Komodo vs Maximo: Which Nardi Modular Sofa Is Right for You?

If you have set your heart on a Nardi modular outdoor sofa, you have already made a very good decision. The next one is trickier: Komodo or Maximo? These are Nardi's two great modular seating systems, and on a showroom floor they can look like variations on a theme — low, generous, weatherproof, endlessly rearrangeable. Spend a little time with each, though, and you discover they are aimed at genuinely different homes, different budgets and different ways of living outdoors.

I sell and specify both here at Custom Wood Designs in Ireland, and I have watched customers agonise over the choice when, in truth, the right answer usually reveals itself within about five questions. This guide is the long-form version of the conversation I have across the counter every week. By the end you should know, with some confidence, which of these two beautiful Italian systems belongs on your patio, terrace, balcony or poolside.

First, a word about who makes them

Both sofas come from Nardi, a family-run firm based in Chiampo, in the Veneto region of north-east Italy. Nardi has been working with high-performance resin for decades, and everything they produce is engineered for real outdoor life rather than for a styled photograph. Three facts are worth carrying with you as you read:

• The resin is batch-dyed and UV-stabilised. Colour runs all the way through the material and is protected against fading, so a Nardi frame does not go chalky or patchy after a couple of Irish summers the way cheaper painted or surface-coated furniture does.
• The materials are fully recyclable. Nardi's fibreglass-reinforced resin can be reground and reused at the end of its long life, which is part of why the brand has leaned so hard into its Regeneration (recycled-content) finishes.
• It is genuinely weatherproof. Rain, salt air, frost, UV — the frames shrug all of it off. For an Irish garden, where furniture lives outside through wind and drizzle far more than it basks in sunshine, that matters more than almost anything else.

So whichever you choose, you are buying into the same engineering philosophy and the same reassuring durability. The difference between Komodo and Maximo is about design language, scale, comfort and price — not about quality or weather resistance.

The thirty-second summary

If you only read one paragraph, read this one. Komodo is Nardi's accessible, do-everything modular sofa: an all-resin system with tailored cushions, a crisp architectural profile, a huge palette and a very friendly price. It is the one most Irish homeowners end up buying, and for good reason. Maximo is the newer, more luxurious, deeper and softer system — a contract-grade lounge sofa with plumper cushioning, premium Sunbrella upholstery options and a more resort-like feel. It costs more, it takes up more room, and in the right space it is spectacular.

Now let us slow down and actually earn that summary.

Komodo in detail: the clever all-rounder

Komodo is built around a small family of resin modules that clip and slot together. The core pieces are a central sofa module, a corner module and a terminal (end) module. Add a few centrals for length, put a corner where you want to turn, and cap each end with a terminal, and you have a sofa shaped precisely to your space.

What makes Komodo so likeable is the honesty of its construction. The seat and back frames are moulded resin — the same tough, colour-through material Nardi uses across its chair range — and the cushions sit neatly within a defined lip, so they look tailored rather than piled on. The frame does much of the visual work, which means even the bare modules look considered, and the cushions read as a crisp, upholstered inlay rather than a loose mattress.

The Komodo look

Architectural is the word I reach for most. Komodo has clean vertical slats on the outer faces, a low-slung stance and a very defined edge. It suits contemporary Irish homes — rendered walls, porcelain paving, clipped planting, a bit of Corten or timber — beautifully. Because the frame comes in colours such as Bianco (white), Tortora (taupe-grey), Antracite (anthracite) and Agave (a soft sage green), you can either let the sofa recede into a neutral scheme or make the frame itself part of the palette.

The cushion range is enormous. Nardi offers Komodo cushions in their own hard-wearing fabrics as well as premium Sunbrella options, in colours from calm neutrals through to Rosa Quarzo, Avocado, Giungla and Adriatic. That combination of frame colour plus cushion colour gives you, quite literally, hundreds of permutations — which is a large part of why Komodo works in so many different gardens.

