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Ligne Roset's Arik sofa bed redefines the aesthetics of sitting and sleeping.
By Paul Makovsky
April 2002
Arik Levy (b. 1963) graduated with a degree in industrial design from the
Art Center College of Design, in Switzerland, in 1991. That same year he
won the Seiko Epson competition and was invited to work on several projects
in Japan. Since 1992 he has designed stage sets for numerous dance companies.
In 1997, with friend and designer Pippo Lionni, Arik formed Ldesign, a Paris-based
studio that creates everything from industrial design, lighting, and corporate
identity to exhibition and stage design. Arik is currently designing for
Snowcrash, Vitra, and Ligne Roset, among others.
The ever expanding Salon du Meuble de Paris is a great place to see new
French products, discover new international trends, and get an overview
of the furnishings market. The fair also showcases the work of established
designers such as Philippe Starck, Andrée Putman, and Didier Gomez.
This year's Ligne Roset booth featured outstanding work by designers Erwan
and Ronan Bouroullec, Jeffrey Bernett, and Eric Jourdan. There I talked
to Arik Levy of Ldesign about his Arik sofa bed, which had its debut at
this year's salon.
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I chose about five different names for this sofa bed, but each time
I suggested a name to the company, they came back and said it was taken
or registered. Finally I told the company to pick a name themselves. They
said, "We'll call it 'Arik.'" I was so embarrassed. But on the
other hand, it's something I'm very proud of. It's rare that something I've
designed has hardly any changes from concept to the time it's finally
put on the market. |
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In our office we are looking for solutions that adapt to the user rather
than having the user adapt to the product. My sofa has no notches, so you
can easily move the seat forward or backward, even a fraction of an inch,
to any length that is comfortable. |
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It was a really simple design process. We're antidecoration in our design
studio and believe that the truth of a product is in its function. The sofa
bed is--not to be pretentious--almost like a Donald Judd piece: it's really
about the proportions.
There were no real problems in executing the prototype. We didn't need to
develop any complex engineering solutions, like spring systems. The idea
was to invest in the production quality and materials, so there's a diverse
choice of more than 30 colors and several types of fabric. |
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When you sit down on the sofa a piece of soft rubber presses down and adheres
to the floor to keep it from moving.
The sofa is delivered with a washable covering, so you can easily convert
it to a bed.
Most sofas are also beds, and the mattress is folded somewhere. If you've
ever slept on one, you know how it feels in the morning. I wanted to avoid
having that bar or that fold. When I put this all together, I came up with
this simple and timeless design. |
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Another thing I like about the design is that the sofa has no back. You
can put it up against the wall, in the middle of a room, or in a "half-and-half"
position--that is, sitting on one side and lounging on the other, or putting
magazines on one side and sitting on the other. I wanted the sofa to live
as an object in space and not just be a piece of furniture stuck to the
wall. |
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Dimensions
Height: 34 in.
Width: 96.5 in.
Depth: 47 in. |
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