BH | Studio Morpeth Channel-Tufted Sofa

The tuxedo sofa, with arms that rise to the same height as its back, is said to take its name from Tuxedo Park, the Gilded Age enclave in New York, and its clean, boxy outline became a fixture of 1930s and mid-century rooms. Add channel tufting, upholstery stitched into parallel ribs, and it gains the Art Deco polish that 1930s England loved in its cinemas, hotels and ocean liners.

This one runs 93.5 inches across, long enough to stretch out on, with vertical channels running from the back round onto both arms. One long bench cushion covers the whole seat, and it lifts out for plumping and cleaning. Dense foam beneath gives a supportive sit that holds its shape. The cover is a performance velvet in Olive, Tobacco, Aegean or Claret, and tapered wood legs tipped in brass stand on a slim connecting rail that braces the frame. It is rated to hold 600 lbs.

It is the main sofa for a living room: room for the family on film night, and length enough for a Sunday nap with a novel. The velvet looks wonderful in a library or sitting room with walls of books, a kilim on the floor and a brass lamp at one end. Add ochre and rust cushions, a dark stained coffee table and a fern in a stone pot, and the room starts to feel like a private club with one member.