“When designer Dee Elms spotted a beat-up 1950s wrought-iron ottomon tucked away at Reside, a Cambridge shop that deals in classic mid century modern furniture, she saw a beauty in it that others might have missed. ‘The top is soft, bubbly and organic,” she says, “then there are two strong horizontal lines, then the bottom of the base is kind of soft also. There’s a real balance to the piece.’
Elms tapped reside employee Karen Sedat to refurbish the ottoman for a total material cost of $248.71. The fabric Elms chose, Schumacher’s Usak Weave in Caravan, is based on classic Suzani embroidery from Uzbekistan and makes a strong graphic statement. The fabric inspired the base’s teal paint.”