The origin of the sofa dates as far back as 2000BC in Egypt with the word derived from the Arabic term “suffah” and roughly translating to “bench”.
Sofas were only used by the privileged and they resembled a chaise longue (long chair).
In the late 16th century, European craftsmen reimaged and recreated the sofa as we know it now. They were manufacturing sofas that were ornate but lacking in comfort and stuffed with horse hair and dried moss.
The Industrial Revolution in the 1830s fuelled the popularity of the sofa as mass production reduced the cost of making things in scale.
It was not until the early 1900s when the sofas became more than just statement pieces with manufacturers taking comfort into consideration.
Modern Design
The onset of modern design late in the 20th century put the sofa in a position of importance in the living room. The likes of Philip Starck, Jan des Bouvrie, Arne Jacobsen, Patricia Urquiola, Antoio Citterio and Fritz Hansen came onto the scene with their unique sense of style that married form and function to good effect and international acclaim.
Hansen, whose earlier work with Arne Jacobsen resulted in the iconic Egg chair, sees the brand continue with new designers. Spaniard Jaime Hayon has created a sofa based on the concept of space and warmth; interpretations of the Danish word “lune”, which is also the name of his latest design.
With an eye firmly cast on the rising Moon in the East, Fritz Hansen has made the proportions more comfortable for the Asian frame.
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Fresh from its showing at the Salone del Mobile 2017 in Milan, in April, the Lune modular sofa makes its debut in Singapore. It combines the minimalist Nordic design language with a sense of subtle elegance that allows it to be purposed for rooms of varying sizes.
Attention has also been paid to the rear of the sofa, with curves that allow it to sit proudly in the centre of the room rather than against a wall.
The individually dyed upholstery is made from a cotton-linen fabric blend, which allows inherent imperfections to be part of its design, and the craftsmanship seen and felt.
A webbing lays the foundation of the sofa, the middle a cushion foam and the top a layer of duck and goose feather, for the first time in Fritz Hansen’s history.
Lune is available at W.Atelier. It is priced from $8,700 for the 3-seater to $12,600 for the 4-seater L with chaise.
