I just about blew my eyeballs out researching this story. I hunted and pecked all over the world wide web looking for affordable, new sofas in the mid century modern style. “Affordable”? The sofas shown here are $700-$1,999. “Mid century modern style”? Some of these are more “modern,” I’d say, than they are “mid century modern”, but I gave some latitude.
Also, I am not an expert on all the modernist furniture designers from back in the day so, again, I erred on the side of including more options rather than getting all twisted about how “authentic” each design might be.
To start, above in the orange: Gracie sofa by Perch Furniture. Based in Portland (there is a bird in their logo tee hee), workshop in LA. These guys get double extra bonus points for rockin’ the orange. (God help me, all the greiged-out neutrals on these furniture websites had me on a rip-roaring rant revival.) Gracie sofa by Perch Furniture.
Orange was too hard to resist for my lead photo, but this Lily sofa (above in gray) from Younger Furniture is my #1 favorite mid century modern reproduction sofa on the market today. As Gavin pointed when I originally posted about Younger, this is very similar to original Dunbar designs. There are additional modern designs from Younger Furniture, which also are well executed — like the sofas and chairs that Dave and Kristin used in their house. Mid century modern sofas from Younger Furniture
When I was at Rejuvenation Lighting two years ago, I saw this line of furniture for sale in their large showroom. It’s Castellano Custom Furniture — made right in Portland, and it sure appeared to be the real deal. I’m not sure it really hits under $2,000, but I’m putting it in anyway, it’s probably in the range. Modern sofa from Castellano Custom Furniture.
Gus Modern has a lot of styles — they seem to be going after this market pretty aggressively. Mid century modern sofas from Gus Modern
I love the look of this Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Cara sofa. Not sure if it’s really less than $2,000, but I’m guessing it’s close. There are some other possibilities in this line, as this is a company that tracks trends. Cara sofa by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.
You got your numerous choices from West Elm.
I was surprised that Room & Board did not have a wider array of mid-century modern style sofas. The only one I really thought fit my *I’ll know it when I see it* criteria, and which was less that $2,000, was the Dean. Mid century and modern sofas by Room and Board.
The lines of CB2’s Avec are too forced for me, but it seems to have its fans. Avec sofa from CB2.
Crate & Barrel gets in, with their Petrie Sofa. How do they get away with using that name without licensing it from The Dick Van Dyke Show? Petrie sofa from Crate and Barrel.
Arlington sofa from Pottery Barn.
There are some *possibilities* in this collection by Michael Weiss for Vanguard. One thing to consider and check for, on all the sofas that I show, is their size and scale. Back in the day, sofas were not 40″ deep — oversized — the way they often are today. Some of these sofas are more less-deep and less-high than others — more “authentically” proportioned for smaller mid century rooms with lower ceilings. Mid century = long, low, horizontal lines. On the other hand, deep sofas can be very comfortable if you are tall or large and also if you like to hunker down to watch TV. So — thinking about the proportion of the sofa to your space, vetted with how you will realistically use it, is the task. Note, I also could not get a retail price on this Weiss sofa without giving my coordinates to an online quoting place, which I refuse to do. (This exercise also made me an expert on website design and marketing for furniture makers, I swear. If any manufacturers want to hire me for a 25-point checkup, send me an email.) I’m going to guess that this, and others in this Vanguard line come in under $2,000 if you don’t go too crazy with the upholstery. Michael Weiss mid century style sofas for Vanguard.
Don’t forget to check Ethan Allen.
Here’s the True Modern Luna sofa, with its Danish Modern legs. Check out this company’s Sample Sale area, too. Luna Sofa from True Modern Furniture.
Blu Dot has a few options, and sounds like an interesting company. Paramount sofa by Blu Dot.
Bloom sofa from Dania. $699 – made in China. Don’t yell about only this one, though, I think most of the Gus Moderns are from China, too. I did not check country of origin as I did this research. Dania’s other sofas also are modern designs, at relatively low prices. Bloom sofa from Dania.
Okay, I’m sticking this one in — the Blake Sofa at Circle Furniture actually has a 1940s 1950s vintage Heywood Wakefield look, to me, especially with that contrast welting. There is another sofa in their line, the Collingwood, that has a modern feel. It is apartment sized, 75″. Blake Sofa from Circle Furniture.
Hey, do not be forgetting, you can STILL get Heywood-Wakefield sofas — NEW. Yes, they are still being manufactured, by a company that bought the rights. That’s the Margaret, above. I’m not counting this in my “mid century modern” count, though. Heywood-Wakefield sofas still made today.
The sofas at Lee Industries tend much more toward traditional and even wonderful mid-century modest. Boy oh boy, the Lee page is fun to look at — so many shapes and sizes — it’s a sofa primer: Sofas by Lee Industries.
Gosh. I am a perfectionist, so I just kept looking and looking til I couldn’t look no more. Did I miss any companies making mid mod sofas? If so, let me know in Comments, and I’ll add it to this list — which I would love to be #1 most conclusive in the interior design blog world. Thank you!
