The Washington Post - 05.09.2019

the washington post

.

thursday, september

5

,

2019

DC

8

Christiane Le­

mieux, co­

founder and

chief executive

of the Inside, a

digital home

decorating

start­up,

joined staff

writer Jura

Koncius last

week for our Home Front online

chat. Here is an edited excerpt.

Q: I’m in the market for a new

sofa. I’d love to pick a vibrant

color and/or pattern, but I want

something I’m going to love for

a while. Do you have any

versatile recommendations, or

should I stick with a neutral?

A: With all things decorating,

you should start with what

makes you happy. I often think

what you love wearing is similar

to what you’ll feel comfortable

with in your home. If you’re

someone who loves print and

color and pattern in your

clothing, you’re going to be

really happy living in an

environment that reflects that.

This is a basic design litmus test

for me — look inside your closet

to see which colors you most

gravitate toward, because this is

what will make you most happy

and comfortable. If you want to

take baby steps toward the full

execution of your personal style,

start with your favorite color in

a fabric you love (mine would be

Ocean Velvet) and build around

that.

Q: How do you clean a sofa, and

how often should you do it?

A: The best way to clean a sofa,

honestly, is to hire a service to

do it. If you do a quick search in

your neighborhood, I’m sure you

can find a great professional

cleaner. For the occasional spill,

you can spot-clean. My secret

weapon is Crypton Upholstery

Stain Remover. It’s the

decorator’s inside secret and will

remove stains including lipstick

and red wine.

Q: How should I go about

finding the perfect sofa for my

small apartment? I don’t want it

to seem cramped, but I love the

idea of a cozy sitting area.

A: I love small spaces with large

sofas, because it almost makes it

feel like a built-in. So you get

living room/media room/

hanging lounge all-in-one. To get

this vibe, I would go for a

sectional, because it takes care

of maximizing for a small space

and seating capacity while

minimizing the need for extra

pieces. I would measure your

space and use this as a jumping-

off point for your online sofa

search. The dimensions will

drive your purchase, but you’ll

no doubt have a lot of options,

so think about what colors make

you feel most comfortable and

relaxed.

Q: Two years ago we bought a

sectional we thought was high

quality because it was solidly

built with a steel frame. But

after it was broken in, it offered

little back and thigh support,

and it’s uncomfortable to sit on

for a long time. What should we

look for in the store to be sure

we’re buying something we will

like for the long haul?

A: I’m sorry you had that

experience. Unfortunately, it’s

not uncommon. We never use

steel frames at the Inside

because I’m a stickler for old-

school craftsmanship, and

upholstery is traditionally made

with a wood frame — the only

metal would be in the springs.

Look for something with a wood

frame — I personally believe

that leads to the most

comfortable results. Given that

you’re looking for support, look

for a spring-and-down cushion,

which will give you both support

and comfort.

Q: I recently read that large

coffee tables in front of the sofa

aren’t on trend anymore, and

that multiple smaller tables are.

What are your thoughts?

A: People are starting to think

about furniture in a much more

modular way, and looking for

smaller “bunching” pieces that

can either be used as one large

surface or broken apart while

entertaining to delineate

multiple sitting areas. Some of

the most clever examples have

bunching tables with ottomans

tucked underneath, so you have

the option of several surfaces

and extra seating. If you have

one large piece, you completely

lose the option for versatility.

Q: I have a sofa that I bought in

1994, and it’s in great condition,

but the fabric is worn. Do you

recommend re-upholstering,

donating or buying new?

A: If I were in your shoes, and I

have been many times, I would

do the following:

1) Figure out what fabric I

wanted to re-upholster the sofa

with, because you need a lot of

yardage, and that can really add

up quickly.

2) Get a quote from your local

upholsterer and evaluate that

against the cost of the new sofa

you would love to buy.

I made the mistake once of

not carefully calculating this

and ended up spending way too

much re-upholstering my own

sectional when I would have

been better off donating and

starting fresh.

