June 2026 · 4 min read

Pieces we keep coming back to

A sofa, two lights and a table that turn up in our schemes again and again, and why.

Every studio has its habits. Ours are a handful of pieces that keep finding their way onto plans in very different projects: a brownstone parlour, a loft with steel windows, a whisky bar in Fulton Market.

They have the same things in common. They are simple enough to sit beside old architecture without arguing, well made enough to last, and comfortable or useful before they are beautiful.

A good piece of furniture works in more than one house.

We do not put them everywhere; a scheme should belong to its place. But when a room needs a sofa people actually sit on, or a light over the table that does not glare, this is where we start.

Back to the journal

In this entry

The pieces

Each one links to its maker.

Cloud Modular Sofa

Low, deep and built from simple modules, so it can be a sofa this year and an L-shape next. Timothy Oulton's design is the one people sink into and do not want to leave.

Visit RH

Flos

IC Lights S1

Michael Anastassiades' opal glass sphere, balanced on a thin brass arm. It looks weightless over a table and holds its own among plaster mouldings.

Visit Flos

Louis Poulsen

PH 5

Poul Henningsen designed it in 1958 to light a table without glare, and it still does that better than almost anything. The white suits a pale kitchen; the colours suit a braver one.

Visit Louis Poulsen

Audo Copenhagen

Androgyne Dining Table

An oak base of interlocking planes under a round top in wood or stone. Round tables make better conversations, and this one seats more people than it looks.

Visit Audo

Product photographs from the makers.