I love that Monica Forester’s Muse Sofa contains within it the seed of “museum,” because it belongs to a lineage of iconic sofas grounded in the easy elegance of a languid curve.

Within this gallery I’d place perennial favorites Aspen, Park Avenue, and Gommosa, each of which define their space with this understated gesture, very like the arc of a simple line.

With its spare, semi-suspended structure, Muse joins them in sketching out the lightly defined parameters of a comfortable place to sit.

Not to take anything away from its perfectly symmetrical aesthetic, but there’s also something atavistic about Muse. The subtle balancing act of back on seat evokes the magic of Stonehenge or the mysteries of Runes or just those transcendent Tinkertoy towers of rock one sometimes encounters in the woods—helpful guideposts to avoid the less fortuitous of two forks.

Muse is compact enough to host multiples in a relatively compact space. Place it one across from the other, or at odd angles, or—perhaps our favorite arrangement—back to beautiful back.

Options for Muse including matching ottoman and multiple colors, including this beguiling shade of bubblegum pink: seems in-keeping with the popular conception of the muse as a force of femininity.

Monica Forester’s Scandinavian roots (she grew up at the top of Sweden, very near the Arctic Circle) show in her consistent expression of the essential with every design: “the emotional resonance, the poetic essence behind each project, is what matters most. When that poetic essence is set, I then focus on the shape, colour, and detail.” One can’t help but speculate this ethos is informed by the far north setting.

She has been named “Designer of the Year” five times in Sweden and was recently awarded “AW Designer of the Year 2023” by AW Architektur & Wohnen. See more at Monica Förster Design Studio.