Tania Sinel: The Most Famous Sofa is No More!

When you think of famous sofas, just a few come to mind. There is the Knole Sofa, from the 1600s, the first and most important sofa made. Though modified for today’s comfort, this version of a sofa is still widely made today – including this one that was just installed in Provence:

A modern day version of the Knole sofa seen at the “Le Mas des Poiriers.”

Another iconic sofa is the Chesterfield. Long thought to have been first made for Lord Phillip Stanhope, the 4th Earl of Chesterfield, in the 18th century, this has never been authenticated. Still, the Chesterfield remains one of the most widely recognized sofas in the world.

And then there is Lee Radziwill’s famous silk velvet Tiger sofa – seen above.

Though not as famous as the Chesterfield or the Knole, it’s hard to think of another personally held sofa that is as well known as this one. Radziwill custom ordered the sofa in the 1960s when she moved from London to New York City. The sofa was placed in her library with its lilac walls. Radziwill kept the sofa for years and years and when her son Anthony moved into an apartment, she gifted him with the sofa.

Is this the most famous sofa of all times? Surely it’s not as famous as the original Knole sofa but it’s hard to think of a more well known one.

In the new Veranda, this house features a tiger sofa in Scalamandre silk velvet, inspired by Lee Radziwill’s own sofa. The sofa was the setting off point for the decor of the entire house.

The Radziwill sofa is so well known that when Lee’s daughter-in-law, Carole Radziwill, wrote her memoir, she included this story about the sofa:

“I have bumped up against history. It won’t be the first time. Most things here, I am learning, have a story. The tiger couch, for instance, is not just a couch, but one his mother had custom-made at De Angeles. It has been photographed for fashion books. People in certain circles know this couch, just as people in other circles know this chair.”

Carole Radziwill is famous for all her many lives, like the cats she is now fostering. First she was a single, very respected TV reporter working in war torn areas. Her career as a reporter earned her three Emmys and a Peabody Award.

Carole and Anthony Radziwill at their wedding.

While working as a reporter, Carole kissed her Prince and got married. And he was not just any Prince, but he was also the nephew of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The title is from his father, who comes from a long line of Polish royalty. Apparently Anthony Radziwill never used his inherited title although his cousin and surrogate brother, John Kennedy Jr., used to teasingly call Anthony “Principe.” The two couples, Anthony and Carole and John and his wife Carolyn, became the closest of friends, and the four were inseparable.

Anthony was a testicular cancer survivor when they married and he suffered a recurrence of cancer on their honeymoon. Their five years of their marriage was marked by sickness, operations, and heartache. During this stage, Carole was the young bride but also a full time nurse.

John and Carolyn Kennedy’s ashes were sent to sea. Anthony was very, very ill at this stage.

After valiantly fighting to beat cancer, Anthony was very ill when he and Carole received the horrifying news that Carolyn and John Kennedy had died in a plane crash. Anthony clung to life for just three weeks before he too died. Suddenly, Carole was a young widow who lost not only her husband, but also her best friends. She was grief stricken for years.

Five years later Carole released her book “What Remains.” It’s a gut wrenching tale of cancer and death and loneliness and what remains left behind. I highly recommend it.

(to order the book, just click on the cover.)

Carole was the celebrated best-selling author in the next phase of her life, although she mostly stayed under the radar, that is until producer Andy Cohen, a friend, talked her into joining his hit Bravo show – “Real Housewives of New York.” On the show, Carole plays the role of the intelligent, mature housewife although she was embroiled in a bit of a scandal when she started dating someone about 20 years her junior.

Carole and her young boyfriend Adam Kenworthy

Hey, it’s good enough for our President AND the President of France!

Carole lives in an interesting building in between So-Ho and the West Village in an Historic Landmark District. The five story Queen Ann building was built in 1886 as a grammar school. Her apartment has large windows and 16’ ceilings in the main living room. A tiny kitchen and bedroom ring the expansive living room. Carole ran for and won a place on the co-op’s board of directors.

A few years ago, Carole made a big splash when she completely decorated her condominium in gold and caramel tones with green accents. The color scheme was chosen around the famous Radziwill tiger sofa.

The renovation was beautiful and it made all the blogs and websites.

The issue though became the sofa itself. The silk velvet fabric is so expensive that most can’t afford even a pillow made out of it, much less the 30 yards needed to cover an entire sofa. After almost sixty years, the velvet was becoming rather decrepit.

About ten years ago, Carole had pieced the velvet back together by taking fabric from the back of the bottom cushions that was then used to cover the torn parts.

Now, ten years later, the repairs were failing. The sofa was badly in need of a restoration – but at those prices, who could afford it?

When the new season started a few months ago, the sofa became a talking point. The other housewives commented on how bad it was beginning to look. Carole had started fostering kittens for Howard Stern’s wife Beth Stern and their claws had destroyed the fragile sofa completely.

On Andy Cohen’s late night show, even he asked about the famous sofa and Carole told him it was an issue, explaining how well known it is and that people are invested in it!

So it came as a complete shock to look at the Architectural Digest web site today and realize that the famous Tiger Sofa is no more!!

After all these years, the most well-known tiger sofa is forever gone.

Here’s a look at Carole’s condo – Before her first remodeling, The First Remodeling and The Newest Decor from today!

BEFORE: Before the first remodeling, Carole had an architect add these rather scary-looking, but stunning stairs up to the second bedroom. Underneath the stairs, she had a piano.

BEFORE: Another view of the dark floors and modern staircase. Definitely in need up a decorator.

