Designer Willo Perron’s Pillo Sofa for Knoll made its North American debut this week, and it’s exactly the kind of high-concept-meets-high-comfort piece followers of his work would expect. Born out of early iterations of a custom sofa Willo created for Travis Scott, the Pillo Sofa showcases the Montreal-born creative’s knack for transforming spaces—a talent that has made him a sought-after collaborator for Kanye, Jay-Z, Rihanna, and brands like Chanel and Skims.
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- Willo calls the Pillo Sofa a “choose your own adventure experience,” that is built to move with you—individual pieces can be reconfigured as needed, along with the choice of two depth options to accommodate how you prefer to lounge.
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- The sofa’s deep seats are meant to be sat “in,” not just on, according to Willo. Photos courtesy Knoll
The Pillo Sofa isn’t your average living room staple. It’s designed to look like a freestanding stack of oversized pillows—a plush, inviting “basket” that practically dares you to flop onto it. Beneath its artful exterior is a carefully designed structure that’s all about relaxation—deep seats meant to be sat in, not just on. “I wanted the sofa to evoke surprise and emotion,” Willo says.
“This piece was originally created on a large scale for Travis Scott’s house. Then I decided to enter the furniture world with it. People who are behind the eight ball believe in trends because they need a narrative to keep up with, but I don’t believe in it. I think there are things you gravitate toward because they make sense at the time.”
“I wanted the sofa to evoke surprise and emotion,” Willo says. “This piece was originally created on a large scale for Travis Scott’s house. Then I decided to enter the furniture world with it. People who are behind the eight ball believe in trends because they need a narrative to keep up with, but I don’t believe in it.” Photo courtesy Knoll
Willo calls the sofa a “choose your own adventure experience,” that is built to move with you—individual pieces can be reconfigured as needed, with two depth options available to accommodate how you prefer to lounge. It’s also a blank canvas for Knoll’s range of textiles, welcoming any look you want to throw its way.
His design ethos is all about creating spaces that both serve a function and deliver an experience. After moving to California in the early 2000s he launched Willo Perron and Associates, carving out a niche where music, art, and fashion collide. He’s also directed world tours, acted as creative director for Alexander Wang and Yeezy fashion shows, reinvented retail spaces, and crafted Grammy-winning album packaging for St. Vincent.
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- The Pillo Sofa isn’t your average living room staple. It’s designed to look like a freestanding stack of oversized pillows—a plush, inviting “basket” that practically dares you to flop onto it.
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- Willo’s design ethos is all about creating spaces that don’t just serve a function, but deliver an experience.
“[When it comes to design] I think you have to understudy,” Willo says. “In my opinion, you must leave a lot of space for memory or feeling. Over documenting through platforms like Pinterest is dangerous because it can lead to soulless copies. It’s important for influences to be like a game of broken telephone, filtering through you and coming out differently.
“Reggae, for example, was born from Jamaicans listening to Motown on shortwave radio. The upbeat they were hearing was the radio clipping, and that became reggae. One of my favorite genres of music happened by mistake—but sometimes you have to make mistakes to create something new. If you moodboard too hard, you might just end up copying.”
For anyone who steps into Willo’s “basket” of pillows, it’s an invitation to kick back, stay awhile, and rethink what a sofa can be. Photo courtesy Knoll
For Willo, the Pillo Sofa is yet another step in blurring the lines between art and function. And for anyone who steps into the “basket” of pillows, it’s an invitation to kick back, stay awhile, and rethink what a sofa can be.
