This is New York.... Sometimes, before you settle on that ho-hum Crate & Barrel sofa, it's important to go somewhere just to drool -- somewhere where you hope the salesperson doesn't throw you out, and the ottomans start at $5,000. Usually, this implies Italian, but the most surprising things can happen...
In my (ongoing) quest for a sofa, I breezed into Format on Wooster Street a little while back. The endlessly sleek white sofas sat like Ferraris waiting to be moved deferentially to so many cavernous Tribeca lofts. Kevin Butler said "ciao" to his guests and floated across the floor to where I was eyeing a Moroso couch much like that in the picture.
He was supportive when I confessed my appallingly low price range and told him what I was looking for. He thought for a moment, and then he said they might just have something in their basement. Would I like to take a look?
A basement? My heart quickened. So down I went with Kevin to discover a world of yesterday's stars stacked cheek-by-jowl: sofas, elegant bar stools, a round lounge chair -- Ferraris in off-colors, or custom pieces orphaned by fickle wealth. Prices vaguely within reach. Kevin and I climbed over bright velour chaises and pushed stools aside to get a better look. Far from throwing me out, he seemed a co-conspirator in my mission to get a good deal. I left empty-handed, but fully-satisfied, and may yet go back. It's a secret: the basement at Format and Kevin Butler. Pass it on.
*Format also has a location at 179 Lexington Avenue, Tel: 212.696.2661
| Location: |
50 Wooster Street
New York
,
NY
10013
|
|---|---|
| Phone: |
(212) 941-7995
|
| Website: | www.formatnyc.com |
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Great post!
view lizzapearl's profile
Lovely!
view Harpa's profile
Great post and great tip! I love hidden, secret basement bargains! For me, the bargain basement I love is the ABC remnant basement on the West side of Broadway. Great deals to be had there and it saves you the trip to their outlet in the Bronx!
view dnice's profile
Even without a bargain basement, I always hit the pricey places before I shop within my actual price range. It helps me tune my eyes to the finely calibrated finish and details so that I can recognize a well executed bargain when I land at a store more within my price range.
After walking through, say, B&B Italia, almost all of the knockoffs at the lower priced stores look pretty shabby and simply fade away as possibilities. I know that if I find something that still strikes me as well finished, I am on to something.
view RichardinLA's profile