Gustaf, in one of the earlier threads, I think you posted a picture of your living room. I remember it had a white table with a computer on it in front of the pic, and there was a very lovely grey sofa in the background. Would you mind sharing which model it is, and what you think of it (seat- comfort-wise) ? Are you pleased with it ? I am desperately trying to find a new comfortable sofa. Most sofas I don't like (too formal looking), and those I do like tend to be surprisingly uncomfortable. Your sofa looks wonderful, and yet not too traditional. I'd really like it if you tell us something more about it .
A big thank you !
Answer for ite
My first post here in a while, so hello everyone. I need to catch up.
ite, the model is called UGO. It's designed by Norway Says for LK Hjelle.
It's a great sofa.
I have had it for two years, and am still very pleased with it. It is very well made and still looks new. It's also light enough to be moved around, if need be. Comfort wise, it's on the firm side. Back and arm rests are lower than average, or slightly above elbow height. Not a sofa to curl up in, but that's the only possible negative I can think of. All in all, I find it very comfortable, but it's probably not for everyone.
I looked at a lot of models before choosing this one. The only sofa I would consider replacing it with is the 57 by Finn Juhl.
Below is a closer shot. It's too dark for my camera phone now, or I would have tried to take a better photo.
Hope this helps, and let me know when you're ready to discuss upholstery choices 🙂
Hi Gustaf,Thanks so much...
Hi Gustaf,
Thanks so much for your reply ! Yes, your sofa looks as wonderful as I'd remembered :o) And it still looks pretty new after two years, so it seems to wear well too. Personally, I like your sofa way better than the Finn Juhl model, but that's a subjective thing.
That it's a firm kind of sofa is a bonus, rather than a vice in my book (I hate those mushy sofas where you sink deep into the cushions, I'd rather have some support when I am sitting).
Actually, I did not know the company LK Hjelle you mentioned (have been looking them up and they seem to have other sofa models that look great too, so it's quite a good discovery). They are still a bit of a dark horse, are they not ? I think they are probably better known in Scandinavia than in Europe. Unfortunately, according to their website they do not have many dealers outside of Scandinavia yet. So far, none in Belgium. Closest for us seems to be the UK (twentytwentyone in London) - but I can not find the Hjelle sofas on their website. Sounds a bit ominous, but I'll email them. I am in London sometimes, so if they have one in their showroom I can go and try it out 🙂 I really want to be able to sit in a sofa before I make a choice. I think it's really important to feel comfortable in your own sofa.
What I am most worried about these days, is seating depth. Most sofas I have tried so far are way too deep. Bc the sofa is too deep, my knees are lying flat on the sofa - I can therefore not flex them. As a result, when I am sitting against the backrest, my legs always end up sticking out awkwardly. Basically: most sofas make me feel like a toddler. Not exactly something that inspires me to purchase. As I am a girl over average height, I can't imagine I am the only one with this hiccup. A sales lady told me that deep sofas are better bc they exude luxury / relaxation. Huh ? Luxury = sitting in discomfort ? What a strange definition. Must be a fashion fad, surely. Certainly Mr Dieter Rams would not have approved.
Anyway, at first sight, the dimension of the UGO sofa look very promising ! No overly deep faddish rifraf decisions in sight :o) And I love the wonderful wool upholstery. So for me this one is definitely a model to try out.
Thank you so much for the information Gustaf, it's much appreciated !
PS: edited for typos
http://www.hjelle.no/
Thanks ite.
LK Hjelle is...
Thanks ite.
LK Hjelle is not a well known brand in Sweden; I had never heard about them before I found my sofa. It turns out they have a somewhat interesting history: They're a fairly small Norwegian company founded in the 1940s. Having always made traditional furniture for their home market, they came to the brink of ruin a few years ago. To turn things around, they decided to go contemporary and started a cooperation with Norway Says, a then "young hot" designer group of Milan furniture fair fame. The result was a radical break with tradition, with Hal, Break, and Ugo as their first new models. It proved to be a stroke of genius: the new collection turned the company around in less in a year.
I like the story because they could have gone cheap or generic, or just outsourced their existing products, but instead chose to focus on craftsmanship and good design. A lot more companies could do that.
Seating height: I am 175 and agree seats are often too deep. And yes, it must be a more common problem than sofa designers want us to believe. However, I *sometimes* do like it deep. An adjustable seating depth would be the best, but maybe not the prettiest. I am not sure how the Ugo compares in this respect, but I just measured it and it's 56 cm. The below photo (not mine) gives a slightly better view of the scale, I think.
Too bad there's no showroom near you. Let me know if you're in the Copenhagen/Malmö area, and I'd be happy to invite you over for a test sit.
http://d2.blogg.no/1208895174_sofaking_we_todd_did.html
Hi Gustav,aww, thank you...
Hi Gustav,
aww, thank you so much for measuring the UGO for me !! So sweet of you, thank you ! much appreciated ! :o) the website does not carry this information -though it's very useful. Actually, the seat depth is rather good, I think. It's a couple of cms deeper than my ideal (= about 50 cms = perfection), but adding a small cushion would give you 50 cms easy when you're reading a book. Ah pretty good indeed ! And thank you so much for your generous offer for having me over. That would be great, now if only I had more time to travel..
The Hjelle story is very inspiring. Actually it illustrates the power of good design: it can really push a product forward. Lovely design sells. I find it wonderful to learn that design is responsible for saving craftsmanship and jobs. Naturally, it works the other way around as well: lovely design sells, even if the properties of the thing are not the best of the market. Friends of mine were looking to buy a fridge recently. They were esp interested in a Smeg, bc of its character and looks, and surprised to learn that it performs quite poorly compared to other models in the same category when it comes to energy use. I was surprised as well : somehow, it seems that if you buy a high design product, you expect somehow that it is a high quality product. I felt disappointed to learn that here the lovely design is used to compensate below average performance of the item in other domains. After all, people are liking the Smeg designs so much that they will buy them nonetheless, so the Smeg executives can afford not to care too much about the unusual high energy consumption of their products. Anyway, it simply attests again to the power design can have on a product !
I much prefer the positive vibe of Hjelle story :o) - it makes up for the Smeg disappointment.
PS: Oh, btw, what an exciting blog with the orange pic ! I just surfed too much time away - a pity I don't speak Swedish..
PPS: (edit) darn typos
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