The corner module: the shape-maker

The corner module is where Komodo earns its keep. One corner turns a straight bench into an L; two corners give you a U-shape or a broad, conversational curve around a fire pit or coffee table. Because each corner is a single moulded piece, the geometry stays tidy — there are no awkward gaps where a straight run meets a return. If you are planning a layout, my advice is always to start by deciding where the corners go, then fill in with centrals and cap with terminals.

The terminal module and open ends

Terminal modules give you a finished armrest at the end of a run, available in left and right versions so you can close off one or both ends. Leave an end open instead and you create a chaise-style opening where a pouf can slide in — which brings us neatly to the most useful accessory in the range.

The Komodo pouf: the hardest-working piece

I tell every Komodo customer to buy at least one pouf. It is a footstool when you want to put your feet up, a chaise extension when you push it against a terminal-free end, an extra perch when friends arrive, and a low side surface when you need to set something down. It is the single most flexible thing you can add, and because it is the same width as the seat modules it always looks intentional.

The Komodo coffee table

The Komodo Tavolino is designed to sit at exactly the right height in the middle of a U-shaped Komodo arrangement. It comes in the same frame colours as the sofa, so it either matches or deliberately contrasts, and its resin top wipes clean and never needs oiling or covering. There is also a glass-topped Vetro version if you want something a little more refined; but for a family garden, the solid resin top is the sensible, drink-proof, sun-cream-proof choice.

Shade, the Komodo way

One thing Komodo can do that Maximo cannot is wear its own sunshade. The Komodo Ombra is a fabric canopy on a slim frame that clips into the sofa itself, floating a panel of shade over the seat without a separate parasol base cluttering your floor. The Ombra 3 spans a larger run; there is an Ombra 2 for smaller arrangements. On the handful of properly hot days we get, and for keeping UV off a napping toddler, it is a genuinely clever bit of design and a strong reason some people choose Komodo.

Maximo in detail: the luxury lounge system

Maximo is Nardi's more recent, more indulgent take on the modular sofa. Where Komodo is architectural and trim, Maximo is deep, soft and enveloping — the difference between a smart tailored sofa and a big squashy one you sink into. It was developed with the contract and hospitality market in mind, which is to say hotels, rooftop bars and high-end poolside terraces, and it carries that pedigree into the home.

The Maximo range is built from a comparable kit of parts — an armchair module, a centre seat, a corner module and left/right end modules — but everything is built to a larger, plusher spec, and the cushions are the star of the show.

The Maximo look and feel

Maximo's frames come in Nardi's Regeneration finishes — Terra, Gesso, Cactus and Basalto — which are matte, earthy, recycled-content colours rather than the glossier brights of some of the resin range. Paired with tailored Sunbrella cushions in Timo (a soft green), Perla (pale grey), Lava (deep charcoal) and Cannella (warm cinnamon), the effect is quietly expensive: muted, natural, resort-like. It is the sort of sofa that makes a terrace feel like a boutique hotel.

The seat is deeper than Komodo's and the cushions are noticeably more generous, with a proper lounge geometry that encourages you to actually recline rather than perch. If your idea of an outdoor sofa is somewhere to spend a whole lazy afternoon with a book and a glass of something cold, Maximo is speaking your language.

The Maximo corner and end modules

Just as with Komodo, the corner module is what lets you wrap Maximo around a space. Because the whole system is larger, a Maximo L or U commands a lot more floor, so this is furniture for bigger terraces and open patios rather than tight courtyards. The pay-off is presence: a Maximo corner sofa is a proper set-piece.

The left and right end modules give Maximo its finished arms. Combine two ends with a run of centre seats for a classic straight sofa, or use a single end plus a corner for an asymmetric L that hugs a wall on one side and opens onto the garden on the other.

The Maximo pouf and storage pocket

The Maximo pouf plays the same versatile role as its Komodo cousin — footrest, extra seat, chaise extension — but at the larger Maximo scale and with the same plush cushioning. It is the piece I would add first after the main run.

