From 5 to 10 September, Pedrali took part in supersalone, a special event on the side-lines of Salone del Mobile.Milano, curated by Stefano Boeri and an international team of co-designers. “Taking part in this September edition of Salone del Mobile reminds us of our first participation, thirty-two years ago, and of what it meant to us. An openness towards overseas markets and a continuity given by an appointment capable of setting over the years the pace of the company’s and products’ history” says Monica Pedrali, CEO of Pedrali alongside her brother Giuseppe.
That of Pedrali is a family-run business dating back to 1963, when Mario Pedrali founded a craft workshop in the town of Palazzolo sull'Oglio, in the province of Brescia, where he began to produce his first outdoor collections of wrought iron seats. Creative inspiration and progressive vision laid the foundations for what would later become, under the leadership of his sons Monica and Giuseppe, an enterprise employing more than 300 collaborators.
Pedrali showcased its latest collections through a special, contemporary installation, designed by the Milanese firm Calvi Brambilla and entitled #Pedralitimeless (Hall 3, Stand A21): a fluid, dynamic exhibition that tells the story of the all-Italian brand through its values and its collections. The narrative is entrusted to a terracotta-coloured line on the wall: an unconventional timeline that can be read arbitrarily from left to right or from right to left, unveiling a fresh and timeless story punctuated by videos, artistic portraits realised by acclaimed photographers capable of catching the essence of products, i.e. details of their shapes, colours and textures. Within a 30-linear-metre space Pedrali aims at telling its 58 years of history, the quality of its products and its sustainable philosophy, as well as its reaction to the recent events through the launch of collections responding to the arising needs of this moment in history.
This story is presented in five settings, each representing the world of Pedrali.
The first setting is allocated to office furniture. Today’s work spaces have undergone profound changes, they need to be dynamic and their furniture solutions flexible, functional and sustainable, in order to create tailor made, modular areas that can be rearranged according to the needs of the moment. Pedrali’s proposal is Buddyhub, designed by Busetti Garuti Redaelli, a furniture solution that creates meeting areas that can be made less or more informal through the use of a wrap-around, sound absorbing panel that envelops the seat. Characterised by a lower backrest, Temps Low Back - an evolution of Temps executive chair - has been designed by the Jorge Pensi Design Studio to seamlessly fit both in meeting rooms and home offices. With its practical, height-adjustable top, the Arki-Table Adjustable Desk contributes to the creation of a functional and dynamic office space with the possibility of anchoring a sound-absorbing, fabric-upholstered panel to divide one desk from another. Ypsilon Connect, designed by the Jorge Pensi Design Studio, is a functional, sound-absorbing, free standing space divider.
The second setting, dedicated to the home office, highlights the need for more fluid home spaces. Pedrali offers furnishing solutions, suitable to both office and home, or space-saving for small environments, to cured work station with high quality aesthetic while guaranteeing maximum efficiency. Robin Rizzini has designed two products that respond to the needs of such spaces. Lightweight and minimalist, Toa Desk is characterised by a solid die-cast aluminium frame in a fluid geometric design. Toa Folding Screen is a sound absorbing desktop panel that separates and defines spaces, enabling all family members to carve out a space for themselves within the home. This setting also includes Babila XL armchairs by Odo Fioravanti, which stand out for their large seat and armrests.
In the central setting, the narrative is all but suspended in order to focus on the importance of environmental sustainability. Committed to the environmental cause, Pedrali has recently launched its first collections made entirely of recycled plastic: a new material made 50% from plastic material post-consumer waste and 50% from plastic material industrial waste. Remind Recycled Grey, designed by Eugeni Quitllet, is made from a single block of injection-moulded polypropylene and its breathable seat and backrest contribute to the chair’s airy, lightweight appearance, adding to its enveloping comfort. Babila XL “recycled grey” by Odo Fioravanti has a polypropylene moulded shell that stands out for its large seat and armrests and offers greater seating comfort. The wooden legs are FSC® C114358 certified and painted with water-based paints composed mostly of plant-derived resins.
The story of the company continues through the presentation of two 2021 novelties designed for hospitality and residential sectors, where the focus is on wellbeing. The Blume collection, designed by Sebastian Herkner, has been enriched with a new version with armrests. An armchair that reimagine the soft, rounded shapes that characterise the collection in which the enveloping curvature of the armrests is skilfully shaped to ensure continuity with the characteristic flower-shaped profile in extruded aluminium. Launched last year by Patrick Jouin, Ila armchair is a refined piece of furniture with a strong personality, expressing utmost comfort, softness and sensuality, now available with a four-leg frame in solid ash.
In the last setting, homage is paid to outdoor spaces, transformed - especially over the last year - into elegant open-air living rooms. Pedrali presents Caementum by Marco Merendi & Diego Vencato, a new single-piece concrete table specifically designed for outdoor use. Through the addition of carefully selected additives, this highly resistant material guarantees excellent technical performance, including ease of cleaning, greater resistance to mechanical stresses and weathering, and low permeability to liquids and stains. Pedrali also proposes the Panarea collection designed by CMP Design. Born from an idea rooted in the Mediterranean coastline and in the colours and refreshing breeze of an outdoor dinner on a sea-facing terrace. The setting is further complemented by an elegant Reva Twist lounge chair and three-seater sofa, designed by Patrick Jouin. The steel backrest and armrests are woven with a flat rope in weather-resistant polypropylene, for a more natural appearance.
Finally, 2021 marks an important anniversary in the history of Pedrali: it’s been 10 years since the Frida chair, designed by Odo Fioravanti which won the 22nd ADI Compasso d’Oro award in 2011 for its “simple sculptural beauty”.
