Meet the Maker:

Well, the word is out! We’ve got a new sofa on the scene. The Otto collection is a special one - because it leaves quite a lot of the design process up to you! Thanks to its modular format, it’s endlessly personalisable to suit any taste in any space. Every unit has got comfort built in, with low maintenance fills that will keep Otto feeling fresh for many years to come. To shed some light on how this modular marvel came about, designer, Mark Smith shares what inspired the new addition, along with why he feels it’s one of our most exciting furniture families yet. Over to Mark…

Whenever designing something new, the key is to start with the customer. I’m aware that changes in lifestyle spark new behaviours and needs; so, along came Otto to answer them! This design introduces a new dimension to the way a sofa can be used. We invested time and research in order to offer something endlessly customisable. Otto presents more sizing options, multi size footrests, units with or without arms, and endless corner sofa functions you can build into your model. Otto is truly a sofa for today - one which caters to flexible living, and goes beyond the traditional conception as a sofa purely as a spot to take a seat. Nowadays people rest, watch TV, read, work, and even have dinner on their sofa! So, we took our time (six months, to be exact) to bring to life a sofa that can do it all.

I wanted to design Arlo and our customers a model with as much choice on sizing as possible, executed to a very high standard when it comes to comfort and quality. We get so many requests for special widths and modular builds that we wanted to present the possibilities right off the bat with this one, offering 21 units to make Otto our largest product family yet. This sort of versatility means it can fit comfortably in any room.

Having lived with and tested the first prototype for some time, we were able to make sure that Otto is a feat not just of form but also of function. We combined clean looks with ultimate comfort, requiring minimal maintenance thanks to our high quality foam encore seat system. Otto is super comfortable and exceptionally inviting, owing to its amply-sized goose down back cushions, padded arm cushions, generous high-quality foam, and an extra 150mm of seating depth compared to our standard offering.

To guide the design, Otto was developed with a few key principles in mind. We wanted a low and deep floating sofa, a more relaxed and casual approach to comfort, and generous seating space. We offer 3 split sofa sizes, which are ultimately extendable to 6. We’ve also got 2 chairs with arms and 3 without, 4 stools, and 12 modular units using 3 seat widths. So, you can select the exact format you want, and the units then fasten together with a hidden click system underneath. I wanted to keep the look clean and simple to maximise the adaptability that the modular makeup affords. So, we encourage you to start with Otto as a fresh canvas and dress it in one of our endless fabric options to make it feel like yours! Whether you’ve got a contemporary home or a period house, you’re bound to find the perfect Otto to suit.

Otto emphasises customer personalisation, with compact 2-units to expansive 6-units with Grande width seats, which are an excellent option for cinema rooms! The Grande, Large and Medium sofa options come split, making them a real God-send when it comes to delivery. Those are a few of our recommended formats - but we always love to see how our customers get creative, adding extra units to create Stretch formats for the whole gang to pile onto!

Curious about Otto? Pop into one of our showrooms to try it out for yourself! You can also browse online to check out the various configurations on offer. If you’re quick, you can even catch introductory savings of 10%! Quite the score, if you ask us.