Tag Archives: sofa

Meritalia showcases unique Pesce furniture pieces at Milan Design Week

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Italian furniture brand Meritalia is showcasing some of its most unique and artsy pieces created by long-time collaborator Gaetano Pesce. The exhibit is called “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright” and launches at the ongoing Milan Design Week. The famous sculptor, designer, and architect has contributed a lot to the aesthetics of the furniture brand over the past years and the exhibit itself is more than just a look at various chairs and sofas but can also be considered an art exhibit.

Designer: Gaetano Pesce

Just like the actual furniture itself, the exhibit space brings an “unusual and unstable choreography” as it reaches toward the sky rather than just have a flat space to showcase pieces that can be right at home in a C.S Lewis or Neil Gaiman storybook. Pesce is well known for playing around with color and materials and he was able to bring this sensibility in the “characters” that he created for the brand. The dream-like pieces are more art than just functional pieces of furniture so they’re perfect for this kind of exhibition.

There are nine pieces included in the exhibit. This includes the modular La Michetta, made up of various colors and sizes of sofa pieces put together. You also see the soft couch called Nubola and the La Pagnotta chair that looks like a character from Alice in Wonderland. You also see the Shadow armchair with its various folds and creases as well as the Gli Amici, an upholstery collection with various fun characters.

The exhibit space uses a plane with neon green colored floors and walls sloping up to the sky. The walls also has various graphics that are also a reflection of the design aesthetics that Pesce brought to Meritalia. The “Everything Is Gonna Be Alright” exhibition can be found at MDW until April 23, 2023.

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This portable chair will make your lungs work for your outdoor comfort

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Inflatable furniture isn’t a completely alien concept these days, but most of the time, it is more focused on air mattresses that stay in one place most of the time. The benefits of such a kind of bed are still arguable. Some definitely swear by their ergonomic and comfort advantages, while others warn of their short lifespans and harmful long-term effects. This particular air-filled piece of furniture, however, has a pretty different and specific objective that may actually appeal to a larger number of people than air mattresses. This inflatable chair is designed to be a portable seating solution you can set up in any outdoor environment, though its practicality and comfort are left to the readers’ imaginations.

Designers: Kim Seungwoo, Kim Siwon, Kim Chanwoo, Yoon Jonghoon

At long last, people finally appreciate outdoor activities, whether it’s engaging in exercise or simply kicking up one’s feet at a campsite. The latter is ironically a bit more stressful despite how it sounds, mostly because of the preparations and equipment needed to make a truly comfortable experience. You don’t have to go crazy over those, of course, especially if you just want to sit back and chill. All you really need is something to sit on, which is exactly what this concept tries to offer in a very portable manner.

The Bag Sofa is an inflatable chair designed for easy carrying to any location. Unlike something like an air mattress, it folds down to a very flat rectangular piece that you can carry around like a bag, hence the name. Part of the bag is made of hard pieces that form the structure or frame of the sofa, while soft cloth-like parts serve as the connecting materials that allow the chair to fold. It’s almost like those fabric-covered foldable boxes, except it’s shaped to form the semblance of a chair when unfolded.

The inflatable part forms the “filling” of the sofa that lets you actually sit on it and provide something soft enough to be a bit comfortable compared to wood or metal. The same fabric material is draped over the transparent inflatable bag to create a more pleasing appearance and protect the skin from sticking to the bag’s synthetic surface.

The idea for Bag Sofa is to be able to simply set up a seat anywhere outdoors and then pick it up again to move on. It may be an alluring concept, but it does raise the question of how easily you can inflate the thing in the first place. If you’re traveling extremely light with nothing but the folded chair, you will most likely have to rely on your own lungs to fill it up, which is contrary to the relaxing outdoor experience that the concept tries to sell.

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This striking couch makes a powerful statement on face masks

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There was a point in very recent history when it seemed that the world had run out of single-use face masks, sometimes referred to as surgical masks. Eventually, however, supply did finally catch up to demand, and the use of such protective gear became so common that people would acquire them in bulk. Unfortunately, these masks weren’t made exactly made with regular people in mind and in situations where they would not be disposed of properly. What was a tool that helped save human lives, unfortunately, became poison to the planet, especially our already polluted waters. Although restrictions have been lifted in many places, these single-use masks are still in high demand and use, including outside the medical field, and the harm that these discarded masks pose to the environment has been demonstrated with dramatic effect in a pouf made almost completely out of this personal protective equipment.

