Motherhood the key to invention of product unique to the UK by local woman
A Devon mumpreneur has just launched a multi-purpose play sofa after being inspired by her children -and it’s already attracting rave reviews.
Emily Roffe-Silvester, who lives in Mid-Devon, created the Sofee play sofa after watching her two young children trying to build a rocket while they were confined to the house during the pandemic. She said: ‘My children love building dens and forts out of cushions and sofas and it was seeing their frustration at not being able to build something sturdy enough to hold shape that made me realise we needed a play sofa. I wanted to create something that would be versatile enough to support creative play and development and last multiple childhoods, but still be stylish enough to have in the sitting room.’
The Sofee is the only play sofa of this unique design available in the UK. It is made of four sturdy foam pieces covered in soft, durable microsuede fabric that can be used as a sofa or configured into a fort, den, spaceship, slide, chair – whatever a child’s imagination dreams up.
Emily added: ‘It has been intense bringing the Sofee to market during a pandemic but I wanted to ensure that it was a high quality product made in the UK. I spent a long time investigating UK manufacturers of foam and fabric and ensuring that the play sofa was practical and environmentally sustainable before launching the mysofee.com website. ‘
The Sofee is made of three different densities of foam each with a specific purpose which have undergone fire safety and poundage testing. The removable covers, which are available in six colours, are liquid resistant and have anti-slip qualities so that whatever a child builds won’t slip or collapse. Each piece has handles for easy manoeuvrability and zips and tags are hidden so there’s no danger of snags; the microsuede material is a perfect ‘sticky’ canvas for felt shapes. All parts of the Sofee meet or exceed UK safety regulations.
The Sofee can be delivered throughout the UK or available for free pick-up in the West Country. Details are on mysofee.com which also includes reviews from happy customers. One said: ‘We have had hours of fun with our Sofee! So far we have created horse stables, Olympic stadiums, diving boards, teddy picnic areas and forts….. As the children grow, they will be able to adapt Sofee to their needs. It acts as an alternative soft seating area for adults too!’
