Block by block: embracing modular living with Cantori’s Blockbau sofa

Traditionally consisting of horizontally stacked logs with interlocked corners, the Blockbau is among the oldest timber construction techniques, remaining prevalent in Northern Europe. Inspired by the versatility, modularity and practicality of this method is the Blockbau sofa, a unique furniture system designed to meet the flexibility requirements of modern living.

The Blockbau looks as it sounds – a modular masterpiece of design constructed from multiple engineered and crafted lozenges that can be arranged and secured in numerous formations. This latest concept from Cantori is impressively adaptable and one of the most customisable seating solutions to come to the market. Each individual block has rounded corners, contributing to a finished assembly that is contemporary in style, soft and luxurious.

The new modular seating solution is a prime example of what Cantori has been doing since founder Sante Cantori founded the brand in 1976. It is about choreographing meticulously honed elements to create something that is much more than the sum of its parts: Reassuringly solid structures with fine soft finishes that offer a multi-sensory experience. Cantori is about craftsmanship, comfort and quality. It is about making the space you live in a place of total pleasure. Blockbau creates an instant feeling of satisfaction and joy.

Blockbau is architectural, but soft. Designer Maurizio Manzoni set out to fashion something that was as innovative as it is stylish. Manzoni studied architecture in Florence and has worked with Cantori since 2019, creating objects that are complex but look effortless, and which always channel the DNA of the brand that has been forged over five decades.

The arrangement of upholstered lozenges for the back and seat cushions in each Blockbau creates a pleasing side-by-side pattern that can be extended and customised. No matter what the scale, the dimensions of an assembled Blockbau make it a brilliantly comfortable piece of furniture. The lozenges can be removed or added to, while the dormouse creates an elegant punctuation at the edge of a configuration. A black ash coffee table can be integrated simply into the arrangement, hooked like a ‘bridge’ between the soft modular strips. The lozenges can be upholstered in myriad fabrics or leathers from the latest Cantori sample book, from aniline leather to bouclé wool. The supporting structure is in metal, with a handsome anthracite iron finish.

There is a simple and easy to understand visual language inherent to the Blockbau that translates perfectly to any environment. Configure a larger version with the inserted modular table, and place it at a right angle close to a more compact Blockbau, and it instantly, elegantly creates a harmonious room to live in. This is furniture to encourage the gathering of friends and family. It has a strong personality, but it suits any contemporary interior. It grows and changes with you, and never gets old – you can reenergise it with a new shape and elements and create something fresh in a new space.

A sofa is at the centre of every home, and the Blockbau has been conceived as a focal point for the ideal, dream house or apartment. As Cantori himself said of his brand mission: ‘My most important goal is to create furnishing items that are elegant and joyful, functional and coordinated. The collaboration with several designers encourages me to imagine a house of discreet luxury, intimate, in which family furniture, books, rare objects, memories and the future still to come naturally find a place: a perfect blend of customisation, comfort and home innovation.’

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