How we choose
How Sonnetta chooses what to recommend
Every selection begins with use, proportion, material, construction, and the information we can verify.
We use functional sculpture for useful objects with a shape, material, or detail that makes them enjoyable to live with.
A good chair invites you to sit. A lamp makes evening light nicer. A bowl earns its place because you actually use it. We care about how a piece works as much as how it looks.
We pay attention to proportion, materials, construction, comfort, upkeep, and price. We also look for pieces that can work beyond one style or season.
What we notice
Most notes begin with a simple question:
Would we want to live with this?
Then we ask a few practical questions.
We tend to return to pieces that...
- do a useful job and have a shape we enjoy.
- use their materials in a straightforward way.
- seem comfortable and practical for everyday use.
- work with more than one look or season.
- are things we can imagine living with for a long time.
The best pieces make daily life nicer, even in small ways.
What we pass on
We also try to avoid...
- pieces included only to fill out a category.
- details that make something harder to use.
- materials or finishes we can't confidently recommend.
- objects that only make sense in a heavily styled room.
- things chosen mainly because they are everywhere right now.
A shorter list is more useful than a padded one.
A note about affiliate links
Some links on Sonnetta are affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through one of them, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
As an Amazon Associate, we may earn from qualifying purchases. We don't manually publish Amazon prices, and we don't place affiliate links inside PDFs or emails.
We choose what to share before we consider whether an affiliate link is available.
If we wouldn't consider it for our own homes, we leave it out.