Ponti — pieces where surface decoration was not merely applied but integral to the concept.
This is furniture as conversation starter, as art object, as cultural artefact. Place it in a study, a salon, or a collector's living room, and it will reward attention for years to come.