When Reproduction Furniture Turns Original

In the world of furniture design, most stories start with inspiration.

Mine started with reproduction.

When I first began building Retro Modern Designs, I was obsessed with iconic pieces — the kind of furniture you see in museums, design books, and high-end interiors, but almost never in real homes because of the price. I wanted to make those designs accessible, not just to look at, but to actually live with.

One of those pieces was the famous Togo sofa.

At the time, we offered our own version, which we called the Russo. It was a very close reproduction, and for a while, it became one of our best-selling sofas. People loved the relaxed, sculptural shape and the casual way it fit into modern spaces. I owned one myself, used it daily, and shipped many of them to customers who were just as excited about it as I was.

But living with a piece is very different from admiring it in photos.

Over time, I started to notice things that didn’t quite work for me.

The seat felt low. The posture felt more “lounging on the floor” than “relaxing on a sofa.” It looked amazing, but for longer sitting, it wasn’t as comfortable as I wanted it to be — especially for how people actually use sofas in real homes.

That’s when something shifted.

Instead of asking, “How do we make this closer to the original?”

I started asking, “How do we make this better for today?”

We began adjusting the proportions. Raising the seat height. Improving the internal structure. Refining the way the cushions support your body. Keeping the relaxed, sculptural feel — but making it more functional, more comfortable, and more suited to everyday life.

That process became the Russo2.

And without really planning it that way, it became the first truly original sofa design to come out of Retro Modern Designs.

Recently, I posted a photo on Instagram of a Russo (the earlier reproduction version) that had just been delivered to a customer. In the comments, someone wrote that it looked poorly made and like a bad representation of the original design.

Naturally, I replied — because that version actually was a very accurate reproduction. But then the same person responded with something that honestly made my day:

They said they had just ordered the Russo2, and that it was way nicer.

Think about that for a second.

A customer was saying that our redesigned version — our original — felt better than one of the most famous sofas in modern design history.

That wasn’t an insult to the original piece.

It was a compliment to how far the design had evolved.

And that’s when it really hit me: reproduction isn’t the end of the road.

Sometimes, it’s the beginning.

Studying great design teaches you what works, what doesn’t, and what could be improved. But real innovation often comes from actually living with these pieces — seeing how people sit, relax, host friends, watch movies, work on laptops, and spend entire evenings on their sofas.

That’s something no showroom photo can tell you.

The Russo2 exists because the Russo came first.

And the Russo existed because the Togo existed before that.

Design is a conversation across generations.

And sometimes, the most respectful thing you can do with a classic is not to copy it forever — but to learn from it, and then build something new.

For Retro Modern Designs, that moment marked a turning point.

From reproducing the past… to creating pieces that carry those influences forward, but are designed for how we actually live today.

And that’s a direction I’m proud to keep moving in.

Jeff Gold

Founder & Creative Director

Retro Modern Designs