The Weekly Spec, Vol 19: Gressco Configurable Sofa

One Sofa. More Ways for Children to Use the Space.

How removable cushions, child-friendly handles and integrated storage turn one compact sofa into flexible seating for learning, waiting and play

Children do not use furniture in only one way.

They gather for stories, separate into smaller groups, build informal activity areas and move between collaborative and independent play. A fixed seating arrangement may work for one part of the day, but it cannot always respond when the activity or number of children changes.

The HABA Pro Synthetic Leather Configurable Children’s Sofa approaches seating as something children can actively shape. The system combines a fixed sofa base with four removable cushions in graduated sizes, allowing it to transition from a compact two-seat sofa into multiple seating arrangements for up to six children.

When the additional pieces are no longer needed, they fit back into the sofa rather than requiring a separate storage area.

It Started as a Two-Seater

A two-seat children’s sofa provides a comfortable place to read, wait or sit with a friend. The challenge appears when more children want to join.

The HABA Pro Configurable Children’s Sofa includes four additional cushions that can be removed from the base and placed around the room. Combined with the main seat, those pieces allow the sofa to accommodate up to six children without permanently filling the space with six separate chairs.

That flexibility can support several activities within the same footprint. The sofa may remain fully assembled during quieter periods, expand into group seating for story time or divide into smaller pieces for independent reading and collaborative play.

The graduated cushion sizes also give children different ways to sit. Larger pieces can support shared seating, while smaller cushions create individual places that can be positioned closer to an activity, caregiver or group.

For libraries, early-learning environments and family waiting areas, this means additional seating can remain available without every seat needing to occupy the floor throughout the entire day.

Configurable Does Not Have to Look Cluttered

Flexible furniture can solve one problem while creating another. More pieces provide more possibilities, but they can also make a room feel disorganized when there is no clear place for them to go.

The HABA Pro sofa is designed as one coordinated composition. Its removable cushions use complementary forms, graduated dimensions and coordinated upholstery colors, allowing different configurations to retain a consistent visual language.

Rather than looking like a random collection of floor cushions, the pieces clearly belong to the same furniture system. Designers can select primary, seat and accent colors to create a playful palette or a quieter combination suited to the wider interior.

That distinction matters in spaces serving children and adults together. Pediatric waiting rooms, libraries and public family areas need to feel welcoming to young users without appearing visually chaotic. Early-learning environments need furniture that supports play without making every change feel like the room has been left unfinished.

Configuration should add options to the space. It should not add unnecessary visual noise.

More Cushions Without More Storage

Loose cushions are useful while children are sitting on them. The difficulty begins when the activity ends.

Without integrated storage, additional seating pieces may be stacked in a corner, moved into another room or left across the floor. That creates more work for staff and can reduce the amount of clear space available for circulation and other activities.

All four removable cushions of the HABA Pro sofa nest beneath or beside the fixed seat when they are not being used. The system returns to the appearance and footprint of a compact sofa without requiring a separate cabinet, cart or storage closet.

This makes the transition between activities more manageable. A reading area can expand for a group and return to a quieter seating arrangement afterward. A waiting area can provide more places during busy periods without permanently planning the room around its highest possible occupancy.

The cushions remain immediately available, but they are not required to remain scattered throughout the room. More seating does not have to mean more furniture competing for space.

Designed for High-Use Children’s Spaces

Children’s furniture must accommodate more than changing activities. It also needs to address spills, frequent handling and the cleaning routines required in shared environments.

The sofa is upholstered in synthetic leather with a removable, washable cover. Its smooth surface provides a practical alternative to more absorbent upholstery in libraries, waiting areas, daycares and early-learning spaces where furniture may be used by many children throughout the day.

The complete system measures approximately 78¾ inches wide, 26½ inches deep and 23½ inches high. That provides a substantial shared seat while maintaining proportions intended for younger users.

Manufactured in Germany, the sofa is designed for institutional applications and is backed by a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. Those details support its use as a long-term furniture specification rather than a temporary playroom accessory.

Material and maintenance requirements should still be reviewed in relation to the facility’s cleaning products and infection-control procedures. The practical advantage is that flexibility has been paired with a surface intended for the realities of high-use children’s environments.

Children Can Help Shape the Room

Flexible furniture is less useful when every adjustment requires an adult.

Each removable cushion includes an integrated carrying handle, giving children a clear way to grip and move it. The lightweight pieces are intended to allow young users to participate in reconfiguring their own seating rather than waiting for a teacher, librarian or caregiver to rearrange the room for them.

That participation can support more than convenience. Selecting a cushion, moving it into position and returning it after use can encourage autonomy, cooperation and a stronger sense of responsibility for the shared environment.

Children can bring seating closer to a book, create a small group with friends or establish an individual place within a larger activity area. Staff can still guide how the system is used, but they do not have to control every movement.

The sofa is specified for children from approximately 3 to 10 years old. As with any flexible furniture, the layout and level of supervision should reflect the age of the users, the activity and the requirements of the individual environment.

The important idea is that adaptability becomes part of the child’s experience. The room does not simply change around them; they can help change it.

What Matters Most

The HABA Pro Configurable Children’s Sofa brings seating, play and storage together within one coordinated product.

Its fixed base provides a familiar two-seat sofa. Four removable cushions expand the capacity to as many as six children and support different group arrangements. Integrated handles allow young users to participate in moving the pieces, while the nested storage design returns every cushion to the sofa when the activity is finished.

The value is not simply that the furniture can be rearranged. It is that the complete cycle has been considered: taking the cushions out, using them in different ways, moving them between activities and storing them neatly afterward.

For designers and specifiers, that creates a flexible option for libraries, early-learning classrooms, pediatric waiting areas and other children’s environments where the number of users and type of activity can change throughout the day.

The larger design lesson is that adaptable furniture does not have to create a complicated room. When the additional seating is easy to move, visually coordinated and stored within the product itself, one compact sofa can support far more than one fixed arrangement.

If you’re evaluating the HABA Pro Configurable Children’s Sofa for a library, daycare, preschool, pediatric waiting area or family-focused public space, GGG can help you compare upholstery colors, maintenance requirements, dimensions and placement in relation to your environment and users.