Italian sofa brands: choosing for the way you live

These are selected examples, not a ranking. Each brand has other collections; the final dimensions, upholstery and configuration belong to the actual piece being ordered.

Antonio Citterio’s Groundpiece, introduced in 2001, has low, deep proportions. Flexform offers different seat-cushion constructions, and the armrest can be upholstered or formed as a cowhide-covered console with a surface and shelves. Those choices affect how the sofa is used as well as how it looks. Explore Groundpiece.

Try it in the position you actually enjoy. Reading with your feet raised and talking with a guest are different tests. Notice whether you settle into the back cushions comfortably or keep moving forward to reach a table. A sofa can provide generous lounging while an accompanying armchair offers a more upright seat.

The low outline is worth studying from the entrance and from the room beyond. It may preserve a view or allow a painting to remain prominent above the seating. Its depth still needs enough space on the plan; a large sofa squeezed between circulation routes rarely feels generous.

Skyline, designed by Carlo Colombo in 2019, invites you to think in groups of seats. On a furnished plan, its modules can be read alongside the tables, rug and route to the window or terrace. Explore Skyline.

The useful question is how a gathering will work. A long composition can give the room a clear horizontal line, but guests sitting at opposite ends may have little connection. Turning part of the seating towards an armchair or making a second group can bring a large salon closer to the people using it.

The spaces between the pieces also shape the room. One leaves a route open; another puts a table within reach; a wider interval gives a chair room to be appreciated. These relationships help a modular system acquire the character of a particular home.

Come Together, by Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba, can be upholstered in Pelle Frau leather or fabric. An optional leather band around the lower perimeter gives the base a more pronounced detail; the version without it has a lighter visual expression. Explore Come Together.

A sofa placed away from the wall is seen from several sides. Its rear, armrests and base can become as noticeable as its front. A seam or a change of material that barely registers in a product photograph may become a recurring pleasure as you walk through the room.

Beside the room’s actual floor, timber and other textiles, an upholstery sample reveals more than it does on its own. A larger area helps show how much presence the colour will have, in daylight and evening light. Sitting in the proposed version brings the choice back to the body: the surface you enjoy touching and the cushion you enjoy sitting on need to belong to the same piece.

Vico Magistretti designed Maralunga in 1973. The adjustable backrest changes its profile and support, allowing a lower setting for conversation and a higher one for relaxing. Explore Maralunga.

Try both positions and look at the piece from the other end of the room. Its shape has enough character to sit beside objects collected over time: a painting, an inherited table, a chair you still love. Give those pieces room to be themselves rather than choosing every item as a matching set.

Cassina distinguishes Maralunga, Maralunga 40 and Maralunga 40-S. Removable fabric upholstery is a feature identified for 40-S; it should not be assumed for every version. That is a small specification detail with a practical consequence when the sofa becomes part of everyday family life.

For evenings with friends, the relationship between seats matters as much as their number. People should be able to talk without turning awkwardly or leaning across a deep table. In a family room, space to stretch out may be the greater pleasure. A drawing room and a television room can quite reasonably call for different sofas.

In AD’s main-salon design for a private residence in Phnom Penh, a low Henge sofa faces rounded armchairs across bronze tables. The dining area remains visible beyond the seating. Within a large, open interior, the furniture makes a place for conversation.

The main salon shows the larger decision: how furniture, views and adjoining rooms come together within AD’s design for the residence. Explore the residence.

Place the proposed composition on a measured plan, including tables and armchairs. Marking its footprint on the floor can help you judge an unfamiliar size. Check the view as you enter, the space behind the sofa and where someone will put a drink or a reading lamp.

Confirm the module arrangement, upholstery, cushion specification and finishes against the quotation. Ask about care and the exact version you tried. Delivery also needs an actual route through the building: lift, staircase, entrance and any assembly in the room. Agree who checks access and who is responsible for installation at the destination.

For the purchasing route, read Buying Italian furniture from Italy.