Pedrali’s creative trio

What is the most important innovation in your 2016 creations for Pedrali?

MC:  This year we present Osaka Metal, the Osaka chair with a metal rod or tube frame, both available in a range of versions: chair, armchair, bar stool and kitchen stool. We tried to maintain the clean design that characterizes this product family, accentuated by new lines that make it look even lighter and easier to place within communal public spaces like restaurants, pubs and hotels. Metal offers the possibility to take part in projects that require a certain mechanical strength, as well as formal and physical lightness.

Is the contract segment high in your priorities as designers?

AP: In general yes, it is, although we aim to create an atmosphere that recalls that of the home; this is another reason why the use of wood is important. The combination of multiple materials always plays on the protagonism of wood.

Which product best expresses this approach?  

MC:  The Nemea chair, which we presented in Cologne in the upholstered seat version and in Milan in different colour versions: red, green and blue, in addition to natural bleached and dyed black. This aspect helps to convey the potential of the product as well as that of Pedrali – a company that, in case of large projects, is able to support the production of differently coloured versions.  Also, it is a product that expresses our philosophy, as we created it trying to use as little material as possible: we believe that everything in nature that is made in this way has an undeniable inherent value.

The Nolita family is a different type of product altogether… 

AP: Yes, in this case our research started last year to commemorate the company’s original technologies: Pedrali celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2013. Initially, it produced outdoor iron chairs. We recovered these technologies and adapted them to the evolution of materials, so as to obtain more natural curves. The result is a very comfortable product, even though it is made with minimal amounts of metal.

Which items have been added to the collection?

AP: The Nolita chair and armchair were designed last year. They have this bright, airy, transparent look; their shadow is almost a line, it seems invisible. We imagine Nolita chairs in a context where their structure does not obstruct the view of a portico, a lawn or a swimming pool: they have been designed specifically for outdoor use. Imagining this relaxed, carefree setting, this year we tried  to create something suitable to a laid-back, convivial atmosphere. The result was the lounge chair, the patio table (reclining, ideal for serving drinks outdoors, designed to withstand atmospheric agents and salty air), and the chaise longue, perfect for boat decks and swimming pools.

Is there a product that is particularly representative  of your highly innovative research?

AP: There certainly is. The Tivoli  looks like the most traditional of chairs, inspired by the models used in the old “trattorie”. Instead, it does have a special feature: the innovative use of wood curved in two directions. Micro-cuts and incisions made on the material break the fibers while maintaining the wood structure. The three-dimensional curvature of the backrest allowed us to create what we call the “endless backrest”, able to adjust to people’s different heights and postures. This ensures total comfort.