Hassocks, or upholstered ottomans, would have afforded additional, informal seating for visitors to Elaine Wormser’s bedroom or a place for her to rest her feet when seated in the nearby armchair. The green and blue striped upholstery covering the hassocks and the other upholstery fabric in the room were most likely designed by Urban. The reproduction fabric is based on archival photographs of the room and Elaine Wormser’s recollections of the hassocks. Stylized, colorful stripes softened with ombré, or diffused outlining, were often used in interiors of this period.
Pair of Hassocks
Designed 1929-30, reproduced 2022
Joseph Urban (American, b. Austria, 1872-1933), designer
Mallin Furniture Co. (American, 1929-1953), original manufacturer
Bruno Paulin-Lopez (French, b. 1958), maker of reproduction
Sarah Mason Walden (American, b. 1976), designer of reproduction fabric
Dyenamix Inc. (American, est. 1991), fabric printer
birch and modern upholstery fabric