The Sofa Bench

I created this sofa bench to meet our own needs. Our old sofa no longer suited us, and we needed a replacement. After visiting stores and searching online, we couldn’t find a minimalist design that didn’t take up too much space.

Inspired by Japanese woodworking and the goal of a reduced footprint, this sofa bench was born. It features mortise and tenon joinery, with brass dowels accenting the side and front stretchers where they connect to the legs. A rear, weight-bearing beam is joined to the side stretchers using a cross-lap joint. The result is a minimalist frame that achieves the small footprint we were after.