No. 11 Sofa (Checks)

Colombo was the centre of Geoffrey Bawa’s social and work life, and his home at No. 11, 33rd lane, was at its heart. For nearly four decades, he hosted a dynamic collection of friends, colleagues, clients, and visitors here. The No. 11 Ground Floor Sofa was one of several pieces he designed to accommodate them.

The sofa seat was designed on the basis of a standard sized, 1960s, Sri Lankan mattress, and a timber framed hardboard backrest was added to it. It aptly reflects Bawa’s style, combining existing elements to create something simple, contemporary, and suitable to the overall design of his space.

Heavy coconut-fibre seat cushions were placed on the sofa to reduce the seat depth, and additional square cushions provided for back and arm support. The sofa’s signature black-and-white checkerboard fabric was sourced from Barefoot, the textile atelier founded by Bawa’s longtime friend and collaborator Barbara Sansoni. The black-and-white checkerboard theme can also be seen in the floor pattern of the Garden Room at Lunuganga.

Phantom Hands’ re-edition comes in two versions—one that retains the sofa’s original dimensions, and a scaled-down version with reduced depth, better suited to contemporary use, and for people who were not quite as tall as Bawa (he reportedly stood well over six feet tall).

The black-and-white upholstery fabric is from Barefoot, and is a special unbleached white to mimic the patina of the sofa fabric of the original piece. The handwoven fabric is quilted in alignment with its square checks, and reinforced with a knit backing for added strength and durability.