Like everything else in this era of endless choices, there seems to be unlimited options when it comes to choosing a sofa. You might think you know exactly what you want, but once you walk into a shop or browse images online, the styles, shapes, and customization alternatives can become overwhelming. Most people stumble in a search for a “perfect” sofa. With no intentions to disappoint you but- there is no such a thing. There is the sofa that is just right for everyone. One can be fascinated by it while the other is ready to drag it to the dump. As it is said “it can be a trash for you, but someone else might find it to be a treasure”. It is very common to get lost in a search for a couch considering the design of it more than its practicality. The design should not play a big role in selecting a couch. The construction and its mechanism, on the other hand, is a major factor that requires quite of attention. Remember, it is not only about esthetics, it is about pragmatism.
A systematic break down of the kinds of sofas which will prevent you from getting stumped in your search: •With a mechanism •Island •Bean bag •Solid foundation
•Refined legs •Cut out back •Block
•Fantasy •Sleeper
WITH MECHANISM •
Various transformation mechanisms offer a wide selection of a couch design, which correspond to numerous requests of a client.
Advantages : •Multifunction •Transformation possibilities accordingly to needs and preferences Disadvantages : •Need of space: what room will a sofa be in ( a living room or a home office)? Choosing a room for a sofa is a first step as some designs are compact enough, while others - bulky. Therefore, you need to decide which room space you are willing to sacrifice. •Mechanism wearability
• 1) 2) 3)
Sofas with mechanisms entail a change in the standard form of modules using: the manual outer handle/pull, an inner cord pull or a press mechanical movements (press) an electric motor (remote).
Options for backrests: Tilt Back
Raising back height by pressing down
Flip
A change in height by raising a pillow placement
Seats can: Slide forward by pressing with your hands against an arm
Recline with an additional footrest popping up, adding extra comfort.
BUSNELLI - MIKE
MOROSO – SHANGHAI TIP
BUSNELLI - UGO
CAMPEGGI – SHELL
DITRE - GINGER
DITRE - GOSSIP
DOIMO SALOTTI - ATLANTE
DOIMO SALOTTI - BLUES
DOIMO SALOTTI - ESTASI
DOIMO SALOTTI - MAXIM
DOIMO SALOTTI - OCEANO
DOIMO SALOTTI - OPIUM
DOIMO SALOTTI - POLO
DOIMO SALOTTI - SECRET
DOIMO SALOTTI - SMILE
EDRA - FLAP
KOINOR - ADAMO
KOINOR - DIVINO
KOINOR - ELENA
KOINOR - MATTEO
KOINOR - ROXANNE
KOINOR - ACANTO
KOINOR - ALPHA
KOINOR - ANSINA
KOINOR - EASY
KOINOR - AVANTI
KOINOR - EVENTO
KOINOR - VOLARE
SABA – 11.59
SABA – LIVINGSTON
MOROSO - HIGHLANDS
SWAN - CUBIK
MATTEO GRASSI - SLIDER
BUSNELLI - JAKO
BUSNELLI - HARVEST
BUSNELLI - MYLO
BONALDO – GOOD MOOD
BONALDO – TOLOME O
BONALDO – VITA
DEMA - BOSS
DEMA – LE ONDE
DEMA – RATAPLAN
DEMA – VELIERO
NUBE – BOOK NEST
NUBE – URBAN
NUBE – VANITY
PINTON - SOF T
VALMORI - ALADINE
VALMORI - CASSIOPE A
VALMORI - MARLENE
VALMORI - MOVING
VALMORI - NOOR
LIVING DIVANI - TWICE
ARFLEX - BLOW
SABA - UP
DESIREE – TIBET
MOROSO - SHANGHAI TIP
ISLAND •
You wish something unusual, interesting and extraordinary? Couch-island is a key to the world of daydreaming.
•
This is a kind of a couch, individual modules of which are put together separately. There is an option to not only choose your preferred combination of modules of different backrest and arm heights but also seat depths. Poufs are usually used as an additional backless module, which completes a combination.
•
If you wish to add some accent, some of the modules in different colors or patterns is your answer.
•
Such design of a sofa is used in open spaces in the middle of the room, which explains the name. Usually used in home spaces where there is a TV on one side and a fire place on the opposite one. Also, an appropriate place for such design will be a hotel lobby. Two-sided elements will create privacy and at the same time will offer lots of seating for entertainment events.