Designer: Tobia Zambotti

Surgical masks look simple enough that most probably take for granted the materials used to make them. Most probably presume that they’re made from biodegradable material since they feel like cloth or paper, but that’s not exactly true. They are made from a certain kind of plastic, and they can’t be recycled because of their use in medical scenarios. Thus, they become dangerous pollutants, whether they’re burned by incinerators or thrown into the waters.

Given the volume of single-use masks produced and discarded on a regular basis, that can easily cause an environmental problem. What makes the situation worse is that very few people are aware of this situation, let alone of the harmful potential of these masks. What better way to call their attention, then, than by putting this number into perspective in a rather shocking manner?

That is what COUCH-19 does in a way that is both meaningful but also useful. Hundreds of used masks are collected and then sanitized using ozone before they’re entombed in a pouf made from recyclable crystal PVC. Each pouf is modular so that it can be combined with others to form a couch to one’s specifications. The poufs are shaped irregularly to give the semblance of the masks frozen in time. The iceberg-like design is intended to be a reference to global warming.

As a couch, the COUCH-19 looks both interesting but also a bit unsettling, which is part of the message. While there’s no doubt that it can function as a piece of furniture, its appearance is alien enough to give our brains pause, forcing us to face the reality that those masks convey, that of a world where we might be forced to live with the very trash that we so mindlessly throw away.

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Asymmetrical sofa collection uses flexible foam for design and aesthetics

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When looking for a sofa to buy for your place or to find one to sit on, comfort is probably the top priority. The design also adds to the appeal but sometimes, the unique or artsy-looking ones don’t seem all that comfortable. So if you find something that’s both, you probably should get on that, literally. When it uses a different kind of material than the usual sofas that you see around, that’s another pleasant bonus. This sofa collection from Swedish brand Offecct may be the real deal.

Designer: Jean-Marie Massaud for Offecct

The Airberg sofa collection gets that comfy-looking feels for a sofa down pat. At first glance, it looks like the material is vacuum-filled but it’s actually made from flexible padding material. The inspiration for the design though is an “iceberg” filled with vacuum and also comfortable seating furniture. The asymmetrical design looks like the pieces belong in a museum so it will be an interesting conversation piece when you have one (or several) in your house or space.

The various sofas in the collection are made from a flexible padding material with a structural case. The base is made from metal while the seat frame is a combination of metal and wood with a special integrated suspension system. The comfortable part of the sofa is made from textile and foam with the seat and the back made from cold foam. The upholstery is colored gray while the “legs” which are mostly hidden, are in chrome.

If you are into the Scandinavian aesthetic for your home, this will be a perfect addition to your living space. It’s also a bonus that they use materials and methods that are socially sustainable and environmentally friendly.

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Burger sofa concept is made of cushions squeezed together with nothing but straps

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Furniture comes in all shapes, sizes, and levels of complexity. Some can be as simple as wooden planks glued or screwed together to form a chair, while others can be as elaborate as a piece of sculptural art paying homage to art movements of the past. As designs grow more complex and sophisticated, the number of parts and connections also grow, leading to a product that could be harder to assemble, move, or repair. Wouldn’t it be dandy if you could have a somewhat non-trivial piece of furniture that was simply held together with a strap? Of course, it still has to actually be stable, not to mention comfortable, and that’s exactly the proposition that his sandwich-inspired sofa is putting on the table, or the floor, rather.

Designer: Joao Teixeira

Admittedly, this bulky sofa looks nothing like the burger that it’s named after. Not unless you define a burger as a sandwich whose thin buns have toppled over, spilling its voluminous content on the floor. The way its body is wrapped and held together by a wide strap almost makes it look more like a messy piece of sushi than a sandwich. Whatever kind of food it makes you think of, the Burger sofa has already fulfilled its purpose in catching your attention.

What looks like a single wide chair or narrow couch is actually made up of four large cushions joined together by a single strap-like structure. People have, of course, tried numerous times to pile pillows and cushions together into something more spacious and have failed just as many times. Without anything to really bind them together, a fortress of soft bags is really nothing more than a castle built on shaky foundations, ready to fall apart at any given moment.

