After 16 years spent adorning the exterior walls of SoMa's old Hugo Hotel at Sixth and Howard streets, a planning commission is deciding the fate of the "falling furniture" art installation, along with the building it calls home. An affordable housing project is under review to replace the Hugo Hotel structure at 6th and Howard and could spell an end to the couches, chairs and other furniture seen protruding from windows and shimmying down walls.

'Defenestration", as the piece is called, has become a local landmark over the years, and we have to admit a soft spot for the feisty furniture (as well as the word itself, which is among the best in the English language). But the building is in a sad state of disrepair (some might go so far as to call it an eyesore) and the area could use a boost of new development.

What's the solution? The current furniture looks a bit tired, to say the least, so we're hoping for new development that includes an updated Defenestration look (perhaps with a Danish modern twist?).

[SF Gate]