CLAUDIA SOFA

Claudia is a quiet sofa whose character comes almost entirely from its surface. Shown here in olive nubuck, the leather is sanded to a short nap that absorbs light instead of reflecting it, so the sofa looks like a soft block of colour rather than a set of highlights. The form underneath is deliberately calm: two seat cushions and two back cushions on a low plinth, rounded arms finished with a black zip detail, and no tufting. The scatter cushion carries the same black zip.

Why nubuck

Nubuck is full-grain leather buffed on the outer face until it has a velvet-short nap. It feels closer to suede than to a polished hide, it needs no polishing, and it shades slightly where a hand brushes it — the marks lift out with a soft cloth in the same direction as the nap. Over years it darkens at the seat and arm fronts, which on a matte surface reads as age rather than wear. It is the wrong choice for a public lobby and the right one for a room someone actually lives in.

Leather or fabric

Claudia is made to order from seventy-six leather shades in twelve colour groups, or from our fabric range; above it is also shown in taupe, cream and green leather, and in cognac and grey nubuck. Stitch, piping and cushion configuration are chosen at the time of order. On a form this simple the seam lines are, besides the zips, the only drawing on the piece, so that choice shows more here than on a buttoned or channelled sofa.

Construction

Kiln-dried beech frame, hand-assembled, dried before upholstery so it stays still in a heated room. High-resilience foam with a sprung seat platform underneath — on a seat this long, a softer filling would sag within a season and the clean line of the piece would go with it.

Sizes

Claudia is produced to order and the final dimensions are set per project — width, seat depth and back height are all open. The proportions are re-balanced with any change rather than simply stretched. COM projects are accepted.

Where it belongs

A living room, a reading room, a private lounge — somewhere the surface will be touched. Against plaster, wood and natural stone the matte leather settles in quickly; next to glass and gloss it looks out of place.