Sofas for Goan & Portuguese Houses

A carved settee from the house's early years may be uncomfortable, but its frame is often seasoned hardwood of a quality hard to find today. Reupholstering — new springs or webbing, new padding, a fabric chosen for the room — can turn it into a seat you actually use. We assess the frame on the visit, including for termite damage, before recommending anything.

Cane seats and backs can often be re-caned by specialists; we can make loose cushions to sit on top so they're comfortable for long evenings.

When you need modern comfort — a deep sofa for the family to watch television — choose one that respects the room: timber legs that lift it off the floor, a back high enough to hold its own against tall windows, and a fabric that relates to the house. Place it in the middle of the room facing the windows rather than shoved against a wall.

The balcão's masonry seats were meant for long conversations. Thin cushions in outdoor or a durable natural fabric, made to their curve, make them comfortable again without hiding the built-in form. On a verandah, a timber sofa with loose cushions continues the tradition.

Look to the house for colour: the floor tiles, the window frames, the lime-wash. Faded indigo, ochre, terracotta, sage and cream all work. A small woven pattern or a stripe suits a period room better than a large modern print.

Rooms in these houses are often lit from tall windows on one side only, so the far wall can be quite dim. A sofa in a mid or warm tone keeps its colour in that softer light; a cool grey can look flat and lifeless away from the window.

The old salão was laid out for receiving guests: chairs around the walls, a settee at the head of the room. Most families now want somewhere to sit together, talk and perhaps watch something. A good compromise keeps the heirloom settee and chairs as a formal group near the windows and adds one comfortable sofa, facing them across a rug, in the middle of the room. The old pieces stay in use and the room gains a heart.

Keep tall windows and doors clear. In a house that cools itself through cross-ventilation, a sofa parked across a doorway blocks the breeze as well as the path.