Pebble El Sofà Exterior by Mattice Boets

Pebble El Sofà Exterior by Mattice Boets is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award de Ferro in Disseny de Mobiliari Competition Category.

FerroMobiliari· 2022

Pebble El Sofà Exterior

by Mattice Boets

Client: Mattice Boets

A' Design Award de Ferro Winner in Mobiliari Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #140245

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Colors

The Design

About Pebble El Sofà Exterior

Inspirat en la tactilitat dels còdols, Pebble és un sofà d'exterior fet de suro blanc-gris. Consta de diversos coixins semblants a còdols que encaixen perfectament. El disseny tradueix la tactilitat dels còdols, la necessitat de sentir i tocar, en una composició semblant a un còdol que tothom pot experimentar en qualsevol època de l'any. El sofà es pot deixar a l'aire lliure permanentment i és resistent a la intempèrie natural. L'ús del suro és una novetat en el mobiliari d'exterior. Permet que sorgeixi un nou llenguatge de disseny, és lleuger i mostra el potencial d'utilitzar suro més enllà de l'ús interior.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Ferro

Pebble El Sofà Exterior és un guanyador del guardó A' Design Award de Ferro, un reconeixement prestigiós concedit a bons dissenys que compleixen els requisits professionals i industrials esperats de creacions ben dissenyades. Els guanyadors de Ferro demostren una gran habilitat, una alta especialització, una comprensió experta i la capacitat creativa dels seus creadors. Es preveu que Pebble El Sofà Exterior sigui una creació molt apreciada, admirada i estimada que és pràctica i innovadora. Aquest disseny guanyador del guardó A' Design Award de Ferro integra les millors pràctiques del sector i té característiques tècniques competents lligades al coneixement i al talent. Pebble El Sofà Exterior és respectat per la seva minuciositat i està pensat per oferir millores en la qualitat de vida que ajuden a fer del món un lloc millor.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Pebble is an outdoor sofa made from white-grey cork. It consists of various pebble-like cushions that perfectly fit together. The sofa can be left outdoors permanently and is resilient against natural weathering. It can be enjoyed out in the sun during any time of the year. The design translates the tactility of pebbles, the urge to feel and touch, into a pebble-like composition that everyone can experience.
Dimensions & Packaging: The sofa is 220 cm x 68 cm x 77 cm. The seating area is reclined at 16 degrees with a total seating angle of 111 degrees. This provides a relaxed and slightly laid-back seating position. The positions of the cushions allow people to sit comfortably in various ways on the sofa. As seen from the top view, three people can sit on the sofa at the same time, each with their own little spot. The largest spot is in the middle, with the two smaller ones on each side of the sofa.
Tags: Pebble, sofa, outdoor, Mattice, Boets, design, outdoors, cork, white, stone
Production Technology: The sofa is made from white-grey cork that is CNC milled. A bio-coating is applied on top of the cork for additional durability against natural weathering. Each of the pieces is made individually and then assembled using wooden connections.
Design Challenge: Finding a suitable composition of several cushions was challenging. We had to make sure the sofa was structurally well-balanced, aesthetically pleasing, and manufacturable while making sure everything together formed a comfortable sofa.
Research: Inspired by the tactility of pebbles, this sofa attempts to translate these qualities into a piece of furniture. Up to this point, cork had only been used indoors for acoustics, insulation and sometimes even furniture. However, cork is not limited to indoor use only. It is perfectly capable of being used outdoors with a simple bio-coating. No matter what season it is, the bio-coating will provide the necessary protection for a durable design.
Inspiration: After many years, pebbles are formed by flowing through water and colliding with other rocks. Pebbles have this unexplainable urge to touch and feel them. While they look soft on the outside, they are rock-hard to the core. What if we could capture these tactile qualities of pebbles, the need to touch and feel them, and transform them into a piece of outdoor furniture?
Project Duration: The project was designed in November 2021 in Hasselt, Belgium, and was completed in February of 2022.
Operation Flow: It takes the idea of a pebble back to its roots; they were once formed by colliding with other rocks through the flow of water. Now, they form a static yet perfectly balanced composition. All cushions are slightly angled making any rainfall drop off its surface. The use of cork is a premier in outdoor furniture. It allows the complex organic design of Pebble to be made with ease, is lightweight allowing the sofa to be moved easily, and it shows the potential of using cork beyond just indoor use.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Mattice Boets, 2022.