Att bo med soffa : en möbels betydelse för bostadens planering och livet i hemmet

Experiences of participatory design with full-scale modelling in three case studies form the basis of this work. When the participants in these studies visualised their dwellings there was a strong focus on the sofa. This piece of furniture is one of the most common in Swedish homes. It also requires much space. Additionally, the lay-people focused on different kinds of functional needs while sitting in the sofa, such as the possibility to watch the children play, to be able to see the television-screen, and to have a good view of the outdoor environment. Furthermore, the sofa is the bearer of important aesthetic values and for some people even sentimental value. These findings raised the question what could be learned about different people’s relationship to their homes. The intention has been to improve professional practice of today concerning house design. In seven narratives individual “home-builders” describe the processes of developing their homes and especially the role of their sofas. Each story is reflected, using scientific theories and/or comparative studies. The approach is phenomenological. The influence of the childhood sofa when arranging the home for the adult person is analysed from a psychoanalytical point of view. Another topic for discussion is what the effects are when the sofa is considered both as a stage and a place for the audience. This affects the arrangements of every single space and practical living function. Being surrounded by old and dear objects, including sofas that require a special environment and treatment, gives rise to a discussion concerning which considerations that should be made in order to make room for aspects of sentimental value. During a lifetime people also experience different cultures and environments that have an impact on their priorities and way of living. Therefore life-styles and ways of life are dealt with in one chapter. People are not always, however, attached to the sofas they already possess. The process of moving to a new dwelling with new wallpaper and floor surfaces also raises the need to replace pieces of furniture such as sofas. The theme of replacement can thus be compared to the theme of having a career. But the sofa also has a career of its own. Very rarely used in the living-rooms less than fifty years ago it today seems to be the place where contemporary everyday life, including all kinds of activities, goes on. Finally, gender aspects could have been integrated in every single story. As a topic for discussion gender considerations are focused on in order to understand how requirements on house design change with a shift in sex roles. The aim of the thesis is to offer professional designers, i. e. architects, further means to reflect on what the demands and expectations are for contemporary Swedish house design.