The Ethan Allen Portland chair’s fine lines and perfectly proportioned back cushion scream, “Come sit on me!” If that gorgeous line of exposed wood frame isn’t enough, Portland is a showstopper with my favorite design feature: dual fabric application. I’ve created many versions of this chameleon. From a rugged whiskey leather on the outside paired with a reflective, patterned sea glass print inside; a cozy russet wool flannel inside with a striking large scale stripe outside, a soft warm palomino leather with a soft handed funky squiggle print, an oriental toile inspired outside with an elegant raised velvet inside and just today, a gorgeous multi-colored raised velvet stripe on the outside and a crochet-inspired chevron “sweater” fabric on the inside. Whatever our brains can conjure together, and our eyes confirm, Portland is a home run. I’ll never tire of working with clients who love Portland as much as I do. It’s a stunning and yet inviting frame that can be designed to complement the coziness of a rustic farmhouse, the tradition of a 1940s ranch and the sleekness of an industrial loft condo.
The Portland chair is equally comfortable for a petite woman, who likes to sit crisscross-applesauce and a tall man who likes to slouch down and rest his head on the back pillow. It is a perfect choice for a chair that is going to float in the room because it is so good looking from every vantage point. Its footprint and shape also make it an obvious choice for a pair of chairs to tuck neatly into a bay window or sit in front of any window where you don’t want the view of the yard, garden or lake to be obstructed. The dual fabric option allows you to have a stunning (and perhaps lighter use fabric that you may not want to sit on every day on the outside and a heavy use, performance fabric on the inside. Beauty, practicality, and flexibility make Portland my designer favorite.
I hope you find design inspiration in the Portland photos below. Many have been taken in clients’ homes in Skaneateles, Baldwinsville, Manlius, Fayetteville, and Oswego, sacred spaces that I have been honored to visit and contribute to. It is a privilege to be able to design furniture that is the backdrop for a family’s memory-making.
