Kartell Super Tubby Modular Sofa: Relaxed Design

Sink in, stretch out, curl up or make room for everyone. Super Tubby is the kind of sofa that takes lounging seriously – generous, tactile and designed to change depending on who happens to be using it.

Created by Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba, the Kartell Super Tubby modular sofa marks Kartell’s first move into modular sofas, with a wonderfully relaxed approach to a category often defined by structure. Its form takes its cue from an oversized folded cushion, with deep proportions, soft upholstery and tactile fabrics creating somewhere that feels immediately inviting.

That sense of comfort gives the sofa much of its character. Rather than prescribing exactly how it should be used, Super Tubby leaves room for everyday life to happen around it. It can be a place for conversation one moment and a quiet retreat the next; somewhere to return to at the end of the day or gather before heading out.

Visually, things are kept deceptively simple

Generous upholstered volumes are balanced by clean, precise detailing, allowing the shape and tactility of the fabrics to do much of the talking. A distinctive foot peeks out beneath the upholstery, adding an unexpected decorative note, while colour can be used tonally or in contrast with the chosen textile.

The real freedom, however, comes from its modular construction. Super Tubby is made from intentionally few elements, but those pieces can be combined in numerous ways. Smaller configurations can create an intimate seating area, while additional modules allow the sofa to expand into a much larger arrangement. It can grow, shift and adapt as the room – or the way it is used – changes.

There’s something appealingly uncomplicated about that approach. Despite the possibilities offered by its modular design, Super Tubby never feels like a puzzle that needs solving. The idea is simply to choose the configuration that works for the space and then get comfortable.

For Kartell, Super Tubby opens a new chapter in upholstered furniture. For Serafini and Palomba, it is something even simpler: a place within a place, designed for all the ways people sit, gather, retreat and live.

Visit Kartell for more.