Sofas That Fit in Elevators

The irrepressible Vladimir Kagan is one who does tinker with success. Over the years his serpentine sofas have morphed into a variety of curvy sectionals with various backs. His latest effort is "Zoe." The shape is very familiar. The original, which was made for a dean who lived in the former home of Walter Gropius, was a 20' long landscape that undulated through the living room. Kagan recalled the process for getting that monumental sofa into the house. "We built it in one piece, and could hoist it through a window, or up a generous staircase. In those days it wasn't too expensive to hoist -- a couple hundred dollars. Now it would be thousands of dollars, and insurance forms and so on."

So on to Zoe -- which for all practical purposes was designed to be practical. After all, if one can't hoist through windows, than the sofa better fit into an apartment building elevator! In talking to him, it seems elevators and narrow stairwells have been the wet blanket on Kagan's vast imagination. But taking a 20' long curvy couch and smushing it down to a teeny footprint, all the while keeping the "Wow!" took some doing. "I played with the curves and the result is much more sculptural," he told us. The sofa will comfortably fit four -- or five "friendly" people.

I asked if he had a favorite upholstery that he would want to see it in. Of course, for color he chose his trademark red. And for fabric he suggested a more "stretchy" fabric like a micro-fiber or boucle, which is more conducive to the curves and tight seat and back.

Another re-edition is the "Vanessa" -- which is a re-do of the 1947 barrel chair. With Vanessa, the seat is actually bigger -- to handle today's bigger bottoms.