How Pedrali used Supersalone 2021 to make a timely statement in timeless style

It’s no secret that we’re longtime fans of Pedrali, here at Indesign. There’s much to admire about the iconic, 100 percent Italian-made, and wholly family-owned-and-operated furniture business — its mid-century origins, collaborative legacy, and enduring design sensibility are just the beginning. But our admiration for the brand has become infatuation, after the endearing exhibit it put on recently, in Milan, for Supersalone 2021.

Designed by the Milanese firm Calvi Brambilla and entitled #Pedralitimeless, the fluid, dynamic exhibition drew inspiration from the concept of ‘wunderkammer’ — meaning ‘cabinet of curiosities’ — to tell the story of the all-Italian brand through its values and its collections. Brought to life through an installation of Pedrali products in a variety of physical, still and moving image form, curated around a terracotta wall cantilever spanning the length of the stall to form an unconventional ‘timeline’.

With no ‘end’, as such, and rather two possible beginnings, the linear, 30-metre-long exhibition space culminated in a narrative that is so timely and equally timeless. #Pedralitimeless manifested in 5 distinctive settings — each representing a unique aspect of the wonderful and multifaceted world of Pedrali.

Making a public statement about the brand’s commitment to the cause, environmental sustainability featured front and centre of the exhibit, with a showcase of its first collections, made entirely of recycled plastic. Flanking the sustainability setting on one side, was a showcase of Pedrali’s offering of workspace furniture designed for contemporary commercial and/or residential environments.

Designs such as Buddyhub, by Busetti Garuti Redaelli, a commercial office seating solution in which a wrap-around, sound absorbing panel envelops the seat in a sort of enclosed niche — and Jorge Pensi Design Studio’s functional free-standing sound-absorbing space divider, Ypsilon Connect, speak directly to matters pertinent to the evolution of workplace design, as it stands at the present moment in time. Similarly, though lightweight and minimalist in form, the Toa Desk and Toa Folding Screen that Robin Rizzini has designed for Pedrali, substantiate just how integral quality items of home office furniture have quickly become to the contemporary residential setting.

On the other side, Pedrali’s Supersalone 2021 exhibit takes us into a space recalling both hospitality and residential sectors. Here, Sebastian Herkner’s Blume collection came presented enriched with a new version whose armrests reimagine the soft, rounded shapes that characterise the collection. The Blume collection is complemented by a set of coffee tables featuring the chair’s flower-shaped profile. 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.

For the fifth and final setting, the curators paid homage to the outdoor furniture that characterises the cherished moments at which nature meets built environment. Here, Pedrali presents Caementum, a new single-piece concrete table specifically designed for outdoor use and the debut design to come from Marco Merendi & Diego Vencato. A highly considered pièce de résistance, Caementum combines Merendi’s architectural approach with Vencato’s world of design, giving rise to a primitive product characterised by intrinsic charm and refined allure.