The strap that keeps the four cushions together isn’t a simple single piece of material, though. Curved pieces of wood embrace the two cushions that make up the armrests, giving not only stability to the composition but also some form of protection. These two wide arms are joined together by narrower straps of leather that have just the right balance of tautness and flexibility to keep everything from falling apart. Plus, it adds a nice visual and material accent to the sofa, giving it a stylish flair.

One might wonder, however, why one would bother tying up four cushions to make a sofa. Beyond just a design and materials experiment, Burger brings a unique style of modularity to the furniture scene. Depending on how easy or difficult it really is to undo and redo the straps, moving the sofa to another location is a simple case of disassembling and reassembling the furniture. There are no screws or glues involved, and presumably, no tools are needed either.

Despite being made of four distinct parts (five if you count the belt), the Burger sofa still looks as comfortable as any other couch with big cushions. The design also offers flexibility, with a two-seater version possible with a longer strap. Whether the design will survive the typical wear and tear of long-term use is a different question entirely, but the concept definitely has enough merits to warrant testing its mettle.

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Suspended Sofa makes you feel like you’re precariously sitting on cloud nine

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Couches and sofas are primarily designed to provide comfortable sitting for a group of people or even lounging and sleeping for just one person. Over time, however, they have also developed a new purpose, considering the amount of space they occupy in an area. Their size automatically makes them the first visual point for anyone entering an area, making them the perfect way to make a good first impression on visitors. Sofas have, in a way, also become decorative pieces of furniture, an expression of an owner’s style, or simply an instrument to create a visual impact. This sofa definitely makes a lasting impression, though people might be wondering whether they should be dreamy or wary of sinking into its cloud-inspired embrace.

Designer: Mark Mitchell

We’ve seen our fair share of memorable sofa designs that range from the elegant to the eccentric. Some take their inspiration from various art movements throughout the decades, while others bring mundane objects to the living room. There’s even one that’s designed to look like scrumptious bread rolls that are good enough to nibble on. It’s a delightfully wacky way to be a couch potato, but one that might be inviting trouble when toddlers mistake it for the real thing.

And then there are the artistic interpretations of those everyday objects, like crumpled paper or fluffy clouds. The Suspended Sofa is like a little bit of both, but it also provokes the mind to make a suspension of belief that you won’t fall down on this cozy seat.

The sofa clearly takes after the soft, white clouds hanging above our heads that we often take for granted every day. Unlike other cloud-inspired sofas, this one tries to faithfully recreate the uneven forms of clouds. Real clouds aren’t uniform and smooth, and neither is the surface of the Suspended Sofa. There is even an uneven piece of crumpled fabric hanging over one side down to its base, covering the lone leg of the couch. The base is covered with a white carpet reminiscent of feathery cirrus clouds intermingling with cottony cumulus.

What makes the Suspended Sofa really striking, however, is how it looks like it actually floats above the ground. Of course, it’s all just an illusion because it has a leg that supports lifts the seat; it just happens to be draped with a white fabric that makes it look like it’s part of the cloud. That’s just on one side, though, which makes you wonder how it manages to stay stable, especially when you have people sitting on it.

The Suspended Sofa makes a splendid accent in any space, especially in rooms with bright lights or themes that will make you feel like you’re lounging in the heavens. Its design is meant to evoke feelings of peace and calm, isolated from the stresses of life that weigh us down. Ironically, it might also induce emotions of fear and uncertainty of “falling through the clouds” with what looks like a precarious structure for a seat made to hold many people all at once.

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Dedas sofas bring a touch of Hungarian Bauhaus to public spaces

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When people think of sofas or couches, many might think of very comfortable seating furniture you might even be able to sleep on. Others might actually find them stiff and unappealing, especially public ones that seem to be ironically designed to discourage lounging on them. And then there are sofas that seem to be more like art pieces to look at than something to sit on. Of course, there’s no reason why a sofa can’t be both an artistic expression as well as a piece of comfortable furniture, and the Dedas seating system brings that possibility into the real world, with a lot of help from the Hungarian designers and artists that represented the culture in the Bauhaus movement.

Designer: Annabella Hevesi

The seating system is made up of one, two, and three-seater sofas of different designs and colors, but its flagship variant reflects the art style that serves as both the inspiration and impetus for the entire furniture collection. Taking a few pages from Hungarian artist Ferenc Lantos’ “circle in square” motif, Dedas employs the typical geometric patterns and alternating colors associated with the Bauhaus style to create a visually interesting piece of furniture. But more than just simply taking those same shapes and putting them on the sofa’s backrest, the design takes a softer approach by using only horizontal and vertical lines to bisect the circles and employs rounded corners for the squares.

