The Ilse Sofa

As a new year comes in, and we all continue to stay at home, we thought we'd revisit a comfortable, timeless piece that embodies home comfort: The Ilse Sofa.

Ilse Crawford CBE & The Original Sofa

Renowned around the world, Ilse Crawford is a designer, academic and creative director with a simple mission to put human needs and desires at the centre of all that she does. After studying the history of architecture at university, Ilse Crawford began to form her design style around what she was taught about buildings, applying key architectural principles to her future designs and collaborations.

This shines through in our Ilse Sofa, originally designed by Ilse in 2003 for her studio apartment in London, where each angle, shape and size has been thought through for both function and aesthetic.

At the very end of 2020 Ilse Crawford was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of her services to interior design.

On the Sofa with Ilse Crawford

Dark sofa in bright room with white walls

The original Ilse Sofa

Ilse Crawford CBE

The Ilse Crawford Collection

The Collection, handmade by George Smith, has been designed to support and enhance human behaviour and make the normal special. We like to think of the Ilse Sofa as a room within a room. The simplicity of the design belies the rigorous research that has gone into honing the extremely particular dimensions, each calculated and tested to ensure the pieces support the changing sedentary habits of modern life.

Watch the video below to learn about the making of the collection:

The Making of the Collection

The Ilse Crawford Collection

Low Back Ilse Sofa

The Ilse Sofa

Over time, George Smith has collaborated with numerous designers to create bespoke pieces of furniture. Ilse wanted a bespoke piece for her studio/home. She initially used one of the floors of her apartment as her studio, then as her business grew she moved the studio to its own building. Here, she wanted something big and spacious with clean lines, and thus the Ilse Sofa was born. The Ilse Sofa is unique due to the height and depth of the seat, arms and back. Every dimension has been calculated and tested to meet the requirements of modern life and ensure ultimate performance.

“We like to think of it as a room within a room” says Ilse Crawford. George Smith re-launched the Ilse Sofa in conjunction with Studioilse; the proportions have been adapted and it features as part of the larger Ilse Crawford Collection by George Smith.

The Ilse Sofa

Ilse Sofa in VIC Lounge in Plaza 66, Shanghai | Photography: Lit Ma

Made To Measure Options

L Shape Ilse Sofa

The perfect place to gather and catch-up, this piece was commissioned for student accommodation in which friends can come together and not disturb others working around them.