Sara Hayat T4 Sofa System

The concept for this creation (US$73,450) grew from the wistful recognition that childhood is fleeting. Seeking to soak up the attention of her young sons, the Denver-based, Pakistani-born Hayat devised this luxurious modular design as a way to bring play into her living room. “I imagine my kids breaking it apart, making it into a Millennium Falcon and having me stand guard,” she says.

The system includes 14 modules (two each of seven shapes) that can connect via discreet fasteners or stand on their own. Each is composed of a wood frame, springs and foam and upholstered in leather, suede, linen or velvet, which Hayat favours for its cosy factor. The firm suggests two ways customers can assemble the components (dubbed T3 and T4), but part of the design’s brilliance is that you can come up with your own configurations. It turns a static piece of furniture into a living sculpture, a helluva party trick and, if you too have adventurous youngsters, a way to defeat the Empire.