Biboni Sofa
“We see the connection between the body, the furniture, and the architecture as a kind of conversation.”
– Sharon Johnston
Introducing The Biboni Sofa
Shaped with architectural precision by the firm Johnston Marklee, the Biboni Sofa invites relaxation through its plush, playful form.
Knoll seeks out and collaborates with the most creative and innovative architects and designers. That approach continues with the Biboni Sofa by Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee of architecture firm Johnston Marklee. Capturing the spirit of their work, Biboni relates to the human body in the same manner as their architecture, shaping space into volumes, voids, and curves.
The anthropomorphic Biboni Sofa welcomes the human form. “There’s an elegance in how the sofa relates to the body,” says Johnston, who points out how the puffy folds are precisely placed to envelop and embrace the sitter. The experience of Biboni is somewhere between formal and informal. It’s both soft and supportive, holding the body in a relaxed yet upright position.
Biboni is intimate in scale but generous in how it engages the body and relates to the objects around it. It has a strong sculptural form yet does not dominate other elements in a space. “It wants to be a good friend,” says Johnston. “We like that it can be giving in that way.”
About the designer
Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee founded their Los Angeles-based architectural firm Johnston Marklee in 1998. Curvature and scalloped forms are native to their work, which includes the celebrated Vault House in California, USA; Pavilion of Six Views in Shanghai, China; and Dropbox Global Headquarters in California, USA. In 2022, the Johnston Marklee-designed Menil Drawing Institute was awarded an Honor Award for Architecture by the American Institute of Architects. In 2024, Sharon Johnston and Mark Lee received the Richard Neutra Award for Professional Excellence.