Here is a Maximo trick Komodo has no answer to: the storage pocket module. It tucks into the system to give you a discreet place to stash cushions, a throw, a book or the TV remote for the outdoor telly — the kind of thoughtful, contract-derived detail that tells you Maximo was designed for people who really live on their terraces. For a family that hates lugging cushions in and out, or for a poolside where towels need a home, it is quietly brilliant.

Maximo tables

The Maximo Tavolino 70 is a round, low table sized to sit in front of a Maximo run without fighting its scale. There are smaller side-table and larger versions in the family too, so you can scale the surfaces to the seating. In the matching Regeneration finishes, the tables complete the collection's calm, coordinated look.

Head to head: the comparisons that actually matter

Style and mood

Komodo is architectural, crisp and contemporary. Its exposed resin frame and slatted sides give it a graphic, almost minimalist quality that sits happily against modern render, glass and porcelain. Maximo is soft, plush and resort-luxe. It hides more of its structure under generous upholstery and reads as a high-end lounge sofa. Neither is more stylish than the other — they simply say different things. If your garden is sharp and modern, Komodo underlines that. If you want your terrace to feel like a five-star hotel, Maximo delivers it.

Comfort

Both are comfortable, but differently. Komodo gives you a supportive, upright-to-relaxed seat with tailored cushions — excellent for chatting, dining nearby, having a drink, sitting properly. Maximo is a deeper, sink-in lounge experience built for long afternoons and horizontal reading. If you like to sit up, Komodo; if you like to melt, Maximo.

Scale and space

This is often the deciding factor. Komodo is the more compact system, which makes it the natural choice for balconies, small courtyards, town gardens and any space where every centimetre counts. Maximo is larger in every dimension — deeper seats, chunkier arms, bigger footprint — so it wants a generous terrace, a wide patio or a poolside to look right. Put Maximo in too small a space and it swallows the room; put Komodo in a vast terrace and, while it still works, you may wish for Maximo's presence.

Budget

Komodo is the more accessible system module for module, and its own-brand cushion options keep the entry price friendly. Maximo, with its contract-grade build and standard Sunbrella upholstery, sits at a higher price point. Neither is cheap — this is serious Italian furniture built to last a decade or more outdoors — but if budget is the primary constraint, Komodo lets you build a bigger, better sofa for the same money.

Cushions and fabric

Komodo offers a spectrum from hard-wearing own-brand fabrics up to premium Sunbrella, in a very wide colour range. Maximo leans into premium Sunbrella as standard, with a tighter, more curated palette of sophisticated neutrals. If you love the idea of a bold or playful cushion colour, Komodo's range is broader; if you want understated, expensive-looking neutrals chosen for you, Maximo's edit is hard to beat. In both cases the cushions are designed to live outdoors, dry quickly and resist fading and mildew — but do bring cushions in or store them dry over winter to maximise their life, even though the covers are built to cope.

Shade and extras

Komodo wins on integrated shade thanks to the Ombra canopy that clips into the sofa itself. Maximo wins on clever storage thanks to the pocket module. Decide which of those two features you would actually use, and it may settle the whole decision.

Three real scenarios

Scenario one: the town garden or balcony

You have a compact paved courtyard behind a terraced house, or a decent-sized apartment balcony. You want somewhere for two to four people to sit with coffee or wine, and you do not want the furniture to dominate. Choose Komodo. A pair of central modules with two terminals gives you a tidy two-to-three-seat sofa; add a pouf for feet and flexibility, and the Komodo Tavolino in the middle. If the spot catches afternoon sun, the Ombra canopy earns its place. This is the single most common Irish set-up, and Komodo nails it.

Scenario two: the family terrace

You have a good-sized patio off the kitchen, kids, frequent visitors and a barbecue. You want an L-shaped sofa that seats five or six, copes with sun cream and spills, and does not need babying. Either works, but I lean Komodo for most families — the wipe-clean resin frame, the friendlier price and the ability to add modules over time make it forgiving and expandable. Build an L with a corner, two or three centrals and terminals, add two poufs, and choose a mid-tone cushion that hides the odd smudge. If the budget is there and the terrace is large, Maximo with its storage pocket for stashing the cushions is a lovely upgrade.