In contrast to the almost playful and artistic design of the backrest, there is a sense of efficiency and constraint in the way the entire sofa is constructed. The square shapes clearly mark areas where one should sit, and the rather tall sides enclose people in a more intimate and private space, even in a public setting. For extra effect, there is a three-seater model that has even taller backrests that would seem to climb up the wall, presuming you have the sofa set against one.

A very interesting aspect of the Dedas sofas is the upholstery’s hexagonal weaving structure. Since it has no stated direction, the fabric easily stretches even over the curved parts of the backrest, leaving no excess material and creating a seamless surface. The fabric is made using “Cradle to Cradle” CLIMATEX material, making it 100% recyclable when the sofa reaches its end of life. The foam for the filling is said to be made almost entirely of recycled foam, and its cut foam structure means there is no need for expensive and wasteful casting.

Compared to the cushions, the legs are almost invisible but are still distinctive with their iridescent finishing and unique patination. This appearance is achieved through a burning process that would call to mind enameled artworks, especially those from Hungarian Bauhaus artists. This design happens to also be more environment-friendly compared to plastic-based powder coating methods.

Furniture doesn’t have to be functional pieces of equipment only. They can also be an expression and a reflection of one’s unique traits. That includes one’s culture and history, which is often a smorgasbord of the artistic, socio-political, and economic landscapes of times gone by. Dedas and the designer’s entire Burnt Collection attempts to bring those influences to light, especially from Hungary’s rich cultural past. The result is a beautiful set of sofas for public spaces that bring some bodily relief and visual and mental satisfaction.

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This crib can become a couch when your kid is all grown up

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Your child won’t stay a baby forever (though some might actually wish they did), so this modular furniture concept turns that sleeping place into a seating space when the time finally comes.

Parents sometimes tend to go overboard in buying things for their newborns, which is pretty understandable given how emotions can run high over our little ones. They don’t remain little forever, of course, and there will come a time when they will outgrow everything that you have bought for them. Clothes are one thing, but physical objects like toys, baby gadgets, and cribs are harder to get rid of without feeling a tad guilty. As adults, we also have a responsibility to make sure the world remains habitable for our children and our children’s children, and being able to reuse that crib helps drive that home, no pun intended.

Designer: Vedran Erceg

Baby cribs are designed with the comfort and the safety of a baby or toddler in mind. Everything else is secondary, but that doesn’t exactly mean that nothing else can be done to give the piece of furniture a fresh spin, especially one that will extend its use long after the baby has grown up. That, of course, requires that every part of the crib is reusable, which is the proposition that the Evolvie concept is trying to make.

Just like what its name tries to convey, the crib grows with its owner to some extent. That’s because Evolvie can be taken apart, and each of its different parts can be used for a slightly different purpose. At its most basic, the crib has a flat platform for the bed, a thick mattress on top of it, and two L-shaped pieces with bars that form the walls of the crib.

When you need a slightly larger bed, however, you can use a longer platform and mattress. The sides no longer meet at the edges, so you’ll need two wooden panels to connect them, one of which can be used as a door. Spread the base further, and you have the makings of a comfortable but admittedly odd-looking sofa.

What’s impressive about the concept is that there are other configurations possible that go beyond sleeping or sitting. The sides can be turned to become the legs of the table, with the wooden doors serving as a panel for sticky notes or a wall to lean your kid’s stationery on. It can even become a teen-sized bed, presuming you’re comfortable sleeping on something that narrow.

The concept leaves the door open for the materials to be used, but wood definitely plays a big role. It’s most likely that even the bars will be made of wood but probably coated with something safe for kids. There is also plenty of room for color combinations that will keep a child’s eye occupied for years to come. The flexibility and multi-purpose design of this crib are what make Evolvie really stand out, showing that even the most special-purpose products can become so much more with enough imagination and creative design thinking.

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This modular pouf and sofa hybrid concept looks a teeny bit uncomfortable

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Modular furniture has become quite the fad these days, especially as people begin to understand how little floor space they actually have. Furniture that performs more than one function is also en vogue because having two pieces of furniture in the space of one helps a lot in saving space and money. Not everything can be combined perfectly, of course, and some take a bit of creative thinking to get around contrasting or incompatible elements. There are times when you do end up with a solution that is visually interesting to the point of being beautiful but may, unfortunately, be impractical for the purpose it was designed for in the first place.

