Made-to-order sofas: how to build one around your room

INTERIA makes made-to-order upholstered sofas in Portugal, with a showroom in Cascais. On almost any model you can change the length, seat depth, layout and fabric. Made-to-order takes 25–44 working days, delivery and assembly are free in Greater Lisbon, and every sofa has a 3-year warranty.

The most frequent conversation in our showroom goes like this: "I like the model, but it is twenty centimetres longer than I need." Or shorter. Or the corner is on the wrong side. Or everything is fine, except it will not go into that alcove. In a shop selling finished furniture, the conversation ends there. With us it starts there — because almost all our sofas are modular, and a sofa from the catalogue is not a verdict, it is a starting point.

What "modular" means

A modular sofa is not a product category, it is a way of assembling one. Instead of a single piece, you build the sofa from parts:

• Module with a backrest — the basic "chunk" of the sofa, usually 100 cm wide. Length is made out of these.
• Pouffe — 100×100 or 80×80 cm. A pouffe without a backrest can be the corner, the projecting section, or simply a pouffe you move around the room.
• Armrest — narrow or wide, on one side, on both, or none at all.
• Backrest — fixed or movable, to be shifted to the other side.

From that set you can build a 200 cm straight sofa, a 350+170 corner, or an island in the middle of a large room.

Step 1. Measure the room, not the sofa

This is the most common mistake and the most expensive one. People look at the sofa's dimensions and decide that if it fits the wall, all is well. In fact there are three things to check:

1. The walkway. How much is left between the sofa and the coffee table, the sofa and the wall, the sofa and the door.
2. The sockets. A sofa has an unpleasant habit of ending up exactly in front of the socket you need.
3. Doors and wardrobes. Especially the ones that open into the room.

Each model's dimensions are on its page, and the 3D models can be downloaded and placed in your room plan before ordering.

Step 2. Length: count people, not centimetres

A simple rule: one seat is roughly 100 cm. Two adults sit comfortably on 200 cm, three on 300. But "sitting" and "lying down" are different tasks: for an adult to lie down you need at least 190–200 cm of clear length, armrests not included. The length of practically any of our models can be changed — made longer or shorter. So if you like Pangea v2 but it does not fit, that is no reason to look for another model.

Step 3. Depth: do you sit or sprawl?

Seat depth decides more than it seems. A deep sofa is the one you fall into and do not want to get out of. A shallower one is comfortable to sit upright on, to work on with a laptop, to stand up from without a run-up. There is no "right" option here, only yours. If the sofa is the centre of relaxing and people lie on it, see our guide to deep sofas. If it stands in a room where you receive guests and sit talking, a deep sofa will be uncomfortable. Depth can be changed too. Our sales team will work out how it affects the price — here it is not only the frame that changes but the filling as well.

Step 4. The corner: which side, and whether you need one

A straight sofa can be made into a corner one. A corner one into a straight one. The corner moves from the left side to the right. The projecting section can be added or removed. And there is one option people often forget: a pouffe instead of a corner. It looks almost the same, but a pouffe is not attached to the sofa. You can move it aside when guests arrive, put your feet on it, carry it into another room or set it by the window. For a small flat this is often the smarter answer than a fixed corner. We wrote about corner configurations themselves here.

Step 5. Armrests: they eat length

A wide armrest is a pleasant thing: you can stand a cup on it and lean an elbow. But every armrest adds centimetres to the sofa's outer dimensions and adds no seats at all. So when the room is small, the order is this: first decide how many seats you need, then see what is left for armrests. Narrow armrests, one instead of two, or none — these are all normal options, not compromises.

Step 6. Fabric: one or two

The fabric is yours to choose — colour and texture. We have already selected the options that suit each model, so that you do not have to guess whether a given fabric will hold that shape. A less obvious possibility: on many models the parts can be done in different fabrics. Piping in a different colour from the base. Cushions contrasting with the frame. A practical dark fabric on the base and pale cushions that are easier to take off and clean. This is not a "special order" with a status of its own, it is an ordinary option. Seeing them in person is better: the fabric gallery is on the site, and the samples are in our showroom in Cascais, at Joaquim Teotónio Segurado 68A.

Build it yourself before writing to us

We have an online configurator: you assemble the sofa from modules, choose the length, the side of the corner and the fabric, and see the result. It is the fastest way to work out what you want — and to come to the conversation with a concrete configuration rather than a description.

What else can be changed

• Firmness. Also your choice. Sometimes it depends on the model and the transformation system — the sales team will say so if there is no choice in that case.
• Transformation. It can be fitted to many models. Each model's description states whether it is possible.
• Armchairs and pouffes. For every sofa you can order an armchair or a pouffe in the same style and the same fabric.
• Cushions. Number, size and filling.

The models people start from most often

• Solar Small — a classic corner, a good place to start a conversation about configuration.
• Pangea v2 — a long straight sofa that turns into a corner easily.
• Flex — modules with separate cushions and backrests, the most "kit-like" of them all.
• Big Base — a lounging area rather than a sofa against a wall.
• Ptaha — pouffes of different sizes as a full part of the composition.
• Harvard — from the straight version to a large corner one, out of the same elements.

The full range is under Sofas.

What to do before writing to us

1. Measure the room — the length of the wall, the width of the walkway, the distance to the television.
2. Count how many people sit down at once on an ordinary evening, not at Christmas.
3. Decide the main thing: do people mostly sit on the sofa or lie on it.
4. Work out whether you need a corner — and on which side.

With those four answers our sales team will put a configuration together in a single conversation. Without them the conversation will be long and will end with you going off to measure the room anyway.

Made-to-order sofas in Portugal: lead times, delivery and payment

• In stock or made to order. In-stock sofas are delivered within 3 working days of payment in mainland Portugal; made-to-order sofas take 25–44 working days. Roughly half of our customers in Portugal choose a sofa made to their size — even if it is only to change the fabric.
• Delivery and assembly are free in Greater Lisbon; outside it we charge €1/km from the nearest city with free delivery.
• Payment: by card in the showroom, bank transfer, online or with Klarna (3 months). Made-to-order sofas need a 50% or 100% prepayment under a two-sided contract.
• Try before you order at our showroom in Cascais, Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00–19:00.

Frequently asked questions

Can the length of a sofa be changed?
Yes, on almost every model — longer or shorter. Each model's page states whether a size change is possible.

Can a straight sofa be made into a corner one?
Yes. The configuration can be changed: add a corner, add a projecting section, move the corner to the other side, or turn a corner sofa into a straight one.

Why might a pouffe be better than a corner?
A pouffe is not fixed. You can move it, rest your feet on it, get it out of the way when guests come, or carry it into another room. A corner looks the same but stays in one place for good.

How much space is needed per person?
About 100 cm per seat. For an adult to lie down, 190–200 cm of clear length without armrests.

Can a sofa be made in two fabrics?
Yes, on many models the parts can be upholstered in different fabrics: piping, cushions and base can be different colours or textures.

Can I order an armchair and a pouffe in the same fabric?
Yes, for every sofa an armchair or pouffe can be ordered in the same style and fabric.

How do I check that the sofa will fit the room?
The site has 3D models you can download and place in your room plan before ordering. And there is the online configurator, to build the sofa and see its dimensions.

How long does production take?
An individual order takes 25 to 44 working days.