A modular outdoor sofa, planned on paper

A modular outdoor sofa suits people whose terrace changes. You buy two seats for a new patio, add a corner when the pergola goes up, and stretch the run along the pool the year after. RODA builds several of these systems as part of its RODA outdoor furniture, and two of them take opposite routes: Estendo in aluminum and Eden in teak.

Measure the wall, then count the seats

Draw the wall or the hedge the sofa will back onto and measure it. Take off about 3 feet at each end if a path passes there. The rest is the length you can fill with modules.

Then list the jobs. A corner for a group of six, a chaise for one person who reads, a flat end that holds a glass. Each job maps to a module, and the plan tells you how many you need before you talk about fabric.

Estendo: one profile, many pieces

In Italian, estendo means I extend. Luca Pevere designed RODA Estendo as twenty-two sofa elements and two coffee tables that share one aluminum profile. You can buy complete one-, two- and three-seat sofas, or loose modules: right, left and central seats in each width, a square corner, chaise longue ends, daybed ends and terminal pieces.

Two long profiles hold a run together, one along the front under the seat, one along the top of the back. Retractable die-cast aluminum joints link neighbors, so you can lengthen the sofa later without swapping what you already own.

Estendo's terminal modules end in a flat top of gres or stone. That top gives the end of the sofa a place for a book, and it saves you a side table. The seat sits at 14 1/2 inches and runs 33 1/4 inches deep, a low lounge posture.

The same tops go on the two Estendo coffee tables: a rectangle about 29 1/2 by 33 1/2 inches and a round one 43 1/4 inches across, both 9 3/8 inches high. Stone comes as Luna, Carrara marble or Farsena, and gres in a natural finish. Gres shrugs off stains. Marble wants a wipe after wine or citrus, so keep it for the end of the sofa farther from the grill.

Eden: low teak islands

RODA Eden by Rodolfo Dordoni builds the sofa from teak boxes only 8 5/8 inches high with a seat 37 3/8 inches deep. With the cushion in place, the seat lands at 15 3/4 inches. The bases come as one-, two- and three-seaters, plus a six-sided module.

The hexagon changes the plan. Set it between two straight modules and the sofa bends around a wide angle, softer than a square corner. On its own it makes a broad island on a lawn. Separate slim backrests in powder coated steel sit on the bases, and a short back doubles as an armrest, so an Eden sofa can face one way or stay open on both sides.

Plan for the seat you want

Depth decides how people sit. Eden's 37 3/8 inch seat invites you to pull your feet up. Estendo's 33 1/4 inches keeps a more upright lounge, easier for guests who want to talk. Both take hydro-draining cushions, so rain passes through and the seat dries after a shower.

Order in stages

Both systems let you order in steps. With Estendo, a two-seater and a round coffee table make a sensible first order, and a corner joins later. With Eden, start with two straight bases and a coffee table, then add the hexagon once you see where people sit.

Send us your measurements and a rough sketch through the form below. We count the modules for Estendo or Eden, list the options, and send a written price for each piece.