Work continues on the Lorimer Project, a two-bedroom apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Click here for an introduction to the project. As my client and I began to develop a design plan, we soon decided that the apartment’s main room needed a bold statement piece to anchor the seating area. My client loves Turkish kilims, traditional flatweave rugs which have been produced in much the same manner since ancient times. Flatweave rugs are thin enough to be used in lieu of conventional upholstery fabric, so I suggested we use kilim rugs to cover a loveseat. She loved the idea, and we got to work!
My first task was to find the perfect loveseat for the project. I hunted high and low, through vintage and new merchandise alike, in search of the right piece. In the end, I discovered Kim Salmela, a wonderfully imaginative furniture designer out of Los Angeles. Her pieces are hand crafted and highly customizable; and Kim’s own aesthetic is bold and globally inspired, so I knew she would understand our vision for the loveseat.
Kim Salmela has a sizable selection of sofas– as well as chairs, headboards, benches, and more. My client ultimately chose the Evelyn Loveseat. She loved the loveseat’s modern lines, and the dimensions were just perfect for the space.
The Evelyn Loveseat in Yasmin Sea. Image courtesy of Kim Salmela Atelier.
Once we had selected the Evelyn, we were able to calculate the amount of material needed for upholstery and start the search for the perfect kilims. We ended up selecting two rugs, an eye pattern and a stripe. The rugs share the same color palette, and the bold linear stripe is a good balance to the concentric diamonds of the eye pattern. We knew these kilims would complement each other nicely.
We shipped the rugs to Kim Salmela’s workshop in Los Angeles along with a digital rendering to illustrate how we would like to place the rugs. We wanted to use the eye pattern kilim to cover the sofa back and cushion and the striped kilim along the arms and front gusset.
Kim and her upholsterers had the tricky task of sorting out exactly how to cut the panels. If the rugs had been divided the wrong way, there would not have been enough material to cover the entire loveseat. Kim and her team did a marvelous job realizing our vision and using the rugs to accentuate the Evelyn’s silhouette.
The kilim loveseat during fabrication. Image courtesy of Kim Salmela Atelier.
And here is the final product! We couldn’t be happier with the kilim upholstery. My client loves having a special, one-of-a-kind piece. The loveseat perfectly suits her colorful bohemian style and sets the tone for the entire room.
In the next installment, I’ll show you how we incorporated the loveseat into the overall design scheme. Stay tuned!
