Yves Béhar just designed the least sofa-like sofa ever
Yves Béhar just designed the least sofa-like sofa ever
The Peaks sofa looks more like a mountain range than a couch.
Yves Béhar unveiled his latest sofa concept at Milan Design Week—and it’s different, to say the least.
The Peaks, a prototype created in collaboration with design company Moooi, has almost every quality you’d least expect in a couch: pointy edges, moving parts, and a profile that sits only about a foot off the ground. It’s a modular sofa comprised of foam triangles connected by fabric hinges, allowing them to rotate up and down. Due to its detachable components, the Peaks can be rearranged in countless configurations, from a flat platform to an obstacle course, a theater, or a fort.
“As I was dreaming of human connection, play, and silliness during the long months of COVID, I wondered about a sofa that would create intimacy and closeness,” Béhar said in a press release. “Peaks was born from the longing to come together.”
The sofa also pulls inspiration from the sunken pits of the ‘70s, a “design memory” that’s been highly impactful for Béhar. Two decades ago, he purchased a De Sede Ubald Klug Terrazzo couch and a Luigi Colani “Pool” modular sofa, both conversation pit-esque pieces that set the stage for his eventual creation of the Peaks.
“I didn’t want a traditional setup in my living room, and [those two couches] were more fun and interactive,” Béhar wrote in an email to Fast Company. “I also loved the immersive nature of conversation pits, and having a reconfigurable couch that didn’t require heavy lifting or pieces that scatter around the house (which happens with the Colani). So Peaks had to succeed to meet a lot of personal requirements, and satisfy my desire for deep social connections.”
To solve the scattering issue, the Peaks fits together through fabric hinges and an invisible zipper system, meaning there won’t be any pesky pieces finding their way out of the living room. Béhar says his personal Peaks sofa has become “a playground for the kids,” who often kick the adults off to make room for their own games.
But is the Peaks actually comfortable? While it’s difficult to give an informed answer without actually sitting on it, Béhar notes several design considerations that might shed some light on the issue.
“The structure is made of two different foams, a more rigid foam for the underlying triangles that support the shapes, and a softer foam for the upper layer that makes sitting soft and comfortable,” Béhar wrote. “Ergonomic sizing and proper angles were key to make the size of the triangles for a generous backrest for reading, lounging, or watching a TV screen.”
Béhar’s goal is to put the Peaks into production with Moooi, although there’s no concrete timeline on its release just yet.
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