Dreaming of a loungey sofa? Stymied by difficult access?
You’ve styled a fabulous attic room but can’t carry your dream sofa up the stairs.
You love your brand new flat but you’re sitting on boxes because getting up to it is a challenge.
You’re aching to relax on the comfiest of sofas, but there’s a troublesome corridor to get round and you’re resigned to a tiny two seater.
Don’t give up on owning a large comfortable sofa! Think outside the box, in fact think outside the house...
For an easy access sofa get a modular garden sofa
Bear with me! Let me share why Armadillo Sun outdoor sofas are a brilliant easy access sofa. In fact, I’ve used one at home in my husband’s, difficult-to-get-to, office.
Image: the Armadillo Sun garden sofa I made, then styled and accessorised, for my husband Paul's office. It's a tricky spot to get to so I brought each chair section into the room separately and then pulled them together into a cosy L-shape corner sofa with the D-rings and fabric connectors.
Here's why an Armadillo Sun sofa is the breakdownable, easy-to-move-able, never-want-to-get-off-able, seating solution you'll love!
1. Modular and breakdownable
The Armadillo Sun garden sofa is designed in sections to make delivery and installation easy. You choose the pieces you want for your ideal sofa and they’re delivered separately. Each chair section is pulled together where you want it and held securely by simple D-rings and clever connectors.
If you’ve discounted the superior lounging of a large L-shaped sofa because of tight hallways and small doors, then bringing it in piece by piece is your solution.
As well as making delivery easy, there’s the flexibility to create a sofa that fits your space and the freedom to change your mind!
Want to refresh your layout, or amp things up when entertaining? Release the connecting straps, move the seating sections around, re-attach, and you’re ready to relax.
2. Lightweight
When there’s a winding staircase between you and the lounging oasis you’re creating, you can’t be hefting a clunky sofa. Each Armadillo Sun garden sofa chair weighs only 6kg, whilst a corner chair section is 7kg. That’s at least five times less than the weight of a standard modular sofa section.
Armadillo Sun sofas are light because they are filled with premiumm polystyrene beads. But these are not bean bag sofas – you won’t sink to the floor when you sit in them, calling for a hoist to pull you out. We fill each sofa by hand, fully and firmly – we do not scrimp on beans!
As well as superior comfort, the premium bean inner means there is no need for a wooden or metal frame. The whole sofa is soft and light. You could even carry it above your head should you feel the need to!
3. Squeezes through awkward doors and narrow corridors
The average door opening in the UK is just over 76cm in width. Armadillo Sun modular sofa sections are 75cm in height and, being incredibly lightweight, are simple to upend and push through a doorway.
With no legs and no need for a hard internal frame, the Armadillo Sun sofa has enough squish to get through a narrow spot. Plus it won’t damage your paint or tear your wallpaper.
If you have a room with particularly narrow access please get in touch and we can discuss part filling each sofa section to make access even easier. Beans can be provided to top each chair up in situ.
4. No assembly required
Put your toolbox away because you don’t need to build an Armadillo Sun sofa. Each chair section is delivered whole and filled with beans. Bring each section in separately, then pull them together into a formation you love and secure with the fabric connectors. That's it, you are ready to lie-back and lounge!
Easy, convenient, and it saves you money on installation charges.
5. Add to and extend your sofa when you can
When you need somewhere to sit now, but have aspirations of something larger, the Armadillo Sun modular sofa offers the option of adding extra seating or an ottoman whenever you want.
The pieces are fully interchangeable so you can grow your sofa and spread the cost however you like.
Start with two chairs for a two-seater, add one more for a large sofa, then a corner chair and an ottoman for a luxurious L-shaped sofa.
6. Re-arrange your room layout whenever you want
As a modular sofa with individual pieces that all fit together you can revamp your room layout whenever, and as many times as, you want. With no arms, the corner chair can be used on both the left and the right for exceptional versatility.
Plus, being lightweight, you won’t break a sweat whilst you make up your mind on exactly how you want it.
7. Durability tough enough for outdoors
The Armadillo Sun sofa is made for the outdoors – and made to be left outside outdoors – so they are tough. The fabric will not bleach if positioned next to a window and, with a Martindale rub test score of 40,000, it’ll easily handle the wear and tear of daily life.
The Martindale rub test is a measure of how much wear and tear fabric will withstand before a noticeable change in appearance. A score of 25,000 - 30,000 is generally expected for heavy duty domestic use. A score of 40,000 or above is considered appropriate for commercial use. Find a useful summary on the Martindale rub test here.
Despite being made for all-weathers, the fabric is woven, soft, and lovely to sit against. Please order some of our fabric samples to test it for yourself.
8. Child and pet-friendly
We use jacquard fabric, which means that any pattern is woven into - not printed onto - the material. Each strand of yarn is solution-dyed so its colour goes through the entire thread, rather than sitting on the surface. Like how a carrot is orange all the way through, compared to a cucumber which is only green skin-deep. The result is colour and pattern that won't be easily scratched off.
This fabric is also stain resistant so can handle sticky fingers and overturned cups of juice!
9. Easy to clean
Armadillo Sun sofa covers don’t come off for the washing machine because they don’t need to. Our fabric is stain-repellent, with potentially ruinous stains like red wine and coffee simply wash off (take a look at the video below). Anything that does stick around only needs a rub with a soapy cloth.
The fabric is quick to dry, and the inner does not absorb moisture, so water will not damage your sofa. In fact, we jet wash our sofas and sofa cushions to give them a spring spruce up!
10. Use it outdoors too
When you use a garden sofa as your easy-access sofa you can also use it on the patio.
Perhaps you’re organising an outdoor cinema at home, or entertaining friends at a garden party, or have romantic plans for a date night star gazing.
Take one of the modular chairs up to the balcony and you'll have the most gloriously comfortable balcony furniture too.
Rain, sun, or even snow, and it will look fabulous indoors or out!
Tips for styling an outdoor sofa indoors
If you’re concerned about the ‘look’ of a garden sofa indoors, these are my go-to outdoor-to-indoor styling tips.
Cushions, cushions, cushions
Cushions are brilliant at setting the mood for a piece of furniture. To make an outdoor sofa look seriously cosy, bring in the plush fabrics – think velvet or faux fur cushions – and layer on the textures with throws or a blanket.
I really like to mix indoor cushions with the bright geometric patterns of our outdoor range for some eye-catching opulence and colour.
Experiment with colour and pattern
Try out a few variations to create the look you want. For instance, styling your seating to blend into the wall colour can make a small room look bigger. Alternatively, go bold to make your sofa a stand-out feature that adds colour and personality without cluttering the space.
Consider different lights and times of day but focus on when the room is most used.
I tried out a palette of ocean blue and grey when accessorising Paul’s sofa but opted for the oranges and pinks that have been so hot this year.
I think it looks fantastic and he loves it. Let me know if you have a challenging room you’re trying to furnish. I’m happy to chat through suggestions and customisable options, just get in touch.
Armadillo Sun sofas stand up strong against the weather but, bring them inside, and they’re an easy access sofa that oozes laidback style!
Armadillo Sun makes premium luxury garden furniture from a converted barn in the Kent countryside. Founder Caroline Lomax discovered the high quality, durable fabric she uses to make all her furniture when on holiday in the USA. She wanted to recreate the fuss-free, laidback, outdoor living she saw on her travels, and Armadillo Sun was born.