Publication: The Monocle Book of Designers on Sofas

November 2025 | Featured in the Monocle Book of Designers, Yuichi Kodai reflects on the role of seating as a spatial anchor within contemporary residential architecture. The curated spread explores how minimalist furniture operates not merely as an object, but as an architectural element—structuring space, guiding movement, and quietly shaping domestic experience.

About the sofa

The Sumo sofa, designed by Milan-based Piero Lissoni for Living Divani in 2020, exemplifies contemporary elegance despite its bold sculptural presence. Inspired by the physicality and poise of sumo wrestlers, the design combines substantial padded volumes with a light silhouette. It rests on slim, elongated wooden feet that contrast with the robust body, creating a sense of balance and sophistication. Since its launch, the Sumo sofa has gained recognition as a refined icon of modern Italian design.

About the owners

Japanese-born Yuichi Kodai runs Kodai and Associates with his Italian wife, Claudia Maggi. The architectural studio, originally founded in Kyoto and later based in Zürich, blends Eastern and Western design philosophies, with their practice also combining disciplines spanning architecture, interiors, furniture and garden design, as well as art installations. Career highlights include Kodai’s work on the award-winning Kohtei Zen temple in Japan and a host of collaborative projects across Europe.

Since Yuichi Kodai is an architect who specialises in making comfortable homes for his clients, it’s appropriate that his favourite sofa is located in one such project. The Japanese-born architect had admired the Sumo sofa by Italian brand Living Divani before it finally made its way into a residential project that he was working on for a client, with his wife and business partner, Claudia Maggi. Since founding their Zürich-based studio in 2017, the duo have focused on crafting spaces that feel quiet, intentional and deeply connected to their surroundings. Their practice blends Japanese and Swiss design sensibilities, with an emphasis on residential architecture and finely crafted interiors. And while the architects can labour over details, the selection of the Sumo for this residence was – according to the couple – a no-brainer. “It feels connected to the way we work,” says Kodai, explaining that it was a natural fit, both aesthetically and philosophically. With its low-slung form, slim silhouette and light-brown leather upholstery, it strongly resonated with their architectural sensibilities. “It’s sleek, elegant and grounded.” Indeed, the Sumo rests closer to the floor than most contemporary sofa models, lending a subtle, almost meditative shift in perspective to those sitting on it. “You sit low and the view changes,” says Kodai. “You see the sky, the horizon and it opens you up.” There’s a sculptural element to the piece too: seen from certain angles, particularly when approaching from the mezzanine above the living room in which the sofa is located, the Sumo brings to mind a zabuton. These broad, square cushions are a familiar feature of traditional Japanese interiors. “It has that same comfort,” says Kodai. “A grounded feeling, but with elegance.” For both Kodai and Maggi, good proportions are essential in any piece of furniture and the Sumo is one item that gets it just right. Its slim seat cushions and low back and armrests provide a visual lightness that balances its generous scale. “It doesn’t feel heavy,” says Kodai. “The line that it creates from a distance is beautiful. The cushion is thin but very comfortable. There’s a delicacy in the shape, a slight curve that’s just right.” The brown leather adds to this quiet refinement, says Kodai, before explaining that even the name of the sofa is intriguing to them. “Sumo sounds like something big and heavy,” he adds. “But the design is fine and light. It’s clever. It connects with the floor but with feet that lift it slightly.

“Sumo sounds like something big and heavy but the design is fine and light. It’s clever”

There’s a sense of elevation, as though it hovers just above the ground.” Though they haven’t designed a sofa themselves, Kodai and Maggi are acutely aware of how furniture shapes the way people live. “A sofa dominates how we use a room and how we design it,” says Kodai. “That’s why the alignment of values between the space and its design has to be right.” For the duo, a good sofa balances elegance and comfort, structure and softness. It should invite conversation, support moments of pause and feel naturally at home in the space. Photographed together on the Sumo in one of their client’s homes, Kodai and Maggi can be seen embodying such an alignment: perched comfortably and quietly confident on a sofa that reflects their ethos.

Sofa designer: Piero Lissoni

Manufacturer: Living Divani

Year designed: 2020