Pebble Sofá Ao Ar Livre by Mattice Boets

Pebble Sofá Ao Ar Livre by Mattice Boets is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award de Ferro in Design de Mobiliário Competition Category.

FerroMobiliário· 2022

Pebble Sofá Ao Ar Livre

by Mattice Boets

Client: Mattice Boets

A' Design Award de Ferro Winner in Mobiliário Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #140245

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The Design

About Pebble Sofá Ao Ar Livre

Inspirado na tatilidade dos seixos, Pebble é um sofá de exterior feito de cortiça branco-acinzentado. Consiste em várias almofadas semelhantes a seixos que se encaixam perfeitamente. O design traduz a tatilidade das pedras, o desejo de sentir e tocar, em uma composição semelhante a uma pedra que todos podem experimentar em qualquer época do ano. O sofá pode ser deixado permanentemente ao ar livre e é resistente às intempéries naturais. A utilização da cortiça é uma novidade no mobiliário de exterior. Permite o surgimento de uma nova linguagem de design, é leve e mostra o potencial da utilização da cortiça para além do interior.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Ferro

Pebble Sofá Ao Ar Livre conquistou o A' Design Award de Ferro, um reconhecimento prestigiado atribuído a bons designs que cumprem os requisitos profissionais e industriais esperados de criações bem concebidas. Os vencedores do Ferro demonstram grande habilidade, elevada especialização, compreensão especializada e capacidade criativa dos seus criadores. Espera-se que Pebble Sofá Ao Ar Livre seja uma criação muito considerada, admirada e estimada, prática e inovadora. Este design vencedor do A' Design Award de Ferro integra as melhores práticas do setor e tem características técnicas competentes associadas a conhecimento especializado e talento. Pela sua minúcia, Pebble Sofá Ao Ar Livre merece respeito e destina-se a proporcionar melhorias na qualidade de vida que ajudam a tornar o mundo num lugar melhor.

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.