Wassup Wassup Wassup with a Green Sofa?
Part of why I started Sacred and Lit was my desire to reach back in time and play with design with the same level of innocence as when I was a kid. I wanted to make decorating fun. When I moved back to Los Angeles and started a new life for myself, I saw decorating and home design as an opportunity to imbue my life and my home with all of the “cool” things I wanted but couldn’t have in my childhood. I always wanted a dress form as a kid. I bought one as an adult. I wanted to decorate my living room with disco balls of various sizes. I did just that when I moved into an apartment with high ceilings with exposed beams. I wanted my home to feel like a gift shop with a bunch of “me” related memorabilia on display.
This may come as no surprise to you but when I was a kid I was obsessed with PeeWee’s Playhouse. I wanted to have a place that when you stepped inside your eyes didn’t know where to land. Like if the word “Gadzooks” was an apartment. That’s what I wanted. I was also a huge fan of the show Martin. The 90s Fox sitcom wasn’t really allowed in our household. They cussed too much. But I would always find a way to sneak in an episode and dream about being a radio DJ with a high rise apartment and a wardrobe like Pam when I grew up. PeeWee’s Playhouse allowed me to see a world where the weird kids (like me!) got to be celebrated. Martin presented me with an alternative to the family-friendly Black sitcoms that always had a lesson at the end like that one with the dad who turned out to be a real creep and the one with the nerd who definitely needed a restraining order filed on that ass. Both shows presented me with a vision of my dream adult life.
I dreamed about owning a big chair that maybe talked to me (I told you I was a weird kid!) I also dreamed about owning Martin’s green couch.
I obsessed over it, actually. Green butter leather to match Martin’s 8-ball jacket. A build that felt like you could just sink right into it with your significant other on a Sunday evening, watching a couple of Blockbuster VHS tapes and eating…whatever it was we were eating in the 90s? I dunno…Dunkaroos?
Today, leather sofas have opted for a sleeker design story and more neutral colors but my desire for the Martin couch only slightly subsided in adulthood. So when I upgraded my apartment to a larger space—necessitating an upgrade from my small Black tufted loveseat, I knew a green sofa was gonna be numero uno on the call sheet.
I looked at several sofas online. Possibly dozens. I spent days sketching out different designs in House but none of the green sofas were THE green sofa.
Until I came across this beauty.
Seriously, just look at this cutie.
The Article* Sven sofa in “Grass” features a soft-velvet finish, a tufted seat and enough back support to watch a night’s worth of Blockbuster movies. It’s the perfect elevated version of my childhood dream in an updated fabric that compliments a variety of design styles. Plus, it’s in my favorite shade of green! I could definitely see Pam and Tommy (RIP) revealing their budding relationship to couple Martin and Gina on that thing. For me, the Sven is the perfect place for me to do my morning pages or drink a nice cup of tea in the evening. My cat Huey also loves to spread out on it and it has the cat hair to prove it.
When you have a statement piece like a comfy velvet green couch you don’t really need to do much peacocking but I have never found a rule I didn’t want to break so I decided to accent it with a jewel-toned throw pillow from World Market, a sequined sham from Home Goods and a literal peacock pillow in turquoise blue—a vintage Pier 1 Import that I found from a local spot here in LA. I also cover the side my cat likes to scratch (he isn’t much one for following the rules either!) with a hand-woven throw from Tansy—a Black woman-owned home good store in Burbank California that really brings out the vibrancy of the fabric.
The hunt for the perfect sofa was complete for me but the hunt is possibly just beginning for you! What do you look for in a sofa? What qualities take precendent? Comfort? Quality? Style? And what inspiration from your own life can you take to help you make that decision?
Happy hunting!
