Pebble O Sofá Ao Aire Libre by Mattice Boets

Pebble O Sofá Ao Aire Libre by Mattice Boets is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award de Ferro in Deseño de Mobiliario Competition Category.

FerroMobiliario· 2022

Pebble O Sofá Ao Aire Libre

by Mattice Boets

Client: Mattice Boets

A' Design Award de Ferro Winner in Mobiliario Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #140245

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Colors

The Design

About Pebble O Sofá Ao Aire Libre

Inspirado no tacto dos seixos, Pebble é un sofá de exterior feito de cortiza branco-gris. Consta de varios coxíns tipo seixo que encaixan perfectamente. O deseño traduce a tactilidade dos seixos, o desexo de sentir e tocar, nunha composición parecida ao seixo que todos poden experimentar en calquera época do ano. O sofá pódese deixar ao aire libre permanentemente e é resistente á intemperie natural. O uso de cortiza é un primeiro en mobles de exterior. Permite que xurda unha nova linguaxe de deseño, é lixeiro e mostra o potencial de usar cortiza máis aló do uso en interiores.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Ferro

Pebble O Sofá Ao Aire Libre gañou o A' Design Award de Ferro, un recoñecemento prestixioso outorgado a bos deseños que cumpren os requisitos profesionais e industriais esperados de creacións ben deseñadas. Os gañadores Ferro demostran a gran habilidade, a alta especialización, a comprensión experta e a capacidade creativa dos seus creadores. Espérase que Pebble O Sofá Ao Aire Libre sexa unha creación moi apreciada, admirada e querida que é práctica e innovadora. Este deseño gañador do A' Design Award de Ferro integra as mellores prácticas do sector e ten características técnicas competentes ligadas ao saber facer e ao talento. Pebble O Sofá Ao Aire Libre é respectado pola súa minuciosidade e está deseñado para proporcionar melloras na calidade de vida que axudan a facer do mundo un lugar mellor.

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.