Designing space, adapting to it. This is the role played by modular upholstered furniture, capable of creating configurations that overcome the rigidity and immobility of traditional décor. Modular systems respond to all the requirements of rooms, in small flats or immense lounge areas. The modular challenge has been addressed by many designers, often with brilliant solutions, working through addition or subtraction to create an infinite range of configurations.
Dambo (on cover), designed by Piero Lissoni for B&B Italia, is a seating system composed of irregular pentagons and rectangular modules, juxtaposing more complex geometric forms with linear elements, to facilitate the creation of multiple compositions and settings. The basic pentagonal elements, large in size and very flexible, can be used as peninsulas in combination with other pieces, or as seats in their own right.
Lilas Mosaïque by Gallotti&Radice, design Dainelli Studio
Lilas Mosaïque by Dainelli Studio for Gallotti&Radice is a system of seating components in polyurethane, with a base in black coated metal. The backs can be freely positioned and accompanied by a cushion for greater comfort.
Cosy Island by MDF Italia, design Francesco Rota – Photo © Thomas Pagani
The Cosy Island (in the photo) and Cosy Curve padded elements created by Francesco Rota for MDF Italia can be combined to generate infinite possibilities of configuration, in a free, continuous modular arrangement. The seat modules can also be utilized individually as ottomans. The result is a sofa created to match personal needs, where a wide selection of fabrics enables adaptation to any context, from the most modern living areas to hospitality spaces and contract applications.
Extrasoft by Living Divani, design Piero Lissoni
Extrasoft by Piero Lissoni for Living Divani is a soft seating range that can be easily personalized thanks to multiple possibilities of combination with its modules. The real innovation is the deconstructed design of the padding, which gradually loses its role as a support structure in favor of softer, more enticing lines. The “island” concept remains, in any case, interpreted in the various configurations that can be moved in space.
Matic by Knoll, design Piero Lissoni – Photo © Federico Cedrone
Again by Piero Lissoni for Knoll, Matic is an innovative system of seating components conceived as a raised platform, halfway between an island and a work of architecture. Modular or linear, the collection stands out for its large seats at different depths, covered in leather or fabric. The modules include a chaise longue and a peninsula, to formulate soft seating with squares of uniform size, or detailed with T stitching, combined with a special curved back featuring a mechanism that can be rotated to boost comfort.
Perry by Flexform, design Antonio Citterio
Composed of soft padded parts for versatile grouping, the Perry seating system by Antonio Citterio Design for Flexform introduces a new way of designing living space, with original configurations and modules whose irregular form makes it possible to break up linear arrangements, adding a dynamic character and an informal attitude.
Dylan by Minotti, design Rodolfo Dordoni
The refined volumes of Dylan by Rodolfo Dordoni Design for Minotti come together in a system that can be narrated in three variations (Dylan, Dylan Small and Dylan Low), ready to respond to different tastes and different ways of living in space, in the home or in contexts of hospitality. The red thread running through the three different types is that of the seat and back cushions, featuring soft, rhythmical stitching inspired by haute couture, to instantly produce a timeless classic.
Everyday Life by Paul Smith + De Padova
Everyday Life by Paul Smith + De Padova includes sofas, poufs, armchairs and accessories in leather for the living area. The collection, which again brings together the refined aplomb of the historic Italian brand and the versatile creativity of the fashion designer, expands with the development of a modular sofa that permits versatile new configurations, with an accent on convivial enjoyment.
Le Mura by Tacchini + Formafantasma + Rubelli, design Mario Bellini
The collaboration between Tacchini, Formafantasma and Rubelli, a company renowned for the production of fabrics, confirms the timeless character of the Le Mura sofa by Mario Bellini. The two designers explore the concept of modularity, selecting nine colors and three shades of the Ombra fabric, a velvet in pure cotton. A distinctive palette that enhances the design of the product, conceived to color the entire composition in a single tone, or to construct a stylistic dialogue between modules clad in different colors.
Colle by Natuzzi, design BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group
From the encounter between Natuzzi and Bjarke Ingels, founder and creative director of the studio BIG, Colle is a system composed of an armchair module, versions with two or three seats, and a range of different components – also corner solutions – to bring a space devoted to relaxation into the living area. On the internal structure of the sofa, the seat and back cushions are delicately rested, giving rise to informal, comfortable places to sit.
Shaal by Arper, design Doshi Levien
The Shaal system by Doshi Levien for Arper includes six basic modules, each designed to be independent or to be combined to create standard or bespoke configurations, capable of expanding and adapting to changing needs, in the home, the office, or in contexts of hospitality. The shell of the structure cradles the deep cushions and raises the elegant form of the sofa off the floor.
