A modular outdoor sofa, one module at a time

A modular outdoor sofa is a set of seats that hook together, so you can run them in a line for a party and split them into two facing groups in September. Flexform makes several modular systems for outdoors, and two of them rest on frames of solid iroko: Zante and Ontario. Both come in two seat depths, which is the first thing to decide.

Seat depth comes first

A shallow seat keeps your back upright. It suits a sofa you eat or talk on, where people sit with a plate or lean toward a table. A deep seat lets you pull your feet up or lie across it. It suits a sofa facing a view or a pool.

Both Zante and Ontario let you mix depths in one layout. Put deep modules along the side that faces the garden and shallow ones along the side that faces the table. The factory credits the two depths for the flexibility of both systems, and on a terrace it means one sofa can do two jobs.

Draw the modules on paper

Measure the terrace and mark the doors, steps and planters. Then draw rectangles for the modules. Keep a path of about three feet in front of the sofa, and let the coffee table stand 14 to 18 inches off the seat front. Corner modules take up more floor than they seem to, so check the corner twice.

Plan for change as well. If you host a dozen people twice a summer, buy for the everyday group and add ottomans for the big nights. A module you add in year two costs less trouble than a sofa that fills the terrace from day one and leaves you no floor for a dining table.

Think about the view too. Face the long run of modules toward the thing you want to look at, the sea, the lawn or the fire, and keep the backs toward the house wall. A sofa with its back to the room door makes people walk around it to sit down.

Zante: the one that stacks

Zante comes from the Flexform design center. The frame is solid iroko on a powder-coated 316 stainless steel base. The detail that sets it apart is storage: the factory designed the modules to come apart and stack at the end of the season. If your garage is small, that counts for more than any finish.

The seat cushions use polyurethane foam in a protective water-repellent laminated fabric, and the back cushions add polyester fiber. Flexform rates its outdoor fabrics for weather, sun, chlorine and salt water. See the Zante collection.

Ontario: the one with the bolster

Ontario, by Antonio Citterio, shows its wood. Thick iroko slats and cast metal spacers make up the frame, and a steel perimeter, set back from the edges, lifts the sofa off the paving so it stays clear of damp. Behind the back cushions sits a bolster, a Flexform signature, which props your back against the wood.

Ontario also comes in a double depth, and the factory points to it as the reason the system suits unusual layouts. See the Ontario collection.

Finishes

The iroko on both systems comes natural, stained grey, stained brown or lacquered white. Pick one finish for the wooden pieces on the terrace, tables included, and choose the fabric after the wood. A stained grey frame with sand cushions reads soft; natural iroko with white cushions reads bright in full sun.

Module covers and a dry shed

Flexform recommends a waterproof cover for each module, made on request at extra cost. Bring the cushions indoors for storms and cold months, and let the frame sit under its cover. With Zante you can also stack the modules in a shed.

Ask for a module plan

Put the terrace measurements, the doors and how many people use it most evenings into the form below. You receive a Zante or Ontario module plan, the finishes, and the price set down in writing.