What modernist aficionado doesn’t love Florence Knoll’s three-seater bench of 1954 or George Nelson’s platform bench of 1946?  But as a designer sometimes preoccupied with mid-century design, you want something with a little more punch, with a little oomph. In my case, I had to look back to c. 1935-1940 to find this lovely mahogany banquette offered at Sotheby’s Paris.  Isn’t it gorgeous? It can also double as a comfy daybed. I can’t get enough of its shape and clean lines … so simple, elegant and unpretentious. But most of all, I like it because it looks like a gynormous smile!