Designer: Rostyslav Sorokovyi

Adding poufs, sometimes called poofs, to a room is a common way to add a bit of visual flair while also adding functionality. Often confused with an ottoman, a pouf is a solid cushion that is mostly (or only) used as a seat while also adding some accents to the room. Since it doesn’t take up more space than a chair, it’s an easy way to spice up the space or bring a bit of color and contrast to an otherwise normal, boring interior.

A pouf, however, often only accommodates one person, which means you might want to have more of them if you want to seat more. You could get a sofa, but that ties you into a fixed size that will forever take up a portion of the area, at least until you throw it out. Combining pouf and sofa, the “Puffa” tries to let you have the best of both worlds while leaving plenty of room to change your mind repeatedly later on.

That’s partly because the Puffa is designed to be modular so that you can combine or remove segments as the need arises. You can have a single pouf-like arrangement with three standard size capsule-like cushions, or you can have a long sofa that combines a number of cushions with one extra tall piece for the backrest. You can even have two chairs if you don’t need a full sofa taking up a single stretch of floor space.

Puffa is envisioned to come in different colors, and you can mix and match them to your heart’s desires or aesthetic tastes. This meets the original function of a pouf to give some life to a room by offering something visually interesting for the eyes to settle on. Unfortunately, while the Puffa looks good indeed, it might not be the most comfortable thing to sit on.

The capsule-like design of the cushions creates arched shapes on top, which look a bit too bumpy for your bumper. It might even be less comfortable to lie on, which is what some people do on their sofas. The material could be soft enough to be comfortable, but the uneven surface could still be bad news for your body. There could be other ways to design such a modular “pouf + sofa” hybrid, like using blocks instead of capsules, but that does lose the visual appeal of a rather odd and eye-catching form in the room.

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Transparent Mass Sofa lets you personalize your couch to your own style

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Mass Sofa Tells Studio Lifestyle

The sofa is not just for sitting; it can also serve as a bed that can give you a good night’s rest. There is something about it that makes me fall asleep right away. I wish to have one inside the bedroom the same way I also want a TV inside. How weird is that? Or is it just because I’m getting older?

For many people, sofas also serve as home decor. A couch can be the centerpiece of a living room. It can offer comfort and be an oasis for those living a busy life. Imagine yourself coming home and plopping down on the couch and going for a nap—now that can be relaxing.

Designer: Tells Studio

Mass Sofa Tells Studio Design

Mass Sofa Tells Studio Decor

A sofa can also serve as an accent piece. The Mass Sofa by Tells Studio can start conversations when you have guests over. Its design is something to be discussed and celebrated. Is it a sofa or a storage bin? It depends on how you intend to use it.

A good sofa design offers is not just about comfort. Yes, it should be comfortable, but it should also be aligned with or reflect your personality. Your stuff at home reveals one’s desire and choice of aesthetics. Your home should represent the kind of life you want to live. If you’re shopping for new furniture pieces, you may check out the Mass Sofa. It has an exciting design that shows how one furniture item can be reconstructed.

Mass Sofa Tells Studio

Tells Studio’s sofa art project was introduced with a very clear and clever look. The clear sofa can be filled with almost anything you want to put inside. So fill it up with whatever you want to see before sitting down.

The material used is transparent TPU which is durable like hard rubber. It is the same material used on 3D-printed sneakers. Holding the sofa is a beautiful stainless-steel frame, offering an unobstructed view of what’s inside. The transparent couch can receive a variety of fillings depending on the user’s style and desire. This means the Mass Sofa can have different unique looks. Customization is an essential element so feel free to be creative and playful—just be yourself.

Mass Sofa Tells Studio Details

You can put all your expensive sneakers inside, or how about stuffed toys. You can also place pillows or colorful plastic balls. Bag lovers can probably put their favorite pieces there too. The possibilities are endless, but make sure you don’t put anything sharp inside.

Demand for furniture personalization is increasing among different age groups. The younger generation is seemingly the perfect target for such hip pieces, but older people are also looking for artistic and interesting items. The Mass Sofa is something everyone at home will love, so perhaps each family member should get one so no more hogging the couch.

Mass Sofa Tells Studio Fillers

 

Mass Sofa Tells Studio Where to Buy

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