Designers have proven there’s nothing you can’t do with a great bolt of fabric. You can add a skirt to a laundry room sink, create a faux stained glass window, and even build simple room dividers. Last year, I saw them lean hard into slipcovered sofas and romantic linen Roman shades. Lately, though, they’re loving a slightly more tailored approach: box pleats. Jake Arnold spotlighted this fabric fold, which is created by bending equal sections of fabric in opposite directions, in his Crate and Barrel collection with his Crawford sofa. Ciélle Home, founded by a self-taught textile designer, translated the trend to its colorblocked lampshades. The folds are crisp but the ultimate result of the pleated skirts is cozy—like Nancy Meyers movie cozy.
The Charming Reading Chair
Studio McGee’s take on the trend for its Target line included this cozy armchair, available in brown or cream Polyester fabric. There’s also a matching ottoman that’s only $120 (for context: a similar-looking piece from McGee & Co.’s store goes for $300).
The Buttoned-Up Bedframe
For its spring collection, Lulu and Georgia introduced a bedframe with tight pleated slits that mimic the look of a traditional box pleat, but without the excess fabric.
The Skirted Sofa to Splurge On
Nickey Kehoe’s Tuxedo Sofa is a constant topic of conversation in our Slack channels: we adore the frilly skirt as much as we love the fact that you can customize the piece with any of the brand’s fabrics.
The Minty Fresh Couch
Anthropologie’s Leonelle sofa looks a bit serious at first with its straight-arm, square-back silhouette and down-filled bench cushion, but the soothing green fabric lightens the mood.
Recently, Canadian designer Alykhan Velji teamed up with Silva Custom Furniture to release a box pleat foot stool, ottoman, armchair, and bed in swatches ranging from sunny yellow to black and white stripes.
The Designer’s Dream Seating
Arnold drew from his own experience when thinking up this sophisticated three-seater for his debut Crate & Barrel collab. “I’m always on the hunt for cool sofas for clients, so I designed my dream one, complete with box pleats and a tailored slipcover,” he says.
The Choose-Your-Own Adventure Sofa
Available in 72”, 84”, or 96” lengths and 35 different fabrics, you can have a lot of fun with this box pleat skirt sofa. We’re partial to the plushness of the performance velvets.
