Danish furniture company Takt has launched Spoke Sofa, a sofa that can be fully disassembled and have its parts replaced and recycled, in Copenhagen for 3 Days of Design.

Spoke Sofa, which is the brand’s first sofa, was developed in collaboration with Norwegian studio Anderssen & Voll.

Rooted in circular principles, it aims to provide an alternative to conventional sofas, which are “notoriously wasteful,” according to the brand.

The brand intends for the Spoke Sofa to be passed down through generations by undergoing maintenance when required.

Rather than disposing of the entire seat and replacing the sofa, users can take the sofa apart and replace parts of it themselves.

“All of the joints are exposed and mechanical, so simple tools can be used to disassemble the sofa, then you can order a replacement part from our website to repair it yourself,” said the brand.

“Spoke is fully EU Ecolabelled – the official European Union label for environmental excellence – and has been designed for repair, so that all components and upholstery can be replaced with spare parts, extending the life of the sofa indefinitely,” Takt added.

Takt chose to focus on the sofa as a product as they can be difficult to recycle.

“The sofa category is notoriously wasteful, so we always had our eye on it as one to address,” Takt founder and CEO Henrik Taudorf Lorensen told Dezeen.

The Spoke Sofa’s base is made from a choice of responsibly sourced beech or oak grown in Europe.

Its upholstery is deliberately loose-fit, allowing easy removal for cleaning purposes, and was made by textile brand Gabriel from 98 per cent post-consumer recycled polyester.

The material itself is 100 per cent recyclable, the brand said.

“We designed and specified the upholstery to ensure the user could actually take it off, wash it at home at 40C and mount it again – or replace it with a new set if it’s damaged or you want to change the appearance,” Takt said.

The three-seater sofa is topped by lozenge-shaped cushions that can be moved freely to accommodate a range of uses, including socialising, lounging and as a day bed.

The frame itself is characterised by the rhythmically placed tapered spokes that run along the back of the seat.

“Spokes such as these are an age-old means of creating a flat supporting surface and have been a feature of English and Scandinavian utility chairs for centuries,” said Takt.

“Spoke Sofa takes this traditional craft technique and incorporates it into a distinctly contemporary aesthetic expression, foregrounding simplicity, comfort and natural materiality.”

The brand hopes that the sofa’s design will give it a longer life.

“We believe that furniture should be loved, cared for and handed down to future generations,” Taudorf Lorensen continued.

“This is why all of our furniture is designed for repair. Our customers become familiar with every component during the surprisingly enjoyable assembly process. So when life happens, they can identify the right part to repair or replace.”

Other recent sustainable furniture designs include outdoor seating with woven seats made from old fire hoses by Local Works Studio and furniture and accessories for a restaurant made from its own food waste by Carolina Härdh.

The photography is by Claudia Vega.

Spoke Sofa is on view at at Original Coffee, Store Kongensgade 124 as part of 3 Days of Design 2023, from 7 June to 9 June 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for information about the event, plus a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.