Retro Renovation readers continue to discover amazing retro wonderfulness daily, golly I can hardly keep up with your email tips. But keep them coming! Snaps today go to Helen, who sent me this tip on this amazing vintage sofa sectional on craigslist in British Columbia. Oh my: A 1940s or 1950s style sectional with original upholstery, big as a Studebaker … moreover, lookie the hideaway spaghetti lamps –>
… plus, there’s a hideaway storage in the center, and note how ottomans kind of click in and click out — revealing side tables — when you want to use them. This thing is a triumph of human engineering. Or something.
I immediately contacted the seller, who gave me permission to feature these photos, told me that she is a regular reader of the blog and provided a bit more historical information: “The manufacturer of the sofa is a an old Canadian company – Newport Chesterfield Company of Toronto.” It can be yours, check it out here.
Goes in “woddity” category. Thank you, Helen!
I LOVE, love LOVE it!!! It’s just amazing!!!
Awesome!
Oh, my goodness! I immediately started wondering whether or not you can take a U-Haul on a ferry. Swoooonn!
I got one super similar to this in Winnipeg, MB a month or two ago – didn’t have the pop up lamps but had the hidden tables and the lazy susan in the corner. Mine also has a crazy puffed out flower in the upholstery almost like it’s embossed and reversible cushions for custom colour combinations! It was an absolute score at $125. There is another great one for sale in Winnipeg here:
http://winnipeg.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-furniture-couches-futons-Vintage-rare-sectional-couch-in-amazing-shape-made-in-Winnipeg-W0QQAdIdZ398396134
Very cool! Kali, I’d love to see photos of your sofa and all its features!!! If you’d like to send them, you can first connect with me via the Contact form and then I can give you the email to send photos: http://retrorenovation.com/contact/
I too have a sofa like this!! Mine is not as nice, nor does it have amazing pop up lamps (what a great idea!) but it is more disco-y, with mirrors in the lazy susan and at the arms. I have seen one other one for sale in Ottawa, it was tweedy like the one in the Winnepeg kijiji ad. Mine was also $125
Yeay!!!!
No WAY! That is so awesome I think my brain just turned into spaghetti – I better check the couch to see if I can store it there.
Furniture makers were so ingenious back then. Nowadays, some couches have hidden cup holders and compartments, but the furniture itself isn’t nice and streamlined like this sofa. Plus the scale of the big, puffy sofas of today just doesn’t fit in mid-century (or older) houses and rooms. Even this couch is too big for my modestly sized living room, but hey, it’s free to look.
I have seen a lot of cool vintage sectionals, but never one with POP UP LAMPS!!! OMG if this were local I would be making room for it in the recroom right this minute.
Incredible! I may have to emigrate to Canada
Jaw Woddity Dropping! Unbelievable & such pristine condition!
Ohhhh!! It’s in my area. I’m now mentally rearranging all my furniture to find some way to fit it into my living room.
Multi talented sofa, love it!
Gorgeous! And it explains why my Canadian grandmother referred to all couches as “Chesterfields.”
My grandmother, who was from Pennsylvania, called them ‘davenports’.
My San Franciscan Grandma called a couch with arms as high as the back a chesterfield, the kind where the arms are lower than than the back a sofa and a davenport was a sofa that turned into a bed. I have no idea why.
I also think that all the individual details of that couch are hideous. I loathe that shade of pink, the weird fluting and quilted details look bizarre and those lamps add yet another “pattern” on this overly patterned couch.
And yet terrible as the pieces are, I find the whole FABULOUS, and I don’t think you could change a thing about this couch without making it un-perfect. I don’t know why, but I adore it, and I wish desperately I could design an entire room around this couch. Imagine silver foil wall paper with an Asian inspired design of cranes, cream shag carpet, crystal chandelier, black and burgundy accents and a top hat and cane strewn upon the couch cushions, a half drunk bottle of champagne and a couple of empty glasses on the exposed side table …
My family is from Pennsylvania (prior generations, Ohio and W. Virginia) – but my grandmother called sofas ‘the davenport’ too!!!
WOW! I love all those sofas! I’ve seen some on the Maine CL lately, but not with all the bells and whistles this one has, nor the awesome one on the Winnipeg site (which I LOVE it’s wood/mustard/stripes combo).
I would DEFINITELY make room for one of those in my small-ish LR for $125!!!
I think it is a truly freak couch I ever see but awesome in functional!
I want it.
Just jaw dropping WOW! And, if I could figure out a way to get it to my mom’s house which is only about 100 miles from this and then get it to CA where I live, it would be in my living room!
Folks – I realize $1200 is pretty princely compared to what some of you paid for your chesterfields/davenports/sofa’s/sectionals/couches but this one is SOOO minty, it is worth every penny in my opinion.
FYI: when I sent this to Pam on 7/24, it was $800 … as listed on 7/22.
Helen
!
Wow! I have a sofa very similar in my basement. The seat cushions are reversible and does not include lamps. My grandparents purchased it in the 1960s in Canada and it came with a matching boomerang coffee table, which I also still have.
Everytime people come over they joke around about the ‘mad men’ or ‘rat pack’ sofa!
Pam I just emailed the seller and HOPE it is still for sale and we can make arrangements to bring hom. You know it would be PERFECT for our pad out here, no???? (:
How do these things still manage to exist, THANKFULLY!
I had one of those “if only” moments about 6 months ago with another sectional of all places Canada so this time not going to have it happen.
Fingers crossed.
Good luck!
Hooray..its in the works! Fingers crossed shipping is not a fortune, but I am not going to pass up another amazing sectional from Canada, ha ha! Have you used or know of any reputable/reasonable shipping companies. I am going to contact Plycon, Freighters and Craters and Bekins.
Will keep you posted….
Leslie – good luck! Let us know if you end up being its new owner! You must live somewhere close by – or are you going to have it shipped?
Only a mere 1,300 miles south, but…..
Will keep you posted waiting on some shipping quotes.
When i saw this post i squealed and shouted that i was in love. I made my husband look at it and his reaction was “it doesn’t look very comfortable.” I pointed out all the neat pop outs and hidden areas and he said ” meh, it looks like two weiners touching.”
Suffice to say, we do not have the same taste in furniture.
My grandma (in Saskatoon) used to have that same couch, in green! Unfortunately though, she got rid of it years ago.
The lazy susan is definitely really cool, but I don’t think hers had the built in lamps.
This is GORGEOUS. Okay y’all… check out this sectional that I got today at an estate sale for (get this… brace yourselves) TWENTY-FIVE bucks! I’m still reeling! http://www.shawnanigans.net/2012/07/28/bargain-vapors/
I’m currently getting one of these delights re-upholstered!!! Mine does NOT have the lamps, but it has the bar and the circular footstools! I got mine from my grandfather’s basement. I’m so excited!!!
My aunt had this sofa in royal purple. As a kid I used to love playing with all of the “features”. I can still remember the texture of the fabric (same as photo) and using my finger to trace the stitching on the diamond back – the tufting was very deep and the edges surprisingly rigid. A truly awesome piece of art.