Before searching for tufted furniture on eBay for The Inside Source, we took a look at where the trendlet came from.
Its Roots: Where exactly did tufting begin? Could it have been a whim of a bored seamstress who brought her needle and thread inward? We know that it was popular enough in the 1800's that an actual apparatus for tufting cushions was patented in 1899. And that in 1901, House Beautiful recommended the style as perfect for low long couches: "Stuffed until they look positively apoplectic". (Attractive, no?) Like any good trend, it's also spent time on the outs -- an aging Edith Wharton referred to herself as "the literary equivalent of tufted furniture and gas chandeliers" after hot young thing F. Scott Fitzgerald sent her a signed copy of The Great Gatsby in 1925. Luckily, only four short years later it was back in vogue: Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe debuted his Barcelona chair, turning glammy, luscious tufting into an icon of modernity. And since then it's been a staple in chic homes and movie star portraits (our faves: Leslie Brooks and Helena Rubenstein).
Seen in: One of our favorite New York City restaurants SweetiePie, where the walls are lined with electric pink tufted banquettes. It can be seen on the cover of House Beautiful magazine's July/August issue, as well as in Sex and the City-writer Candace Bushnell's Manhattan apartment, as featured in Elle Decor. Tufting is also a favored look for movie and TV sets -- we think the most famous luscious tufted headboards belong to two very different, very iconic families: the Beales of Grey Gardens and the Drapers of Mad Men.
Loved by: Gwyneth Paltrow, to start. While she may not have included any girly tufted pieces in her temporary Nashville home,the mom of two is a fan of the cotton-candy sweet tufts; "Sweetiepie is my favorite find for grown-up/kid hybrid paradise," she wrote in the GOOP newsletter. When it comes to designers, the list of fans is long but certainly topped by Kelly Wearstler, known for her over the top Hollywood Regency rooms. And of course, like all trendlets we cover, tufting is loved by ShelterPop! Amy has a tufted sofa and headboard while Allison has her eye on a few tufted pieces from Urban Outfitters -- yep, they've got some stylish stuff. Our not-so-secret feelings have led us to cover DIY tufted headboards and a cactus chair.
Want to see more amazing tufted furniture pieces? Check out The Inside Source for more of our eBay favorites!
Then check out our past collaborations with The Inside Source here.
http://www.shelterpop.com/2010/07/15/tufted-furniture/?icid=main|main|dl5|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shelterpop.com%2F2010%2F07%2F15%2Ftufted-furniture%2F
