The biggest struggle, Gordon says, was choosing the fabric. “I have a charcoal Labrador named Mason,” she says, “and Rob was like, ‘I want it to look like Mason’s fur!’ So we started looking at grays and shearlings. But then he was like, ‘No, actually, I want more of a strié.’” Ultimately, he ended up choosing a white linen velvet by Otis Textiles.
Once the sofa was complete, Gordon encouraged Pattinson to sell a limited series somewhere. She wanted to show it to Joel Chen, who owns JF Chen in Los Angeles. Chen was thrilled with what he saw.
“I was in awe of the somewhat complicated design,” Chen tells AD. “The sofa is entirely unique, and Rob’s strong sense of the angled shapes interpreted from everyday objects is incredible. This is the first prototype of a limited series he is making, and it certainly belongs in JF Chen—where we dive into up-and-coming artists.”
Pattinson’s original sofa is now on display at JF Chen, which is selling six of the made-to-order pieces. As for Pattinson, the sofa’s existence is a new marker of how far he’s come. When asked to recall the worst sofa he’s ever owned, his answer is appropriately antithetical.
“My least favorite could also be my most favorite,” Pattinson muses. “There was a time when the only piece of furniture I had for about six months was an inflatable boat that would double as my couch, bed, and dining table. I loved it very much but it caused a lot of back problems.”
The boat was bad for the back, maybe, but it had at least one thing in common with Pattinson’s new sofa: It’s a fabulous conversation piece.
