The sofa that moves the living room outdoors

As the outdoor space becomes an increasingly important part of the home ‒ where we eat, hang out, rest and read ‒ it should be just as comfortable and flexible as indoors. This is where HAVSTEN is a great choice. Made in powder coated steel with fluffy, comfortable cushions that resist both broiling sunlight and light rain, HAVSTEN is a durable and neutral base that you can add to and move around to create your own personal living room under the open skies.

Balconies, terraces, gardens ... Outdoor spaces can look different, but one thing they have in common: they are becoming more like the inside of the home. Today, we also want such spaces to have a personalised look, while also being comfortable and flexible. A little like a living room under the open skies. Damon Hird, who works with product development for outdoor spaces, tells us more. "Outdoor furniture has always been quite conventional, but now more and more people want more function and aesthetics. After all, the outdoor space reflects the home’s character, and when you spend more time there it’s natural to want to make it more personal."

Design award for new sofa idea

Designer Andreas Fredriksson had an idea that suited this new need. A modular sofa that can be added to, from armchairs to two seater sofas to three seater sofas ‒ or as long as you like. "I wanted to make a truly flexible sofa", explains Andreas. "Easy to move around and use to furnish in different ways." The sofa differed a lot from other comfortable outdoor sofas that are often big and heavy. Andrea's design idea was to use light steel tubes to build an airy metal skeleton covered with mesh in order to form the frame of the sofa. Thick cushions are then placed over the mesh to provide comfort. "I wanted to achieve an overall ease with this open design while ensuring that all parts fit in a flat package that you easily take home from the store." The fact that Andreas had an exciting solution was confirmed when HAVSTEN, the name given to the finished sofa, was awarded the design award called the Red Dot Award.

The base of the outdoor space

Both Andreas and Damon think that HAVSTEN is just as easily suited for indoors, but the materials are adapted to resist sunlight and the outdoor elements. The frame is made of powder coated steel and the fabrics of the cushions are dyed with a technique where the pigment is added directly into the fibres to prevent them from easily fading in the sun's UV rays. And if it starts to rain lightly, the rain drops form fine beads on the water-repellent surface that you easily shake off. Damon describes HAVSTEN as the outdoor space’s durable anchor point, a neutral base that you can style and adapt as you like. "You can easily change the expression by adding a rug, cool lighting and a table, just as you do around the sofa in the living room."