Nancy W says
I am fortunate that I found a real leather mid century sofa from a doctor’s office in the small town where I live. One tiny flaw; paid $125. and it is so comfortable. It is very long, I am very short and sleeping on it is wonderful…
Sarah V says
I don’t know if I’ve missed it, but what about the Karlstad from ikea? http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70184996/
It comes in either wool or leather as a L shaped sectional, sofa or loveseat. It’s got the clean lines and tufting of the MCM period, and at under $580 USD or $780 CAD for the wool loveseat it’s pretty nice on the wallet to boot!
martha says
Hi, thank you for the list. I loved the one at Circle Furniture but the link was not correct. If you are looking for it, here is the correct link.
http://www.circlefurniture.com/catalog/details.html?x=352&t=sofa%2Floveseat
On to chairs….
lolo341 says
Armen Living has some fabulous selections, including the 725 Centennial. See http://www.armenliving.com/sofas/product/26/centenial.html# . However, it seems like most of their retail is online, and we all know the fear factor of buying a sofa unseen. (Nice to know the folks who’ve bought the Younger have been happy). I was also troubled by the fact that none of the retailers that offer the sofa or loveseat list any information about the materials used, so I called the company and am well glad I did. My key areas of concern are “made in China” and the cushions are not high density. I suspect they’d need re-upholstering much much sooner than later. So goodbye extraordinary eggplant (oh the dreams I’ve had!) and on to Macy’s Morgan in red for me. I drooled over these images for a year, but I’d rather go with something I’ve parked my butt on in person and from a local retailer. The Morgan is manufactured by MaxHome (USA) and it’s a green friendly company too! http://maxhome.us/responsible-impact.html p.s. Great post, Pam!
Joanna says
Also take a look at roomandboard.com. We have the yellow Ansen sofa and have been very happy with it.
http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/product/detail.do?productGroup=19079&catalog=filter&menuCatalog=room&menuCategory=201&menuSubcategory=198
Rene says
Heather, it’s great! I truly love it. All the seams, tufting & buttons are done well. Appears top quality to me. And, no cushion sagging. In fact it’s very tight and you sit up rather high…In fact, I’m hoping they relax a little over time. I have one long bench-style cushion and it does get a crinkle in the fabric when you sit for a period of time, but it goes away shortly after you get up or give it a little pat. You probably wouldn’t experience that with two cushions. Now, I just need to find a couple of loungy-type chairs!
I really like the sofa you’re considering! Good luck!
Heather says
Than you SO much for the helpful info! We’re going this weekend so sit on another model a local store has, to check quality and comfort. That might help us make our decision. The sofa we want is similar to Macy’s Morgan Sofa, but I’ve heard inconsistent reviews on the quality of their sofa’s over time. Younger’s Lily Sofa is to DIE for, but we want to be able to flip the cushions and whatnot.
Thanks!
Rene says
Thank you for this great article and everyone’s comments and suggestions – which led me to Younger Furniture’s 40530-Sofa. It just delivered in a reddish/orange nubby fabric and it is SEXY! I was hesitant to buy off the internet, but I am really pleased. It’s quite comfortable and seems to made very well.
I needed a sofa quickly and Younger has a quick ship program that’s out the door in 5 days. Unfortunately their customer service folks aren’t as quick, and it was shipped to the wrong state, which added a couple of days.
http://youngerfurniture.com/40505-orig.gif
pam kueber says
Yum!!!
Heather says
Rene,
A month later now…how is your new Younger sofa holding up? Any regrets? do the cushions sag?
I’m considering ordering one without sitting on it first, but am very hesitant. Local furniture shop owners said it’s the best quality you can buy, in that lower price point.
I am considering this one: http://www.youngerfurniture.com/460%20copy.jpg
gsciencechick says
I tried out this 46020 model yesterday and I also liked 45530, which is not quite as retro looking. Both of them, I didn’t want to get up, so that is a good sign. The shop said they have had Younger for about 7 years and have had virtually no problems with them at all. They said the 46020 is their best selling model. Just need to make sure DH is on board, and, hopefully, we are good to go. They said order before Oct to avoid price increases. Lead time is 4 weeks he said.
Thad says
Just the list that I was looking for. Thank you!! Now I need to see if you have one for lounge seating.
Rav says
Avoid the Petrie Sofa from C&B at all costs. The buttons are not tight enough and they come out and poke your butt. After two weeks sitting on it just to watch a few movies, the cushions were flat and uncomfortable (and I’m only 125 lbs).
It is beautiful and it is a great buy if you plan to never sit on it, but for utility choose another sofa.
Robin says
Interesting. We bought the floor display model over a year ago and haven’t had a single issue with it. We loooove the Petrie. And we even bought it in white.
Stacy says
I have to agree with Rav. I bought this sofa a little over a year ago and although I love the way it looks (paid extra to get custom fabric “groovy turquoise”) the cushions flatten out pretty quick with regular use. For the price, I definitely would expect it to hold up better.
Diane says
We’ve had the Petrie for 2 years and sit on it all the time and it’s been great, no problems.
cheryl says
For those of who who’ve got the Petrie sofa, can you please share your experience in cleaning it? I have the original upholstery in white (before they changed upholstery vendors to what they’re selling now). I’m not sure if it should be steam- or dry-cleaned. I’m worried the steam cleaning might shrink the cotton upholstery, but that the dry cleaning might remove the stain-gaurd that’s applied to the fibers. Thoughts or suggestions?
pam kueber says
cheryl: you should contact the retailer/manufacturer for their instructions…
Jennifer Jarret says
Hi! I inherited (read: got for free) two great divans (took an antiques class and this was the technical term although I had always called them sofas or love seats) that are covered in gorgeous aqua vinyl. The problem? On one of them the vinyl has split on a corner and the split gets a little bigger every time anyone or anything rests on the seats! Is there a way to repair this sort of problem or at the very least to prevent it from getting worse? Any advice you or readers can offer would be greatly appreciated! I can provide photos if that will help!
pam kueber says
Sorry, Jennifer, I don’t know the answer to this one… Maybe a reader will have an idea or experience….