Superb design evokes an instinctive sensory response. Our eyes linger on lines and curves, our bodies lean towards the experience of touch, and our imaginations suggest scents of salty breezes, sun-warmed citrus or rich espresso.

Pedrali is renowned for creating these moments, and this year are marking a special 10-year anniversary for the iconic Dome collection designed by Odo Fioravanti and crafted in Italy. The distinctive Dome silhouette echoes both the tradition of casual bistro seating and the architectural culture of Europe’s cathedrals and heritage cupolas. Generous curves and welcoming seats are paired with elegant supports that echo the slender columns of colonnades and aqueducts.

Designed to explore and celebrate the properties of polypropylene as a material for the creation of furniture that embodies creative flair while also proving robust and durable, Dome’s range of chairs and stools showcase the capacity of a mono-material to demonstrate a chameleon-like ability to mimic and reference classic forms of wood and metal.

“With Dome, we wanted plastic material to speak different languages: we tried to conceptually separate the parts of the object to achieve effects reminiscent of wooden chairs, while the perforated versions evoke, in a different way, the tradition of metal,” says designer Odo Fioravanti.

“It is an object that is absolute in its simplicity, yet highly iconic at the same time.”

The dual language of Dome that can be both warm and artisanal as well as technical and industrial make the collection versatile for a wide range of scenarios and architectural styles, from expansive piazzas to intimate balconies, calm libraries, bustling corporate cafes and elegant restaurants.

The iterations of Dome include chairs with or without armrests, with solid or perforated seats and backrests, along with elegant barstools. All are constructed with injection moulding of glass fibre reinforced polypropylene, which enables the artisans at Pedrali’s manufacturing facility to design in fine details such as allusions to the jointing typical of wooden chairs while still retaining the continuity and durability of a single, unified item.

The range is also available in a sumptuous range of colours including deep ochres and siennas, slates and blacks, bold primaries and bespoke hues.

Recent projects featuring Dome include the stunning private balconies of Virginia’s Cave Villas in Santorini. The hotel, carved into the rock in the style of traditional Cycladic architecture, features villas with private balconies where Dome chairs welcome guests to enjoy the sunning outlook over the Caldera. At the Michelin Star-awarded Impronte restaurant in Bergamo, Dome chairs in the outdoor area cradle guests as they enjoy a refined al fresco gastronomic experience created by chef Cristian Fagone.

Pedrali’s proud regional identity – Italian-designed and wholly Italian manufactured – is foundational to the DNA of Dome. Therefore, the chairs are utterly at home in the Italian Consulate General in Barcelona where they are integrated into the interior furnishings in tones of red, green and white to honour the Italian flag and national colours.

Dome has also proven an exceptional choice for indoor environments that calls for seating that synthesises both comfort and harmonious aesthetics, such as civic buildings, corporate workplaces and education settings. These include Antwerp’s main public library, the colourful Bibliotheek Permeke and the Enrico Fermi School in Turin, which has recently undergone a significant architectural regeneration project and now features welcoming and functional outdoor areas.

At one of the leading showcases for the superlative quality of Italian design, the ADI Design Museum in Milan, Dome welcomes visitors in exhibition spaces and in zones allocated for talks and conferences.  Danone in Lyon chose Dome for its corporate café, where the customised colours reflect the eclectic and dynamic palette of the interior scheme. In Bergamo, Dome is also featured in the Pedrali company restaurant, designed by Park Associati as a bright, convivial space focused on everyday wellbeing.

Even as it marks the milestone of 10 years of Dome and more than 60 years in the furniture design and manufacturing business, Pedrali continues to innovate and demonstrate the perfect fusion of exceptional humanistic design, elegant simplicity and excellence in craftsmanship.