The Breck sofa
The stuff of country houses in Connecticut and of country clubs,
its arms are sloping with scroll pleats and inset panel; the back
tight, the cushions loose, with welting and a carefree 3-part kickpleat skirt. We imagine Katharine Hepburn lounging on this smart
sofa in The Philadelphia Story.
Rockefeller armchair designed
by Jean-Michel Frank, ca.
1937
All Frank's creations are plain, strange,
supremely elegant; the Rockefeller
is no exception. The exposed wood
frame and leg are sheathed in silver
leaf, likely to oxidize with age; the seat
and back are tight and pullover. This
chair is masculine in shape, feminine
in surface, making it an androgynous
ideal in furniture. Imagine Cary Grant
and Eva Marie Saint, in Hitchcock's
North by Northwest, sipping Gibsons
while facing each other in Rockefeller
armchairs.
HYLAND
