The Soriana look combines a low, gathered upholstered body with an external curved metal frame. When comparing the original with an alternative, check the actual size, upholstery and construction as well as the silhouette.
What Is the Soriana Sofa?
The Soriana was designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa for Cassina in 1969, and a year later it won the Compasso d'Oro, Italy's most serious design award. That award is shorthand for one thing: this was a sofa that changed what a sofa could look like.
It broke the rules of its time. Sofas back then sat upright and formal. The Scarpas did the opposite. They took a deep, soft, almost overstuffed body of upholstery, let it slump the way a good cushion does, then held the whole thing together with an external bent chrome frame that clips around the base.
Hard metal, soft everything else. The sofa looks like it is already relaxing, before you have even sat down.
That contrast is the entire idea, and it is why the Soriana still reads as modern more than fifty years on.
Why the Original Soriana Is So Expensive
Cassina still makes the Soriana, and the price carries the weight of its history. Depending on size and upholstery, you are roughly looking at:
- Armchair: from around 4,000 EUR
- Two-seater: often 6,000 to 9,000 EUR
- Three-seater and larger: well past 10,000 EUR
A few things drive that. It is a licensed, award-winning design from one of Italy's most important furniture houses. The chrome frame is precision metalwork, not a screw-on leg. And it is produced in Italy to Cassina's standard, which you pay for.
None of that changes how the sofa looks in your living room. Which is exactly why "Soriana alternative" and "Soriana dupe" get searched so often. People want the shape and the feeling, not the four-figure receipt.
What Makes a Good Soriana Dupe?
Not every soft, low sofa is a Soriana. Three things have to be right, and most cheap copies miss at least one.
The low, gathered body
The Soriana sits low and reads as one generous, slightly rumpled mass of cushioning. If a sofa looks neat and boxy, it has lost the point.
The external chrome frame
This is the make-or-break detail. That curved metal base cradling the upholstery is the Soriana's signature. Skip it and you do not have a Soriana alternative, you just have a low sofa.
Real lounge depth
The original was built for sinking in, not perching. A good alternative keeps the deep seat and soft fill so it actually feels like the design intended.
Our Soriana Styled 3-Seater Sofa was built around those three rules, with the chrome frame and the low gathered body kept faithful to the original look.
Soriana Dupe vs the Original: What Actually Differs
Silhouette
Original gathered silhouette
Compare photographs from several angles
The chrome frame
Check the selected model's frame finish and care
Check the selected model's frame finish and care
Deep lounge seat
Compare seat height, usable depth and support
Compare seat height, usable depth and support
Materials
Read the selected upholstery and filling specifications
Read the selected upholstery and filling specifications
Price
Compare a current quote for your size and fabric
Compare a current quote for your size and fabric
A similar silhouette does not establish identical materials or comfort. Compare the exact upholstery, construction, dimensions and care instructions for the models on your shortlist.
Soriana Sofa Dimensions
The Soriana is defined by how low and deep it sits. As a rough guide to the archetype:
- Seat height: around 38 to 42 cm, low to the ground
- Seat depth: deep, built for lounging rather than sitting upright
- Two-seater width: roughly 165 to 180 cm
- Three-seater width: roughly 210 to 240 cm
Because it sits so low, the Soriana works beautifully in rooms with lower ceilings or big windows, where a tall sofa back would block the light and the view. For exact measurements on each size, check the Soriana 2-Seater and 3-Seater product pages.
How to Style a Soriana Sofa
The Soriana is a 1970s design having a real moment again, so lean into that without turning the room into a costume.
- Keep the table low. A low glass or travertine coffee table sits at the right height and lets the sofa stay the star. Our coffee table guide covers the exact heights that work.
- Warm it up. The chrome frame is cool and hard, so balance it with warm tones, a caramel or cream upholstery, wood floors, and soft lighting.
- Give it room. The Soriana looks best with a little space around it so the frame and the low body can be seen properly. It is not a sofa to wedge into a tight corner.
- One bold neighbour, not five. A single textured rug or a single floor lamp does more than a pile of accessories competing with the shape.
Who the Soriana Suits
The Soriana is right for you if...
- You want one clear hero piece, not a sofa that fades into the room
- You love the hard-meets-soft contrast of chrome against deep cushioning
- Your space leans editorial and warm, with a little 1970s confidence
- You sit low and lounge, rather than perch upright
If you want the most casual, lowest option, that is the Bruma. If you want endless modular rearranging, that is the Camaleonda. The Soriana is the one that quietly takes over the room.
Soriana vs Bruma vs Camaleonda: Which Low Sofa Is Right for You?
All three come from the same relaxed, low, 1970s lounge movement, but they feel different.
- Bruma: all foam, no frame, ribbed and squishy. The most casual and the lowest.
- Camaleonda: modular tufted squares you can rearrange endlessly. The most flexible.
- Soriana: soft body held by a chrome frame. The most architectural of the three.
If you are still deciding, we compared all three here: Bruma, Camaleonda or Soriana: Which Iconic 70s Sofa Is Right for You?
Is a Soriana Alternative Worth It?
Choose the original if its provenance and licensed production are priorities. Consider an independent alternative if it fits your budget and you are satisfied with its documented construction, dimensions and upholstery. Let those details guide the decision alongside the look.
