Ekornes

The Arion and Sphinx low-back sofas are an extension of the company's sofa line.  In recent years, sofa sales have been rising significantly, especially Stressless sofas with individually reclining seats.  The company also makes fixed-back sofas under the Ekornes Collection name.

While Ekornes has been making high-back Stressless sofas for many years, the company recently began manufacturing low-back versions.  The first low-back version to be introduced was the Paradise design in April of 2005, followed by the Space, Wave and Buckingham designs in October 2005.

"Consumer response to the low-back designs has been tremendous," says Peter Bjerregaard, President of Ekornes, Inc., "and has certainly contributed to the fact that sofa sales now represent 32% of our revenue in the North American market."

As with all Stressless chairs and sofas, these new designs feature individually reclining seats that offer the same lumbar support for which Stressless is known worldwide. The Stressless products carry an endorsement from the American Chiropractors Association.

 The third product debuting this week is the Midi Corner.  Like its partner, the Big Corner, the piece can nestle up to many Stressless sofa designs to create sectional seating.  The Midi Corner has a semi-circular shape at the back, which flattens into two straight edges that allow the Big Corner to nestle between two sofas, or it can be placed on the end of a sofa to create a divan.