Martello Sofa

The sofa was inspired by the Napoleonic Martello Tower in Suffolk that Duncan Jackson has renovated for his family.

The main living space sits on what was originally the gun deck of the tower and the three cannon mounts remain. The room is curved and it was this, together with the mounts, that inspired Billings Jackson Design to look at custom-designing a pair of sofas to suit the space.

Existing curved furniture products seemed uninspiring and inflexible. Working with Poltrona Frau, the team developed a range of sofas on specific arcs including a pair that could sit either side of the gun mount in the tower.

The design concept is a simple, folded section with an exaggerated crease line to articulate the upholstery. The fabric within the crease is darker than that of the main body of the sofa to play up this detail. The proportions are low and lazy, based on a repeating module of 150mm which is the depth of the upholstery.

It is intended that the sofa can be produced in lightweight woven wool, in leather or even moulded in plastic for external use. Iterations now include straight and curved section sofas of various lengths.