Best Sofa

The Maralunga settles an argument most upholstered furniture avoids. A sofa should look composed, then become genuinely accommodating when someone sits down. Vico Magistretti’s 1973 design has the broad arms and generous cushions of a serious domestic sofa, but its outline remains controlled. It is formal enough for an architectural interior and relaxed enough for an ordinary evening.

Its decisive detail is concealed inside the back cushions. A chain mechanism, adapted from the logic of a bicycle chain, lets each headrest rise independently from a low horizontal position to a supportive upright one. The movement changes both posture and silhouette without motors, remotes, or visible hardware. A steel frame provides the underlying structure, while shaped polyurethane foam and either fabric or leather upholstery supply the softness.

In daily use, Maralunga rewards households in which sitting is not a single activity. Keep the backs down for conversation and a calmer profile, then raise one for reading or watching a film. The cushions are substantial rather than engulfing, and the arms can support a head without pretending to be another pillow. Cassina now offers multiple sizes and, in the Maralunga 40-S, removable fabric covers, an important concession to long ownership.

There are lighter sofas, cheaper sofas, and more modular ones. Few combine visual character, mechanical intelligence, and actual comfort so completely. Maralunga does not ask its owner to choose between an icon and a place to lie down. More than fifty years after its introduction, that remains a difficult combination to improve upon. The search can stop here because the adjustment serves life rather than advertising itself.