A sofa used to mean just a long, upholstered seat with a back and arms. Until came the sofa bed, a seat by day and a bed by night. Then, too, the lounge and the couch, which both imply comfort seating.
Hmm, let’s see. There’s the divan, which is a long, backless sofa with pillows against a wall. And the loveseat, which is sweetly designed for two people. And don’t forget the settee, a small sofa. And the squab, a soft padded sofa. And so on and so forth.
The way modern sofas are designed today, you seem to find different kinds of sofas in just one setting. I love it that today’s sofas have portions that can romantically seat two, and on another part of it, a group of kids can go bonding for a sleepover. You can even mix and match parts of a sofa setting to create different looks. Don’t you just love surprising the family when they wake up the next day to find that the living room has a new look again?
Fortunately today’s sofas also come in muted colors that allow versatility. Just the way that Giorgio Armani would prescribe it: “Natural, elemental colors in serene and relaxing settings, which serve as the perfect backdrop for beautiful pieces of art.”
Armani also likes seeing cushions on the floor, as they exude the atmosphere of a house lived in freedom. “An ideal home,” he says, “is one with a fluid design with no barricades, with different environs flowing from one area into another, and no empty spaces between them.”
Today’s sofas exude just that — a lot of freedom. You can use them for seating, relaxing, sleeping, bonding, entertaining. One thing sure is, sofas are not just for decoration.
A place that offers a lot of such sofas is Dexterton, a complete lifestyle store located at the BA Lepanto Building on Paseo de Roxas, Makati. It has sofa sets by some of the world’s best furniture makers such as Arflex, Mos, Seven and Swan.
The wonderful thing about Dexterton is that its showrooms look like sleekly designed home areas, rather than a cluttered store. You can actually visualize how a sofa would look good with a few accessories such as a carpet, a lamp and a vase. Dexterton has that tasteful eye for style and comfort, the sofas look so soft and comfy, you actually feel like you could honeymoon right there.
Which reminds me of Armani’s cool suggestion: Couples should try having separate bedrooms. “It is the way to keep love alive.” He says passion and interest have to be constantly renewed. You share the same space only if you are moved by desire. Separate beds, separate bedrooms, okay.
But separate sofas? I think sofas are made for sharing and bonding.
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Dexterton Corporation offers a complete lifestyle showroom of sofas, tables, beds, cabinets, lamps, lighting fixtures, kitchen and bathroom settings and decorative accessories. Visit Dexterton at the third and fourth floor of BA Lepanto Building, 8747 Paseo de Roxas, Makati. Or call 817-6666.