Scenario three: the luxury terrace or poolside

You have a large, well-designed outdoor room — maybe a pool, maybe a view, definitely a sense of occasion. You entertain, and you want the furniture to feel like a destination. Choose Maximo. A big U-shape of centre seats, corners and ends in Basalto or Gesso with Lava or Timo Sunbrella cushions, the Tavolino 70 in the middle, a couple of poufs and a storage pocket, and you have created something that genuinely rivals a hotel lounge. This is Maximo's home turf, and nothing in the Komodo range quite matches its plush, expensive presence at this scale.

How to plan your layout without getting it wrong

Modular furniture is liberating precisely because you build it yourself, but that freedom is where people trip up. Over the years I have watched a few predictable mistakes, so here is the method I walk customers through, and it applies equally to Komodo and Maximo.

Start with the space, not the sofa. Measure your patio or terrace properly — not a rough pace-out, but actual metres — and then, crucially, sketch in the things that cannot move: the door you walk through, the barbecue, the steps down to the lawn, the line where the paving stops. A modular sofa is only as good as the circulation around it. As a rule of thumb, leave at least 70cm of clear walkway behind or alongside the sofa so people are not squeezing past, and allow around 40cm between the front edge of the seat and the coffee table so there is room for knees and feet.

Then decide the shape. A straight run suits a sofa pushed against a wall or railing. An L-shape is the family workhorse — it defines a corner, seats more people in the same footprint and gives everyone a view of each other. A U-shape is the entertainer's choice, wrapping a coffee table or fire feature so a whole group can talk without shouting. Both systems make all three shapes; the only difference is that a Maximo U needs considerably more floor than a Komodo U.

Now count the modules. Here is the simple logic. Every corner you want is one corner module. Every finished, armed end is one terminal (Komodo) or end module (Maximo). Everything in between is a central or centre-seat module, and each one adds roughly one seat and a chunk of length. So a three-seat straight sofa is two ends plus one central; a five-to-six-seat L is two ends, one corner and two or three centrals. If you are unsure, err towards one extra central — the beauty of a modular system is that a too-long sofa still looks generous, whereas a too-short one looks mean.

Finally, add the flexible pieces. A pouf or two, the coffee table, and — depending on system — the Komodo Ombra shade or the Maximo storage pocket. Buy the frame and seats first, live with the sofa for a fortnight, and then add poufs and tables once you can see how you actually use the space. Because both ranges are stocked as individual modules, you are never locked in; you can grow the sofa next season, or the season after.

Choosing frame and cushion colours

Colour is where a good modular sofa becomes your sofa, and it is worth a little thought. My general advice is to treat the frame as the long-term, hard-to-change decision and the cushions as the easier-to-refresh layer.

For Komodo, the frame colours behave like this. Bianco (white) is crisp and Mediterranean, brilliant against blue-grey porcelain or a rendered wall, though it shows dust a little sooner. Tortora (taupe-grey) is the great all-rounder — it disappears politely into almost any scheme and never dates. Antracite (anthracite) is smart, architectural and forgiving of dirt, the natural partner to modern grey paving and black window frames. Agave, the soft sage green, is the quietly fashionable choice and looks wonderful surrounded by planting. Then layer cushions on top: keep them tonal with the frame for a calm, sophisticated look, or contrast — a Rosa Quarzo or Avocado cushion against an Antracite frame — for something with more personality.

For Maximo, the palette is deliberately more restrained and more grown-up. The Regeneration frame finishes — Terra, Gesso, Cactus, Basalto — are matte and earthy, and they are designed to sit under the Sunbrella cushion range of Timo, Perla, Lava and Cannella. A Basalto frame with Lava cushions is dramatic and hotel-like; Gesso with Perla is airy and pale; Cactus or Terra with Timo leans warm and natural. Because the whole system is curated to coordinate, it is genuinely hard to make an ugly Maximo — which is part of what you are paying for.

