The chesterfield was the largest piece of furniture in our home. As a small child, I can remember the effort of climbing onto the wide expanse and sitting at one side of it, to watch television. My legs stuck straight out over the firm cushions of this hefty piece. I used to think we were the only ones who had a chesterfield in the living room. None of my friends ever spoke of a chesterfield. They had couches and sofas. But not us.
Our circa-1950 chesterfield was nearly immovable. Four strong people were required to move it. If there was ever talk of re-arranging the furniture in our living room, my mother would look at my father and with despair in her voice, say, ‘We’ll have to move the chesterfield.’ Talk of changing things up was usually abandoned. Best of all: you could jump up and down on our chesterfield and no one would ever know.
What we had was not truly a chesterfield. I have since learned that a chesterfield, dating back to 18th century, was invented so that gentlemen could sit comfortably. With rolled arms and a buttoned back upholstery, its creation is credited to the 4th Earl of Chesterfield.
Today, we have couches and sofas. I am still not sure why we need pieces of furniture to enable two or three people to sit so close to each other. I think couches and sofas are needed so that we can recline if we want to. Plus: couches are for guest overflow. You could sleep comfortably on the chesterfields of my youth. They were firm. If someone sat down on one of the seat cushions, the person at the other end of the chesterfield was unaffected. Having a lie-down on a couch today can be another story. It might be too short. Too uncomfortable. (And maybe that is best to ensure overnight guests do not overstay their welcome.)
Then the sofa bed was invented. These are also heavy to move. Often, a flimsy mattress is encased underneath the seat cushions. Not only is the sofa bed uncomfortable to sit on—the mattress is equally uncomfortable for sleeping.
The mainstream furniture offered to consumers today is often made from a combination of engineered wood, particle board or plywood. I look at the trendy skinny legs on some newer sofas and wonder how the piece will hold up with three people seated on it and no support other than four spindly legs. Note to kids: this furniture is not meant for any kind of jumping.
But all of this doesn’t matter. When we are fed up with cheap furniture, we put it at the curb. Drive up and down any street during the big spring garbage collection. We put sofas at the curb in precedented numbers. Research shows that the way new furniture is constructed means it may last from 5 to 10 years at most. People rarely reupholster furniture these days. We just buy new.
Our chesterfield, on the other hand, stood the test of time for more than 60 years and when my mother moved into a senior citizen residence, I passed it on to someone who needed it. They brought help to move it. I have a feeling it is still in someone’s living room, dated but solid.
A look at home furnishings reminds me of our current notion of disposability. Cheaper construction, cheaper prices, ordering furniture online without even seeing it—these tell me that priorities have changed. There are enough consumers who want ‘the look’ without a big price tag. And who can blame them?
I may be out of step with the times. I like pieces that have stood the test of time. I like furniture with a story attached. I love the brass tray table that my father purchased second hand in Montreal decades ago. A 96-inch -long Victorian-style settee takes up a lot of space in my living room, but it belonged to my great-great-grandmother: Maria Louisa Vankleek Pattee. This piece has a seat that slopes forward. I like to think it was so that visiting ladies could sit at their best advantage, backs straight, long skirts draped graciously. Or maybe the design was to make it easy for people to stand up and leave.
I love old things, but there are beautiful new furnishings being designed and built and of course, re-purposing old architectural pieces and furniture can create unique, beautiful pieces with character.
In the end, we aim to surround ourselves with the things we love. As for me, I still love chesterfields.
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