Stories Pedrali and the chair with the handle Add to bookmarks Ara, the first chair produced by Jorge Pensi Design Studio, is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Distinguishing features: stackable, 100% recyclable, essential, elegant and timeless Vico Magistretti drew them on tram tickets, Jorge Pensi on paper napkins. Sketches, that is, the ones lucky enough to start off as fully-fledged designs. Just like this particular one, knocked off in an airport, killing time while waiting for a delayed flight home to Barcelona, just after a meeting with Giuseppe Pedrali, CEO of the Mornico al Serio company, in the Province of Bergamo. Jorge Pensi This is how Ara came into being, in 2011. It was while mulling over the brief – a polypropylene monobloc chair, with or without arms – that the notion of a handle popped almost casually into the exuberant Argentinian-Spanish designer’s creative mind: first and foremost as a functional element that would allow it to be easily moved, but which instantly became a characteristic feature of the piece and of the entire collection that it spawned, made up of armchairs and lounge chairs. “It was precisely while I was designing it that I realised that the handle had to become its distinguishing feature, making it stand out and making it permanently contemporary,” said Pensi. A little extra something, an added value, for a natural and intrinsically composed gesture. I Maestri del Paesaggio, Bergamo, Italy - Photo by Davide Forica Ara – which was also Pensi’s first chair for Pedrali, which already featured in its catalogue the Ypsilon table, one of his 2008 pieces – is conspicuous for its tapered, light legs. It’s assertive and decisive while retaining a neutral quality. “Being generally placed under table, the first thing you notice in a chair is its backrest had to be elegant, focusing on the handle while at the same time concealing the stackability,” noted Pensi. These formal qualities make the chair even more desirable and contemporary and, furthermore, it’s extremely comfy. Proof of its enduring appeal lies in the fact that none of the details or the colour chart – white, black, two shades of grey, blue, sage green, brown, sand, red and orange – have been updated to celebrate its tenth anniversary. Park Hotel Casimiro Village - Blu Hotels, Garda Lake, Italy Ara is an extremely versatile chair, also suitable for outdoor use thanks to a thermoformed, padded cushion, the upper side of which is covered in water-repellent, stain resistant polyester fabric and the bottom in black Velcro jersey, fixed to the seat with Velcro straps. Thanks to its easy-going personality and expressive minimalism, it has been used in both home and contract projects and in a wide variety of different spaces, including the Starfield Library of Seoul in the CEOX Mall, the largest shopping centre in Asia, designed by Gensler; the outer cloister of the Convento della Ripa at Albino, near Bergamo; the courtyard of the Primo Restaurant in Lecce and the terraces of the exclusive chalets at the Whitepod Eco-Luxury Hotel in the Swiss Canton of Valais. I Maestri del Paesaggio, Bergamo, Italy It is a piece that clearly reflects Pensi’s design approach – timeless products that are a blend of poetry and realism, matter and space, abstraction and emotion. Objects that defy the usual logic in a bid to come up with something new. Its unusual name comes from the Catalan, and means “now,” “immediately.” Pensi’s brief also included the concept of a chair that could be adapted to the needs of different spaces – from a domestic space such as a kitchen, to that of an office or meeting room, even outdoors, managing to interpret different places and inviting users to enjoy the moment. An invitation to sit right down, to seize the moment. Immediately, now. Apologies, Ara!
Exhibitions The latest outdoor furnishing, championing sustainability, material and colour Comfortable and sustainable, outdoor furnishing lends itself to many different interpretations, channelling innovation and constantly evolving aesthetics Marilena Pitino
Stories The biology of light, according to Manuel Spitschan What does chronobiology have to do with design? Manuel Spitschan, professor at the Technische Universität München, explains why light is essential to our well-being. And why designers should know more about it to design better. Giulia Zappa
Sustainability The Piazze Aperte scheme is really changing the face of Milan Since 2018, the two local governments helmed by Mayor Giuseppe Sala have closed more than fifty of the city’s streets and roads to traffic – but not to people. And this is just the beginning Fabrizio Fasanella