Opale: the Pedrali seating collection expands to embrace hospitality spaces

Pedrali is one of the most dynamic names in contemporary Italian design, a company that for more than sixty years has combined engineering, craftsmanship and a manufacturing culture deeply rooted in its local territory. Within its universe, FSC® C114358-certified wood, water-based coatings formulated largely with plant-derived resins, research into recycled materials and meticulous attention to production quality are all integral to a philosophy that is put into practice every day. It is a process of continuous evolution, reflected in collections for both residential and contract settings that constantly adapt to the changing ways people live and interact with spaces.
Among these is Opale, designed by Patrick Jouin, which this year expands with two new additions presented at the Salone del Mobile.Milano. The story of Opale began with an armchair: a compact piece characterised by fluid, soft lines and a remarkable ability to merge wood and upholstery into a single, harmonious silhouette. It is a design that expresses an emotional dialogue between materials of different natures. The solid walnut or ash legs rise seamlessly into the backrest, creating a sense of continuity, while the eye follows the elegant oval section as it gradually tapers into the integrated handle, allowing the chair to be moved with effortless ease.

Every detail has been carefully considered to make the hospitality experience smoother and more refined. From this original armchair came the inspiration for a chair and a stool. For Patrick Jouin, designing a chair from an armchair represented a genuine challenge: preserving the same harmony, sculptural quality and discreet integration of the hidden handle within the backrest. The result, however, is remarkably coherent. The chair and stool are not simply variations but entirely new pieces that make it possible to create cohesive interiors by combining different heights and functions while maintaining a strong design identity. Whether in restaurants, hotels or lounge spaces, Opale becomes a design language in itself – a way of expressing hospitality through the warmth of wood, the comfort of moulded polyurethane foam and the precision of elastic webbing that ensures lasting seating comfort.In restaurants, hotels, and lounges, Opale becomes a language, a way of welcoming that moves through wood and the softness of polyurethane foam, down to the precision of the elastic belts that guarantee comfort.

There is something profoundly human at the heart of the project. Jouin speaks of the simple gesture of a waiter pulling out a chair to welcome a guest, and within that gesture lies the entire philosophy of the collection. Opale is not simply a seating collection, but an interpretation of hospitality translated into soft forms and a presence that is at once discreet and distinctive. Born from the meeting of craftsmanship and technology, the collection finds its natural home in the contract and hospitality sectors, and in every environment where beauty must combine with durability without ever becoming intrusive. With Opale, Pedrali once again demonstrates its ability to transform materials into emotion, creating furniture that evolves alongside the changing needs of contemporary living and hospitality.