What started back in the late 17th century as a stretched-out armchair to accommodate the commodious dresses of the time, slowly grew longer and longer to serve more and more people. Flash forward to the 1970’s and everything changed. With an emphasis on a more casual way of living and the rejection of sofas that forced users to sit side-by-side in a long row, innovative 70’s designers like Mario Bellini and Cini Boeri used modularity to create more organic and flexible sofa concepts with no limits to size or shape. This radical approach still works wonders today. The 'upholstered landscape' allows for a range of sitting and lying positions, making it possible to work, rest and play, without leaving the comfort of the lounge room.
The eight exceptional sofas featured here, all have their own unique qualities and were designed by the world's best designers to support a relaxed and flexible way of living.
The ultimate in design cred, Mario Bellini’s 1970 classic has recently been re-released by B&B Italia 50 years after its initial release. Totally flexible due to its 90cm modules and inspired tie rod and ring connection system, Carmaleonda blends traditional button details with a Bohemian low-profile look.
The Extrasoft sofa by Piero Lissoni uses geometric blocks of varying sizes to create a sofa landscape where backrests of differing heights form borders between different zones. Overstitched seams can accentuate the sofa’s geometric foundation and undulating form or be matched to fabric for a more subtle result.
The Camaleonda sofa designed in 1970 by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia. Revisited in 2020, Bellini has made small design tweaks to make the sofa even more comfortable. Photo c/o B&B Italia.
The streamlined Extrasoft sofa designed by Piero Lissoni for Living Divani. Photo c/o Living Divani.
A sculptural solution if ever there was one, Pack by Francesco Binfaré is modelled on a polar bear lying down in the snow. Using special foams developed by visionary Italian furniture company Edra to provide unbeatable softness, the sofa is covered in ecological fur, and takes lounging to a new level. Mad? Maybe… Amazing? Definitely!
Designed by Francesco Binfaré for Edra, the Pack sofa was designed by Binfaré as an island for lounging on, complete with a big, soft polar bear. Photo c/o Edra.
I wanted to take a new look at capitonné and Chesterfield styles with a special reinterpretation of the 1960s and 1970s which I love.
Patricia Urquiola, designer Tufty-Time
A sofa made up of rounded modular blocks, Tokio, by Swedish designers Claesson Koivisto Rune is a true architectural landscape with multiple configurations available to create an upholstered terrain tailored to your own specific seating requirements and lifestyle. The design’s soft curves and circular cushions, help deliver a quiet and gentle atmosphere.
When Patricia Urquiola pays homage to a designer like Cini Boeri you know a game-changing design is in the works. Soft and low and intensely inviting, Tufty-Time delivers beautifully chunky seating segments that fit into any room shape with dozens of configurations.
On the Rocks comprises an artistically shaped modular seating platform combined with a freeform backrest that can be manipulated into any combination of curves. This surprising snake-like element enables the user to sit in any direction with full back support and in total comfort.
The Tokio sofa by Swedish designers Claesson Koivisto Rune for Arflex has generous proportions and a friendly, soft but still very architectural geometry. Photo c/o Arflex.
“I wanted to take a new look at capitonné and Chesterfield styles with a special reinterpretation of the 1960s and 1970s which I love,” remarked designer Patricia Urquiola when describing the Tufty-Time sofa by B&B Italia. Photo c/o B&B Italia.
Francesco Binfaré's Standard sofa for Edra has a super-flexible backrest that allows maximum comfort in any lounging position you choose. Photo c/o Edra.
Inspired by the French salon, the Baxter Piaf sofa was designed by Baxter P to allow multiple seating options and sofa configurations. Photo c/o Baxter.
From Francesco Binfaré, one of the masters of sofa design, Standard is anything but ordinary and every day. The result of decades of research into articulation and seating comfort, the Edra Standard features individually controlled arm and backrest elements with the sofa becoming an extension of the human body.
As the name suggests, the Piaf sofa has its roots in French culture. The crescent shaped sectional sofa delivers a number of possibilities that promote conversation and social interaction with the curved sections embracing the body and creating a beautifully relaxed environment.
