Our focus at Eva is Pretty Simple.
From design, delivery, and everything in between, we don't complicate anything.
But simple doesn't mean unrefined. The All Day Sofa has been 12 months in the making and has gone through countless changes and tests. A product that makes your life easier takes a lot of work to get right.
The final sofa design perfectly reflects our ethos of creating products that are both beautiful and useful at the same time.
So how do we — Eva's product design team — go from an idea to a finished product? 
Sketch of the All Day Sofa
Well, we asked you!
Before designing the All Day Sofa, we spoke with the people that matter most — our customers. From these conversations, we got to the bottom (no pun intended) of what people actually wanted from their sofa.
Turns out the most important elements of a good sofa are:
- Comfort
- Aesthetic
- Durability
While it might seem like a no-brainer, many sofas tick one of these boxes, but not all. So we made it our mission to make sure our first sofa was going to be all of the above and at a fair price.
It needs to be affordable
“The fittings used on our sofa are the same as what you'd find on a sofa that costs 10x the price.”
We don’t think about price. Not at first, at least.
We design the best product we can and work backwards from there to make sure it's both affordable and long-lasting.
One way we do this is by working with one of the best furniture manufacturers in the world. Our manufacturer has been making furniture since 1984, so they're experts in their field and know how to bring our designs to life. The fittings used on our sofa are the same as what you'd find on a sofa that costs 10x the price.
Another way we keep prices low without sacrificing quality is with our in-depth knowledge of materials. For example, birch wood is a high quality and strong timber but is also affordable, so it was the perfect choice to make our sofa frame ultra durable.
Assembling the All Day Sofa
It needs to be comfortable
We tried and tested hundreds of different cushion fills to make sure we had the perfect balance of snuggly and supportive. We then wrapped the memory foam cushions with a duvet (yes, the same as you'd find on your bed) to create a sense of luxury when you're snuggling up to your favourite tv series.
The perfect sofa is one you can sink into, but can easily get back out of. The high-quality foam used means your sofa will stay fluffy and won’t sag over time.
It needs to be aesthetically pleasing
The unassuming hero of the living room, the All Day Sofa is made to fit into any house or interior.
We did this by making a sofa in neutral colours (midnight navy and loft grey), and two sizes to suit any size home or apartment. Our sofa can be dropped into any space and effortlessly fit right in.
"The sofa is not a design icon. But it's an icon in the way it's simple and beautifully resolved. It's a different way of interpreting design" - Tom, Head of Design
Designing to please everyone can be tough, but using feedback from our customers made it possible and, truthfully, we think we did alright.
Testing sofa materials in our Melbourne workshop
It needs to be durable
At Eva, we’re all about making furniture for keeping. So we only source materials that will stand the test of time. Because what’s the point of designing a beautiful sofa if it’s not going to last?
The fabric we chose for the outer is super sustainable (more on that later) as well as being hardwearing (yet still soft) and easy to clean, so it will stay in great shape for years to come.
The tight weave of the fabric also makes it difficult for sharp claws to get a grip, meaning it's great for pet parents.
To test the strength of the fabric, we used the Martindale test (also known as the rub test). This test consists of worsted wool or wire mesh continually rubbing against the All Day Sofa fabric in a circular motion. The fabric is inspected for wear and tear throughout the process, and the test ends when two yarns break or when there is a noticeable change in appearance. Test results are given as a score of 1000’s of rubs and the higher the number is, the more durable the fabric is.
The fabric used on the All Day Sofa fabric scores 60,000 on the Martindale test. To put this into perspective, a score over 30,000 is considered ‘heavy duty’ fabric, while decorative furniture scores around 10,000 or under.
We keep the bones of the sofa just as durable by using strong birch wood for the frame and legs.
It needs to be sustainable
From the start, our team wanted to design a sofa that was treading lightly on the environment, and we kept this front of mind throughout the whole design process, even for the smallest details.
Many sofas on the market are made from new (also known as virgin) materials, which use up our natural resources. We knew we could do better, so we spent hours researching the best recycled fabrics that were also hardwearing yet comfortable — not the easiest task.
Thankfully, we landed on a fabric that met our standards.
The best part is it's made from post-consumer plastic. That means roughly 200 plastic bottles are saved from landfill, and instead, used to make the All Day Sofa. The comfy cushion fill we mentioned earlier is also made from recycled PET bottles and recycled foam.
The timber used is sourced from sustainably managed forests and the protective cover the sofa is delivered in is made from 100% recycled plastic.
The story of sustainability is woven into every part of the All Day Sofa, and we hope this will be an integral part of our design process going forward.
It needs to make you smile
At the end of the day, we design furniture to make customers smile. The unexpected delights like the side pockets, no-tool assembly, and pet-friendly fabric are the small details that make a seemingly regular sofa an Eva Sofa.
We hope you've enjoyed getting into the brain of a furniture designer and reading our design process.
If you've got any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to our customer support team at hello@eva.com.au or (03) 6361 4382
