Ciao, America. Pedrali opens in US

Want to hear a joke? What's the difference between America and yoghurt? Answer: leave yoghurt alone for 200 years and it will develop a culture.

I jest, of course. I'm a Brit and it's in our DNA to rib our US cousins. I genuinely love America and spent some time living stateside, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Pedrali, that powerhouse Italian brand that's made a name for itself in the manufacturing of innovative, industrially produced furniture, also loves the States, as evinced by the recent opening of its new Chicago showroom.

Wise to the current tendency among American architects and interior designers for a renewed appreciation of European design – not only in their work 'at home', so to speak, but also their projects internationally – Pedrali is using the new space, as company CEO Monica Pedrali puts it, ‘to depict various types of environments, all connected to “working spaces”: modern and contemporary offices, meeting rooms, lounge and hospitality areas.’

With a fistful of credentials including its 100%-Made-in-Italy claim, its sustainability policy underpinned by various robust certifications, and its proven track record in short-lead-time custom production, Pedrali is doing America with its head held high. We're not out of the woods yet, of course, when it comes to Covid and its economic impact globally, but the fundamentals are good for the company and response from the market is strong.

Architonic: Why did you decide to open a Pedrali showroom in the US?

Monica Pedrali: We have been operating in the American market for many years now and, having recently put in place an extensive network of agents there, we felt an increasing need for a permanent branding space on-site.

In 2019, we took part in NeoCon Chicago as exhibitors and were immediately won over by the enthusiasm of this event and the beauty of the Merchandise Mart building. So we made contact with the organisers to discuss a permanent presence there. NeoCon is a platform for launching innovative ideas and products that make public spaces flexible and avant-garde, so it’s a great fit.

AT: What does the space offer for professional visitors?

MP: The 280-square-metre showroom gives us the possibility to introduce our collections to our clients and to the A&D community: from the latest novelties to the most iconic products. These collections depict and are inspired by various types of environments, all connected to 'working spaces': modern and contemporary offices, meeting rooms, lounge and hospitality areas. The showroom is open all year by appointment.

AT: What in-showroom competencies are available beyond the display of products?

MP: In recent years, office furnishing trends and their environments have gone through considerable changes. The line between home and work is becoming increasingly fine, and work spaces have taken on new configurations: open-plan offices continue to emerge, promoting interaction and fluid exchange. Today, however, the Covid-19 health emergency has transformed such needs: office layouts need to be thought out differently and workstations redesigned. The significant change in lifestyle that we are currently experiencing makes it essential to create new reference models and new ways of interaction.

The office needs to become dynamic and its furniture solutions flexible, functional and sustainable, in order to create tailor-made, modular work spaces that can be rearranged according to the needs of the moment. Meeting rooms that can be transformed into multiple workstations, informal meeting spaces obtained by niches ensuring acoustic and visual privacy, new areas for on-site or remote training. The new Chicago showroom serves to capture and dramatise all of this, while, at the same time, demonstrating how our furniture solutions for hospitality are equally as intelligent and flexible.

AT: Are the needs of American architects different?

MP: Pedrali already owns the certifications required for selling in the US: from Greenguard and Greenguard Gold, demonstrating the low emission of chemicals of products intended for internal use, to CAL TB 117-2013 certification for fire reaction of upholstered products.

American architects work on a global scale and we have developed a network of well-established partners that extends to more than 100 countries.

© Architonic