Pedrali's orgatec office furniture arranged in a welcoming, home-like display, softening the workplace with warm residential touches.

Pedrali Makes Office Furniture Feel Like Home at Orgatec in Cologne

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Written by John Oliver

2026-11-12

Rigid rows of desks rarely produce good ideas. Pedrali is betting that a workplace can borrow the comfort of hospitality, and it is testing that bet with new orgatec office furniture at Orgatec in Cologne. The Italian manufacturer is returning to the fair for the ninth time, 22 years after its 2004 debut.

The stand responds to the fair’s theme, “From rooms to relationships: designing spaces in an ever-changing world.” Its aim is to show that this kind of furniture can be inviting as well as functional.

A stand built to be taken apart

Milan practice DWA Design Studio designed the 700 square meter stand for orgatec cologne. Exposed poplar wood frames the space, and rippling canvas surfaces play with light and shadow across the walls and ceiling.

Buddyhub desk and sideboard by Busetti Garuti Redaelli arranged in a Pedrali workspace.
Pedrali Workspaces, Buddyhub Desk and Sideboard by Busetti Garuti Redaelli | all images courtesy of Pedrali

Trade show structures are usually built once and discarded. Pedrali designed this pavilion to be fully dismantled, packed and reused. Some of its major structural components have already had a second life, having first appeared at Salone del Mobile 2026.

The same logic runs through Unico, an experimental tabletop project developed with DWA Design Studio. Leftover industrial plastic, flushed out of chair molding lines during color changes, is pressed into turned plates and bowls. The finished pieces look like carved stone or primitive clay.

Pedrali Ondine screens standing in an open space, dampening ambient noise with soft panels.
Pedrali’s Ondine screens filter ambient noise into soft acoustic comfort | image © Andrea Bartoluccio

A companion collection, Ondine, carries the stand’s soft curves into the office. These fire-resistant, thermoformed polyester acoustic panels can be mounted on walls, hung as dividers or clipped to desks as screens. Their job is to muffle conversation in open-plan rooms.

Soundproofing is becoming central to office planning, and Studio Stockholm’s Zonify Series for Office Acoustics shows how panels and lighting can work together.

Buddy Oasi serpentine system curving around open collaborative seating areas in a bright room.
buddy oasi serpentine system framing open collaborative spaces | image © Andrea Bartoluccio

Office furniture for focused work and easy conversation

The executive meeting setup centers on Robin Rizzini’s Frank table. It is paired with Patrick Jouin’s Opale chairs, which have solid ash or walnut legs, and Sebastian Herkner’s Blume Sideboard. Overhead, Yusuke Kawai’s Kawara lighting echoes the shapes of traditional Japanese roof tiles.

For teamwork, Rizzini’s modular Rizz Workstation benches seat groups side by side. Jorge Pensi Design Studio’s Polar task chairs sit alongside them. The chairs are newly introduced in terracotta and sage green breathable mesh.

Arki-Table desk with clean architectural lines and an integrated lighting strip along its edge.
Arki-Table Desk pairs architectural lines with an integrated lighting system | image © Andrea Bartoluccio

Social zones drop fixed seating altogether. Busetti Garuti Redaelli’s Buddy Oasi Serpentine, one of the newest additions shown at Orgatec, curves into winding, upholstered islands. Patrick Jouin’s Ila armchairs and castor-mounted Buddy poufs complete the group.

Seating matters just as much in a shared office, and Davide Bozzo’s Zero Chair Reinvents Seating Design offers a sleek architectural take on the everyday chair.

Polar chairs in fresh terracotta and sage green mesh, arranged in a row.
Polar chairs pair self-adjusting ergonomic support with fresh terracotta and sage green mesh

When an open floor gets too loud, the mobile Buddyhub Desks and Sideboards roll in. Their acoustic walls create a private niche in minutes. Individual work moves to the Arki-Table Desk, which has a newly developed integrated lighting system. Ondine screens can attach directly to the desk, so sound control stays consistent across different workstation families.

Bringing the office outdoors

The display ends by blurring the line between inside and outside. The Ikon Twist table anchors open-air settings, a rare outdoor note in this category. Formafantasma’s Estratto coffee tables, extruded from a single material of aluminum, sit nearby.

Ikon twist base wrapped in woven polypropylene rope for a durable, outdoor-ready finish.
wrapped in woven polypropylene rope, the ikon twist base is engineered for outdoor endurance

Taken together, the acoustic panels, the reusable structure and the mix of soft and crisp forms make a clear argument for better orgatec office furniture. A well-designed office is not only a place to clock in. It can be a place people want to spend the day.

Anemos table by Pio and Tito Toso, with a simple top and geometric base.
Anemos table by Pio & Tito Toso balances quiet simplicity with strong architectural geometry | image © Andrea Bartoluccio
Silhouettes of Nemea chairs in soft butter yellow and light blue tones.
gentle silhouettes of Nemea chairs dressed in butter and light blue tones
Pedrali workspace with interconnected seating zones arranged for relaxed, welcoming collaboration.
Pedrali crafts interconnected welcoming spaces for contemporary work | image © Andrea Bartoluccio
Buddyhub sideboard and desk forming small zones across an open workplace floor.
Buddyhub Sideboard and Buddyhub Desk map out dynamic micro-environments across the workplace
Buddy poufs on smooth castors, rolled across a floor for informal group gatherings.
now fitted with smooth castors, buddy poufs roll easily across the floor for quick, spontaneous gatherings
Pedrali seating and tables in a calm room with clean geometry and natural textured materials.
pedrali weaves acoustic quiet, clean geometry, and raw tactile materials into an inviting habitat | image © Andrea Bartoluccio
Pedrali office furniture on display at the Orgatec trade fair in Cologne.
Pedrali's orgatec office furniture arranged in a welcoming, home-like display, softening the workplace with warm residential touches.

H/T designboom.com

Frequently asked questions

Is Pedrali’s Orgatec stand designed to be reused after the fair?

Yes, Pedrali designed the 700 square meter pavilion to be fully dismantled, packed and reused. Some of its major structural components had already been used before, first appearing at Salone del Mobile 2026.

What are Pedrali’s Ondine acoustic panels used for?

Ondine panels are fire-resistant, thermoformed polyester acoustic panels that can be mounted on walls, hung as dividers or clipped to desks as screens. Their purpose is to muffle conversation in open-plan rooms.

What is the Unico tabletop project made from?

Unico is made from leftover industrial plastic that is flushed out of chair molding lines during color changes. This plastic is pressed into turned plates and bowls that look like carved stone or primitive clay.

Which studio designed Pedrali’s 700 square meter Orgatec stand?

The stand was designed by Milan practice DWA Design Studio. It features exposed poplar wood framing and rippling canvas surfaces that play with light and shadow.

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