Good Questions: Identify This Craigslist Find? Los Angeles

Good Questions: Identify This Craigslist Find?
Los Angeles

Hi Apartment Therapy LA! I found this couch on Craigslist and I'm trying to find out who made it. You can see there are some dirty spots on it, and I'd love to know where it came from so I can figure out the best way to clean it, or how easy/hard it'd be to reupholster it (maybe, I like the funky pattern fabric). Yes, that is the original fabric! The tag only says 'MAY 1974' and there are stickers on the legs that say 'Made in Italy'. The seller's wife conducts estate sales and picked it up from one. They showed it to the owners of a local modern furniture boutique and they couldn't put a finger on it's manufacturer either. Anyone out there with ideas about who manufactured or designed this? -Karen

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Comments (11)

I LOVE the fabric! it looks like Baughman to me, but I don't believe he did any production in Italy.

great find! if I weren't moving to Chicago in 10 days, I'd fight ya for it :)

posted by my little apartment on June 19th 2009 at 8:21pm
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i agree - i'm not normally into brown/yellow prints but thats so groovy! I'm afraid i can't help you with the origin though...

posted by Bridget212323 on June 19th 2009 at 8:41pm
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I can't tell you who is the designer or manufacturer, but that is one groovy looking sofa! Great fabric. I'm sure that once it's cleaned up it will look fantastic!

posted by suzy8track on June 19th 2009 at 9:27pm
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Great couch. If it doesn't clean up, shoot me an email and I'll quote re-upholstery.
www.properfurniture.net

posted by proper on June 20th 2009 at 1:37am
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I would consider getting it professionally (dry) cleaned since the fabric may be the European shrinking kind. You could check online for a local company who has experience with whatever type of fabric you have. With the current economy, I bet you could get a real good deal.

Upholstering it would mess up the original funky pattern. Guess you could go that route as a last resort.

posted by baileyb on June 20th 2009 at 4:18pm
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/agree, definitely, professional dry cleaning would be worth it.

It might be possible to remove (only) the cushion covers for better cleaning, and replace the cushions themselves.

If the fading is due to physical wear rather than dirt, those parts of the fabric are lost.

You might be able to salvage some less-worn sections from the cushions, cut them into the geometric shapes as the original fabric's pattern, and inset or applique them onto a matching solid. It would depend what you find. Or you could just do stripes if ypu had enough unworn original fabric to look good.

posted by Isidora on June 20th 2009 at 6:04pm
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I would reupholster this sofa and save as much original fabric as you to make throw pillows.

posted by Comicgeek on June 21st 2009 at 12:14am
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I think the fabric pattern is gross and the metal arms look dangerous!

posted by lena024 on June 21st 2009 at 8:52am
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Looks great! Will make quite the conversation piece after a thorough cleaning. Amazing how many people are unwilling or unable to look beyond a little bit of dirt. Better for those that can, I suppose. : )

posted by ponytailed_informant on June 21st 2009 at 12:14pm
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I like the shape, I don't like the fabric so much- but that's just me. I think that it does have to be professionally dry cleaned if you want to try to save the fabric. It's pretty dirty.

posted by lorijo on June 21st 2009 at 2:11pm
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That would be a late twentieth century " Canapé fuglé"

posted by uselessinfo on June 22nd 2009 at 7:13am
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