I love to feel cocooned—and I imagine most people do. I also have a strange phobia of being watched, as well as a strong preference for sitting with my back against the wall (I will reject a reservation if the table is floating at the center of a restaurant). You may be thinking that I need therapy, and on that front you’re probably correct. But who needs Dr. Jung when there’s Duo? This “is a sofa you can fold up around yourself, in the same way as you turn up your jacket collar.” Designer Norway Says developed the idea for the Duo Sofa from clothes, especially hoodies (for those of you who wear nothing else, see Hood Chair).

Duo. Designed by Norway Says.

The real task was to fashion furniture that would block noise in the office, which the Duo accomplishes quite well. Although I like the soundproofing quality, I LOVE the sofa’s built-in privacy—how it “creates an intimate room for focus, meetings or relaxation.” With the sofa at its full height, you can always have your back to the wall. You can also hide from ex-lovers, co-workers, or the world at large. Duo is your very own private sanctuary, brought to you by L.K. Hjelle.

However, the sofa works for groups too. Face two Duos across from each other for brainstorming sessions. Arrange four of them in a square for larger office meetings. If you suffer from claustrophobia, change the sofa by bending down the sides and back; zippers and internal magnets make alterations simple and quick. The Duo gets its name from its two distinct manifestations: the high-backed room-within-a-couch and the low-backed standard version. When built up, Duo can be used as a room divider, making it a piece worthy of lofts and other plans in need of delineation. I see a cartoon advertisement for the Duo Sofa featuring a couple at odds: imagine a pair of Duos placed back to back, each with a fuming person sitting inside, arms crossed (thought bubbles can vary). This would probably not be the best marketing campaign—I shall need to keep my day job.