VIBIEFFE - GLAM
BONALDO -PEANUT
LIVING DIVANI – EXTRA WALL
LIVING DIVANI – EXTRASOF T
DOIMO SALOTTI - DOMINO
DESIREE – BLO US
DESIREE – BLO
LEMA - CLOUD
DESIREE – MONOPOLI
SABA - SETTANTA
ARFLEX - STRIPS
ARKETIPO - INKAS
SABA - PIXEL
MOROSO – FIELD
ZANOTTA - PIANOALTO
VALMORI- JULY
BEAN BAG
•
Bean bag couches are significantly different than any other tradition furniture, receiving its name from a bean bag chair. An original bean bag chair is designed by an Italian company Zanotta (1969). Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini and Franco Teodoro are credited with being the original designers at Zanotta; it is said that they noticed the staff would sit on bags filled with styrofoam during their coffee and cigarette breaks. Nowadays, bean bag chairs are filled with dried beans, polymer, polypropylene . People typically drawn to bean bags because of their comfort appeal. Such a puffy design looks very inviting bringing more relaxation and leisure into the space. Couches like these, look like giant pillows sewed on to each other giving more relaxed feeling in a more laid-back living areas. Options with no feet might look a bit bulky and seem to require more space than the elevated one (on legs).
ARFLEX - MARENCO
EDRA - BRENNO
PIANCA - LIMBO
GERVASONI – NUVOLA 12
POLTR ONA FRAU - BEBOR
ARKETIPO – AUTO REVERSE
AFFLE X - PECORE LLE
POLTR ONA FRAU - JOHN-JOHN
ARFLEX - SMART
SOLID FOUNDATION
•
This design visually adds more weight
•
Not the best option for tiny spaces
SWAN - BOXER
SWAN - COMPOS
SWAN - HILLS
DESIREE - GLOW-IN
DESIREE – KUBIC SOF T
BAXTER – HOUSSE MONO
BAXTER – HOUSSE XXL
IVANO REDAELLI – YOU AND ME
MINOTTI – POWELL.11 2
DESIREE – OZIUM
DESIREE – ZENIT
ZANOTTA - BETA
ARFLEX - ITACA
SABA - TAOS
REFINED LEGS •
This design illustrates symmetry and balance, firmness and stability
•
Mostly used in small living spaces
POLTR ONA FRAU - ANTOHN
POLTR ONA FRAU - OUVERTUR E
DESIREE - IT-IS
MOROSO - CHANDIGARH
MOROSO – VOLANT
VITRA - SUITA
VITRA – PARK SOFA
ZANOTTA - PARCO
ZANOTTA - MILAN O
ZANOTTA - WILLIAM
ARKETIPO - RAIL
DRIADE - LEEON
DRIADE - FENIX
ARFLEX - FELIX
PIANCA - POLO
ARFLEX – HOLLY WOOD
MOROSO - GENTRY
CUT OUT BACK
•
The design of the couch is similar to the Island one. It is a modular sofa with one or two (depends on the selection) backless modules that are lined up next to each other, unlike the Island where individual modules can be placed around each other making a unique form.
•
Such design enables placement even in the middle of the room having an in-table sliding above the module with no back. It provides space to put something on and not hold a glass in hand or reach for the only coffee table there is.
VIBIEFFE - GLAM
ZANOTTA - PIANOALTO
ZANOTTA- SCOTT
MINOTTI - POWELL
MOROSO - SHANGHAI TIP
LAGO - AIR
MERIDIANI- BACON
ARKETIPO - RAIL
A BLOCK
•
This design does not scream comfort and coziness . Clean and very sharp lines of the sofa give an impression of the couch to be very uptight and firm. The seat height is quite low, as well as the back-cushions that most of the time match the height of the arms. This might not be ideal for people who have trouble getting of the low seat. Neither this design is appropriate for family rooms where a deep, fluffy, comfy sofa should be used rather than a brick-like module that does not invite you in to kick your shoes off and take a nap.
MOROSO – STEEL
ZANOTTA- THROW AWAY
ZANOTTA- KILT
CAPPE LLINI – CUBA 25
ZANOTTA - KILT
LIVING DIVANI – WALL
DESIREE – BLOCKONE
LEMA – OCEAN DRIVE
SABA - RIVER
MERITALI A –SAM
MOROSO - BLUR
ARFLEX - MOODS
FANTASY
•
•
This is the design that is not taken seriously. It is the sofa for someone who experiences childhood nostalgia. But hey, there is always a kid in each and every one of us. If you would like to bring your bubbly personality out and let it be reflected into furniture, this design is the best option for your interior. There are certainly no rules. There is wildness, happiness and carelessness. This is the sofa that is a playground for kids’ imagination.
