There's a Science Behind Why This New Modular Sofa From Next Looks So Expensive
Its subtle curving silhouette pulls it away from your walls, and the impact of that is bigger than you may realize
It seems like a logical thought process to push all your furniture to the very edge of the room, leaving as much free space as possible in the middle. Surely that makes a room look bigger, right? Wrong. What it often does is draw attention to the size (or lack thereof) of the space.
Instead, floating your furniture, even if only ever so slightly off the wall, blurs these boundaries, helping the walls recede and the focus return to the furniture itself.
That's why curved sofas, like the new Addison Modular Sofa from Next, have become so popular in recent years. Even if you were to push it up against the wall, it peels away — making it (and your space) look bigger and more expensive. Plus, it's hard to argue with a modular design these days, which gives you the flexibility to shape-shift your sofa depending on your space.
It's the sort of elevated-looking design we've come to expect from Next, especially as one of our under-the-radar spots for where to buy a sofa. Next's new design has a footstool that can either extend your sofa as a chaise or float independently in front as a stool or even a coffee table. Sold as individual pieces, you could even combine a few of the center pieces to create a really long, curved sofa. I'm picturing something in the style of the iconic De Sede DS-600 Snake Sofa, but for way, way less.
Available in both this Soft Twill in Forest Green and a more neutral Tailored Chenille in Oyster Natural, if you were to buy all three segments, it would set you back a total of £1,848, which, while not 'cheap', definitely lands on the affordable end of the scale for a curved sofa, compared to what you could expect to pay at a lot of specialist retailers.
Plus, Next offers 10% off when you buy two or more items priced at £150 or above, so it actually works in your favor that you have to buy each piece separately — for example, you'll get £184.80 back when buying all three pieces.
Next's Addison Modular Sofa also comes in this Oyster Natural Tailored Chenille fabric.
If you don't need a new sofa, or don't have the budget to splash out on this one, the good news is that the same design principle of floating furniture can be applied to other furniture in your living room. Take a curved armchair or chaise longue, for example. By moving them even a few inches off the wall, you'll create the illusion of more space in your room.
Below are a few pieces I think would do the job perfectly.
The pebble-shaped chaise longue would also naturally curve away from the wall, making it look more expensive and your space more expansive. With its low half-back, it would even work floating in the middle of your room like a daybed. It's available in a few colors and currently on sale.
But even a curved armchair, like this style from Habitat, could create the same impact, gently floating in your space. Its scooping frame would cocoon you, and it's no surprise it's the brand's best-selling armchair. Plus, get 20% off with code FURN20. It also comes as a small sofa, too.
Another similar style, this small two-seater sofa from Westwing comes in a range of different fabrics and colors, and features a subtle curve that would bend away from the wall, helping to blur the boundaries of your room. You can also choose which side you'd like the backrest on.
Or Try These Alternatives...
Sold on the idea of a curved sofa in your living room, but not Next's style specifically? Here are three other curved sofas I'd seriously consider shopping for and floating in your space.
The Lozenge is John Lewis' best-selling sofa (so much so that the brand recreated the style for outdoors). It comes in so many different fabrics and colors, and its subtle curve will work wonders in making your room look bigger, without taking up too much more space than a regular sofa.
Currently discounted, you can choose from 47 different fabrics with Heal's Flora sofa. It's made in Italy and features a cocooning wraparound backrest finished with subtle ruffled stitching, which adds just the right amount of interest but won't date.
Available in a range of different configurations, including a slightly straighter but still curved style, Castlery's Auburn sofa is highly rated. One review calls its a "showstopper," while another says, "We wanted to get something different from the typical sectional and we so glad we tried this shape."
And believe it or not, the same science applies to floating your bed in the middle of the room. If you don't have an obvious wall to anchor your bed, perhaps you should try moving it into the centre of the space. It's not foolproof, though, and there are things to consider, but if you get it right, it's a shortcut to emulating a luxurious hotel style.
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