Puffer four seat sofa by Philippe Malouin

Puffer sofa and armchair

By Philippe Malouin

Philippe Malouin is a true designer of contemporary furniture. Both in terms of the forms he creates, and in the fact that his ideas are rooted in the context of how we are living now.

A year after SCP launched the first prototype of the Puffer armchair, the design has now been fully developed into a system of chairs, comprising an armchair and two, three and four seat sofas. We talked to Philippe about the process of expanding the potential of the design and what was on his mind when he created it.

“It’s a TV sofa, something to spend hours and hours in. The design of the Puffer is super related to lockdown, and what people want from a sofa now. That is probably the reason why it is that big. How do you sit on a sofa? How long do you stay there? What position do you want to sit in? The design of the sofa has been about considering these things. The sofa is all about spending more time at home.”

"The design of the Puffer is super related to lockdown, and what people want from a sofa now. The sofa is all about spending more time at home."

Philippe Malouin
Puffer four seat sofa by Philippe Malouin
Puffer three seat sofa by Philippe Malouin
Puffer two seat sofa by Philippe Malouin

Puffer has been created with a love of simple shapes and the idea of comfort as a function. Working closely with the product development team at SCP’s specialist upholstery factory (Tim, Donna and Martin), Philippe Malouin first took inspiration from the feather filled Puffer jacket.

Puffer four seat sofa by Philippe Malouin
Puffer three seat sofa by Philippe Malouin
Puffer two seat sofa by Philippe Malouin

“It is designed to be a sofa you don’t need an ottoman with. We decided to make it in parts. The initial jacket idea was a good idea, but was harder to put on than we imagined. By making it in sections, it also allows for it to be specified with a range of different fabrics. It looks the same, but the curve goes down to the floor from the inside of the arm rest. For it to become a sofa system, we needed to change the method of production, in parts. The sofa system informed the design of the new armchair, as they needed to be the same.”

Puffer armchair by Philippe Malouin

"We decided to make it in parts. The initial jacket idea was a good idea, but was harder to put on than we imagined. By making it in sections, it also allows for it to be specified with a range of different fabrics."

Philippe Malouin

The result is an impressively comfortable design that shows a deep understanding of the possibilities of traditional upholstery making. Both versions are made from natural materials and are now made up of joinable feather pocket sections.

A big thank you to Philippe for talking to us and for creating something of such indulgent comfort.

SCP 2021 Collection

Further reading