As often happens to artists, inspiration can come from everyday life, from a significant or memorable personal experience. As in the case of Eugeni Quitllet, who to create the new Souvenir collection has drawn on a memory from his life. “When I arrived in Paris the first time, in 2001, I lived at Saint Sulpice, near Jardin du Luxembourg, a place of recreation and peace since the 18th century. Like a poet, I searched for inspiration in that atmosphere, dreaming about a new future.” The results of this live on today in the Souvenir seats, which represent the perfect reinterpretation of the classic green chairs found precisely in the Jardin du Luxembourg or the Tuileries, Parisian destinations famous all over the world.
Ever since their creation, these gardens have offered visitors chairs that can be moved freely, a more comfortable and practical solution as opposed to benches, which are also a presence, nevertheless. The chairs even gave rise to a true job, that of the “chaisièr”, a person who supervised their rental. This role existed until 1974, when the chairs began to be offered free of charge. In 1923 the ateliers of Parisian foundries created a new model, closer to the one familiar to us today.
Souvenir is therefore linked by nature to the theme of landscape and outdoor living. “For me it is very important for design to get closer to nature, above all in the field of outdoor furniture – the designer continues. – With Pedrali I have always pursued this romantic sense of innovation through materials, forms and functions, to create something that did not exist before.”
Eugeni Quitllet looks back on a classic, while revolutionizing its materials. The result is a light, strong monoblock chair made in polypropylene and specifically designed for outdoor living. The soft profiles and three-dimensional slats make the seat very comfortable, an indispensable factor because “outdoor living is a more relaxed, joyful moment, in which to take time to observe the beautiful things around us, paying particular attention to their design.” The legs widen at the extremity, converging in a characteristic foot.
The aesthetic simplicity of Souvenir is rather an illusion: “It is actually one of the most difficult and innovative projects I have ever done – says the designer. – Every detail of the chair is unique and original, and all the parts combine to generate innovation and comfort, functional quality and elegance. The chair gradually changes to adapt to every part of the body in an ergonomic way. For me it perfectly reflects the meaning of good design, where every element is conceived to become part of the whole. This might truly be my best project ever.”
Pedrali @ Salone del Mobile 2022 – Project Calvi Brambilla, Styling Studio Salaris, Photo © Ottavio Tomasini
The chair is also sustainable. Souvenir comes in the “recycled gray” version, made with recycled polypropylene (50% from post-consumer waste materials, 50% from industrial plastic scrap). After starting in 2001, the story of Souvenir now reaches its fulfillment, like “an Odyssey through the garden chair of our dreams.”
