In many ways, Bjarke Ingels, the magnetic architect at the helm of Bjarke Ingels Group, presaged the future. With his philosophy of sustainable hedonism, he imagined a world in which environmentalism didn’t need to be at odds with luxury—an idea that has trickled down from architecture to running sneakers. But BIG has been stretching its business model beyond sustainable architecture into more traditional product categories. The firm’s innovation arm, BIG Ideas, is a team of about 10 people, half of whom work on new product development.
That led to the release of a smart door lock last year named Friday. And now BIG is releasing its first couch, developed and sold with the partner Common Seating. Called the Voxel (a graphic and interface design term that means “3D pixel”), it’s a blocky, modular sectional that can be pieced together to fit your room (you know, like a traditional sectional can be). It starts at $3,200.