What if you could take every cliché you’ve ever heard about English teachers and transpose them into something cool? I’m talking about the tweed jacket, the elbow patches, the spectacles, the bookish demeanor, all re-configured and metamorphosed into something slim and slick, hip and stylish… very like what Guy Ritchie has done with the Sherlock Holmes icon, in fact. And certainly he could relate to Deadgood’s Harvey Sofa—the very image of stuffy English literati revamped.

Harvey Sofa. Designed and Manufactured by Deadgood.

Deadgood’s Harvey Sofa Synthesizes Classical British Styling with a Modern Aesthetic

Even ten years back, I’m not sure I would have asserted that the world was ready for the Harvey Sofa. But given the recent ascendance of hipsterism—with its powerful penchant for re-conceptualizing the nerdy into the trendy and the cutting edge—I’d say 2012 is a perfectly propitious moment for this incredibly well-tailored piece.

Harvey’s profile is lean and lithe. In fact, were it outfitted in slightly different clothing it could easily pass as a Mid-Century Modern piece, very like the Goetz Sofa in fact. Despite this basic similarity, Harvey comes in quite a different shade. Shades, in fact, of herringbone, hounds tooth, and tweed; deep dark leather and overiszed tufted buttons.

Deadgood characterizes Harvey as “an individual expression of British eccentricity.” And here I’ll return to Mr. Holmes, for what other symbolic figure so effectively joins the imperturbable sense of British propriety with the improbable flair for individual expression? And it’s exactly this that distinguishes Harvey. A sofa equally suitable for the more discerning of the British rowdy boys; the style-conscious members of the cast of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels; and the millennial Milton professor who loves his books as much as his twelve year old Scotch.

About the Manufacturer: Design/Build consortium Deadgood promises great design with a pronounced regional influence; the most functional spin on contemporary furniture, lighting, and interior products; and an unendingly intriguing aesthetic for both custom commercial environments and luxury residential interiors. The Handsome Harvey Sofa is Deadgood’s latest contribution. True to form, this bold piece balances references to classical British styling with the formal innovations of the new millennium.