A practical Irish tip on colour: our light is soft and often grey, so very pale, cool schemes can read a little flat on an overcast day. A touch of warmth — a cinnamon, a warm taupe, a sage — tends to feel more inviting through the nine months of the year when we are not actually in strong sun.

A few practical notes for Irish gardens

Because our weather does the testing for us, a couple of pointers. First, the resin frames of both systems are entirely happy to live outside year-round; you do not need to bring them in for winter, and frost will not harm them. Second, the cushions are the part to look after: their covers are engineered for the outdoors and shrug off showers, but they last longest if you let them dry after heavy rain and store them somewhere airy and dry over the depths of winter. The Maximo storage pocket, or a simple weatherproof box, makes that easy.

Third, both sofas are heavy and stable enough to stay put in normal Irish wind, but on exposed coastal sites the poufs and any parasols are the pieces to secure or bring in during a gale. And fourth — a happy note — the batch-dyed, UV-stable resin means the frame colour you buy is the frame colour you will still have in ten years. There is no repainting, no re-staining, no annual oiling. A rinse with the hose and an occasional wipe is the entire maintenance regime.

Quick answers to the questions we hear most

Can I mix Komodo and Maximo modules? No — they are separate systems with different scales and connections, so modules do not interchange. Pick one system and build within it. You can, of course, use a Komodo sofa in one part of the garden and a Maximo in another.

Do I have to buy the whole sofa at once? Not at all. Both are sold as individual modules, so you can start with a straight run this year and add a corner, a pouf or another central later. Just note colours can evolve over time, so if you plan to expand, it is worth buying the frame modules together or confirming the shade is still current.

Will the cushions survive an Irish winter outside? The covers are made for the outdoors and will not be ruined by rain, but no outdoor cushion enjoys months of damp. For longest life, let them dry after heavy downpours and store them somewhere airy over deep winter. The Maximo storage pocket or a simple weatherproof box makes this painless.

Which is easier to keep clean? Both frames simply wipe or hose down. Komodo's more exposed resin frame arguably has the edge for a busy family, as there is less upholstery in the firing line. In both cases, the resin never needs oiling, painting or sealing.

Is Maximo worth the extra over Komodo? If you have the space and want that deep, plush, resort feel, yes — it is a noticeably more luxurious sit and a bigger visual statement. If your space is modest or your budget is the priority, Komodo gives you more sofa for the money and will not leave you feeling short-changed.

So, which should you buy?

Let me put it as plainly as I can. Buy Komodo if you want the smart, flexible, brilliant-value modular sofa that fits almost any space, offers the widest choice of colours, expands module by module as your budget or family grows, and can wear its own clip-on sunshade. For the large majority of Irish homes, Komodo is the right and sensible answer, and it is the one I recommend most often.

Buy Maximo if you have the space and the budget, and you want the deeper, softer, more luxurious lounge experience — the resort-terrace feel, the plush Sunbrella cushions, the clever storage pocket, the sense of a genuine set-piece. On a large terrace or poolside, Maximo is simply gorgeous, and no one who chooses it comes back wishing they had spent less.

There is no wrong answer here. Both are made by the same Veneto family firm, both use the same weatherproof, recyclable, colour-through resin engineering, and both will still look wonderful long after cheaper furniture has been sent to the tip. The only real question is which one suits your space, your body and your budget — and if you have read this far, you probably already know.

Still torn? That is exactly what we are here for. Talk to us at Custom Wood Designs and we will help you plan a layout, choose frame and cushion colours, and work out the exact modules your space needs — whether that turns out to be a compact Komodo for a courtyard or a sprawling Maximo for a poolside. Come and explore both systems, side by side, in the full Nardi collection, and let us help you build the outdoor sofa you will still love a decade from now.