DURING THE FIRST RENOVATION – Carol added a large chandelier and the apartment got a new coat of paint.

RENOVATION #1: For the first renovation, Carole hired Wayman Robertson. He refinished the front hall in Philip Jeffries Rivets wallpaper. At the opposite end is the kitchen with its new striped floors.

RENOVATION #1: The gold rug, the tiger sofa, the two chairs now covered in green velvet. Large new mirror between the windows, new chandelier, long console behind sofa. A small dining table and two chairs were placed under the large mirror.

RENOVATION #1: The windows are not the same width – but by dressing them alike, it’s not so noticeable.

RENOVATION #1: The view behind the sofa. Art work, matching lamps.

RENOVATION #1 – A big change was the addition of the gold velvet sectional underneath the stairs – the piano is now gone. Notice that the upholstered feet mimic the feet on the tiger sofa.

RENOVATION #1 – The ceiling was wallpapered with silver leaf in a square pattern. This helps to warm up the room and draw the ceiling back down to more human proportions.

RENOVATION #1 – A night view of the condo.

RENOVATION #1 – Carol posed in front of the new velvet sectional.

And here, in front of the staircase. The dining table and chairs have been moved over here for some reason.

BEFORE: Carol doesn’t cook so she decides to turn her kitchen into more of an office space. Of course right after the renovation is completed, she meets a budding Chef who moves in and starts cooking up a storm in her “office.”

BEFORE: Carol talks to her architect about turning the kitchen into more of an office.

RENOVATION #1 – The kitchen was updated. New mirrored subway tile backsplash. New striped floors. Counter space is turned into desk space by moving the sink over.

RENOVATION #1: Carole’s small bedroom is downstairs. Here is covered in a suede fabric on the bed and walls.

RENOVATION #1: The second bedroom is upstairs. Carole turned this small space into an office/closet.

The first renovation was given high marks. It looked good in photographs and on blogs and even better when Carole was filmed in her apartment for Real Housewives of New York.

But, this season, Season 9, the sofa became an issue. Looking back to an early episode, I should have realized a completely new renovation was in the works: fabric samples in blue tones were laid across the back of the sofa. I just didn’t really notice those!

In a later episode, Bethany comes over to talk about the sofa. She tells Carole that the destruction “looks intentional at this point.” She says the sofa looks like it has gone through a ginzo knife and a Cuisinart. They decide to turn over the cushion.

And here you can see the bottom cushion is covered in a plain brown fabric, since a decade ago, Carole had already used that fabric to repair the sofa.

There was just no way to go on with the sofa like this, especially with a litter of foster kittens running around.

When Carol meets John Bossard, a designer, in Aspen, she asks him to redecorate for her. Perhaps he already knows about the famous Radziwill sofa. No one can be sure of that. It’s hard to believe but Bossard does not have a web site up, yet. Oy. NO WEB SITE?!?!?

At first the order was just to redo “THE” sofa but of course that never works and John’s work was not finished until the entire apartment was redecorated from top to bottom, just a few years after it was all done before.

Bossard kept the Jeffries paper in the entry but the rug was updated with a more traditional design which suits the small space much better. The kitchen was closed off with a frosted door that lets in light but keeps out the distraction of ovens and refrigerators. The ceiling was painted a dark color and a contemporary sputnik fixture was added along with a collection of mirrors. And it looks like all the trim was painted a darker brown. The changes are subtle, but the space is much more elegant than it was before.

WOW. WOW. The new apartment is completely different!!! It’s now icy blue and silver and very sleek much like Carole is!! The tall mirror remains but now there are blue curtains and a fabric shade, along with window seats in blues. The arrangement is different too – the curved sofa that was under the stairs has been moved across from the Radziwill sofa that is now –EEK – in an icy blue fabric by Lee Jofa!!!

Say a goodbye prayer for the most famous sofa that is now just a memory.

And here is how it looks. Bossard said he had to rebuild the sofa, replacing the filling and reconstructing its original form. It looks wonderful and brand new and good to go for another 60 years. Carole’s twin Brutalist table lamps, wearing new icy blue shades, remain on the console, next to a new piece of art work. There are all new tables – the wood coffee table is gone, as are all the side tables. The one thing I miss are the Chinese chairs that once flanked the console. I don’t understand why they were tossed.

Carole’s original Dunbar chairs, now recovered, remain, as does the shelf and cabinet. The floors were also redone, they are now a silvery gray brown.

I love the new furniture arrangement – it makes more sense like this.

Another banquette was added to the corner, this time it becomes a small dining spot, which is handy when your boyfriend is a chef. The sunburst mirror remains, but everything else is new.

The view in front of the cabinet and shelf. The faux sheep are at the right and at the left, the plant is actually a lamp!

A close up of the new icy blue sofa. In the corner, an acrylic pedestal.

The kitchen aka office has a new fabric wall, but that’s all.

The first floor bedroom has also been completely redone. In silvery blues with pink accents – it blends with the living room decor. The walls are upholstered and there is a new petal art exhibit by Bradley Sabin above the beds. The vanity was moved down from the second floor closet.

There is just enough room for another window seat in pink.

And upstairs in the second bedroom, the once office closet is now a large dressing room. The room was carpeted in leopard in homage to the now long gone tiger. The ceiling was upholstered and everything is now dramatically lit. It’s for a star, that’s for sure. But it’s hard to believe they actually sell this space as a “second bedroom” when in reality it is just a small closet!

And so, this sofa that made it through the swinging sixties, the Vietnam war days, the Bonfire of the Vanities 80s…..