Q: Over the years, I’ve owned

sofas from Restoration

Hardware, Pottery Barn, Serena

& Lily, and Wayfair and needless

to say, there have been

differences in quality and price.

My tastes change, and I hate to

change out an expensive sofa

every five to seven years if a less

expensive one suits my taste.

Where is the “sweet spot” when

choosing a sofa?

A: I’d encourage you to look to

the new wave of digital home

companies such as ours (plus

Brooklinen, Year and Day, etc.)

that deliver directly from

manufacturers, so you don’t

have to compromise on quality

or price — giving you the

creative freedom to continually

express yourself through your

interior.

Q: I have an amazing lavender

velvet sofa, but I’m having

difficulty layering throw pillows.

When you’re feeling stuck, how

do you approach mixing fabrics

and patterns with fabrics you’ve

already invested in?

A: Luckily, there’s a handy rule

of thumb. When starting with a

foundational piece that is

lavender (an adventurous color,

I love that), I would go back to

the color wheel. Lavender is

made up of blue and red, so

choose patterns and textures in

the red and blue family, and they

will mix beautifully. Yo u can

freely mix large, medium and

small-scale patterns. Think

throw pillows in a mix of large

florals, medium stripes or small

dots. This is a no-fail mixing

trick.

Q: I’m looking to buy a sofa soon

and love some of the options

online, but I just can’t get over

the idea I can’t try it in a store

for comfort — that the seats

aren’t too deep or the cushions

won’t collapse under the weight

of my cats. Any ideas on how to

get around this?

A: The beautiful thing about the

Internet is the proliferation of

honest, third-party reviews. Yo u

can get more real information

from people reviewing products

and posting photos than you

ever could from a traditional

showroom model. When it

comes to a sofa, good questions

to ask any of these companies

are what the frame and pillows

are constructed of, what the

maximum load is (to address

your concerns about collapsing

cushions), and whether they

have a manufacturer’s warranty.

As a fail-safe, companies that

really stand behind their quality

will always offer a 30-day trial

period.

Q: What’s the ideal height and

width for an ottoman, relative to

a sofa’s height and width?

A: It depends on what you’re

using the ottoman for. If you’re

using it as an upholstered coffee

table, the standard is roughly 16

to 18 inches. Of course, a higher

sofa means a higher ottoman.

But if you’re using it as extra

seating, there’s a lot more

flexibility, and it’s much more a

matter of choice. I happen to

love the Inside’s Deco Ottoman

because it’s a great smaller size

that can be tucked under a

coffee table or console and is

always available for extra

seating.

Q: How is upholstery fabric

different from other fabrics? Is it

more or thicker thread, and why

does it cost so much?

A: Upholstery has to adhere to a

different standard than other

fabrics. Here are some tests

upholstery has to pass for it to

meet industry qualifications:

abrasion (meaning the ability to

withstand wear and tear),

colorfastness to light (avoiding

fading over time), flammability,

stain resistance and piling. This

durability is ultimately what

drives up cost in the short term

but benefits the buyer in the

long term.

Q: I love how patterned sofas

look on your website, but how

do you buy one that you can live

with for at least 10 years? How

do you coordinate pillows, paint

and other furnishings so the

room doesn’t get too bold?

A: It sounds as though you

really want to decorate your

space but aren’t sure where to

start. This is where great design

help comes in handy, because

that’s the safest way to get a

scheme that considers all

elements to make a beautiful

room. So either use a digital

decorating service or shoot us an

email. Our in-house design team

would be happy to help you

bring all of these elements

together so you have the space

of your dreams.

[email protected]

 Also at washingtonpost.com

Read the rest of this transcript and

submit questions to the next chat,

Thursday at 11 a.m., at

live.washingtonpost.com.

LIVE Q&A

Christiane Lemieux on everything you need to know about sofas

Ch ristiane

Lemieux

THE INSIDE

If you’re worried about mixing patterns and colors, go back to the

color wheel and find similar tones.

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