The journal
Design Notes
Frame first, filling second, fabric last. A kiln-dried hardwood frame with a ten-year guarantee is the only structural claim worth paying for. Seat depth is the decision most people get wrong — anything over 100cm demands a room deep enough to hold it, and a rug wide enough to carry it.
Materials
Unfilled travertine is porous, warm and quietly imperfect. It is superb underfoot and on low tables, and unwise beside an espresso machine. Seal it once a year, accept the patina, and never specify it high-polished — the whole point of the stone is its softness.
Lighting
Overhead lighting flattens a room and ages a face. We design almost every scheme without it: wall lights at 1500mm, one floor lamp per seating group, a table lamp for warmth, and everything on a dimmer circuit. Layered light is the single cheapest way to make an interior feel expensive.