MERITALIA – II GUILLARE
MERITALIA - PILLOWCASE
MERITALIA – II GUILLARE DUE
MERITALI A – INSIEME
MERITALI A – SETTECENTO
MERITALI A – SOFA MICHETTA
MOROSO – DO-LO -RE Z
MOROSO – MISFI TS
MOROSO – PRINT
MOROSO – RIF T
SLEEPERS
•
A sofa bed turns a living space into a sleeping space. There are many variations on the sofa bed, as different sofas use different mechanisms to transform the couch into the bed. The type of sofa bed you select depends on the space for the sofa, your comfort and ease of transformation.
1) Futon bed 2) Pull- out 3) Drawer bed
1) Futon Sofa Bed is also known as a sleeper or lounge. The hinge on the sofa is released and the back-support cushion slides out or drops down to create the bed. Futons are usually made of a thin mattress, but larger, slide-out couches have been manufactured using the futon mechanics. Throw pillows provide a head rest when used as a bed. http://www.pohjanmaan .fi/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/easy.gif
2) Pull-out sofa bed does exactly what it sounds like. The top cushions are removed from the couch and placed to the side. Underneath them is a spring- loaded metal frame . The bed is pulled out from the center and flipped forward with three folding sections. The bed frame snaps into a place and pairs of legs automatically come down to support the mattress . The mattress is usually about the thickness of a standard bed mattress. http://www.pohjanmaan.fi/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/american.gif http://www.pohjanmaan.fi/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/big-meka.gif
3) Drawer sofa bed: instead of removing cushions every time, you can use a drawer-style sofa bed. The bed mechanism is underneath the couch. Pull out the drawer under the couch. The bed pulls up and the legs fold out and rest on the drawer. An extended side of the couch adds to the size of the bed. All of the cushions remain in place on the couch. http://www.pohjanmaan .fi/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/dolfin.gif
Here are major factors that should help in your search: • The seat height : many contemporary sofas are too low. When a woman sits down on a sofa, she has trouble keeping her legs together, and a man over 40 has trouble getting up. The minimum height is 20” (51cm) • The seat depth: for a sofa not to have an appeal like it belongs in a dentist’s lobby, make sure the depth of the seating cushion is at least 22” (55cm+) • The arm width: it is easy. There is a thin and a wide arm. A thin arm gives a sofa more sophisticated and refined look, and visually doesn’t take up as much room. While the wide arm space consuming, but can be used as a spot to sit on if the sofa is full. Might better be used in spacious interiors. • The backrest height: most contemporary sofas have low back-cushions, which are not as comfortable as they don’t allow to lean back and relax your head. • Inner filling: the best filler for your cushions is the one that meets your needs and preferences . You may have allergies that prevent the use of some materials or you may want low or no- maintenance cushions . You may want softness most of all or you may prefer firm, long-lasting cushions . There are three main types of cushion fillers, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Understanding these three types will help you choose the filler that is best for you. 1)Loose fiberfill, a polyester fiber, resembles down when used in cushions . It is soft to sit on but flattens quite quickly and requires frequent turning and plumping. It must be encased in a fabric shell before being inserted into the cushion and is not recommended for use alone in seat cushions; however, it works well in separate back cushions. 2) Foam core: a foam inner core surrounded by loose fiberfill and encased in a fabric shell makes a popular seat cushion. It looks like down but will be much firmer and will require less fluffing. The foam will hold the cushion shape much better than down and the cushion will last years longer. If the fiberfill flattens, that portion of the cushion may be replaced or supplemented. 3) Down: the most expensive cushion filler is down. It is comfortable to sit on, conforms to the body well and stays cool in warm weather. Filled with down only, cushions must be fluffed and turned regularly and will eventually become soiled, flatten permanently and become difficult to fluff up. Cleaning may restore some fluffiness but the expense of the cleaning is often more than cost of replacing the cushions. Foam- core down cushions are a less expensive substitute for all-down cushions . Down is a natural material and is considered a renewable resource. However, it should be noted that down is not hypoallergenic .