pedrali's buddy oasi goes outdoors with its moveable backrest

Busetti Garuti Redaelli gives pedrali’s buddy a makeover

Buddy Oasi is the natural evolution of Pedrali‘s iconic Buddy – the company’s friendliest and most welcoming seating collection. Designed by Busetti Garuti Redaelli and launched during Milan Design Week 2024, the family of furniture stays true to its versatility, efficiency and lightweight frames as it grows to elevate the combination of comfort and function with a moveable backrest. designboom was given the chance to interview the Italian studio and learn a lot more about their journey from crafting the original Buddy in 2017, to its latest expansion.

‘With each passing year, we expand the Buddy collection to offer more seating options, enhancing the flexibility of configurations. Buddy Oasi represents the culmination of this evolution for outdoor use, boasting comfort, durability, and thoughtful material choices like the waterproof fabric,’ begins Busetti Garuti Redaelli.

Pedrali presents Buddy Oasi – the natural evolution of the iconic Buddy collection | art direction Studio FM; photo by Andrea Garuti; set design & styling Studio Salaris

all images courtesy of Pedrali

Characterized by its welcoming spirit, Buddy Oasi by Italian design studio Busetti Garuti Redaelli is a furnishing solution that further enhances the previous versions of Buddy, while maintaining the contrast between the bold volumes of the seat and the lightness of the legs. First introduced in 2017, the series travels to the outdoor world of Pedrali, staying true to the Italian furniture company’s versatile and sustainable spirit.

‘By carefully selecting materials, we’ve created a completely different, distinct outdoor version of Buddy while staying true to its original friendly design. The removable waterproof fabric and the smooth feel of the textile ensure functionality, longevity, durability and of course an aesthetic appeal,’ continues the studio.

characterized by its welcoming spirit, Buddy Oasi is a furnishing solution that further expands the collection, opening to the outdoor world

moving the moveable backrest literally wherever you want

Buddy Oasi’s distinguishing feature is the movable backrest, with a soft, organic shape. Made of injected polyurethane foam, it can be easily and freely positioned on the seat to create multiple configurations, literally however desired. An embedded ballast and a non-slip fabric base provide stability ensuring a secure lean-back experience.

‘The addition of a movable backrest to Buddy Oasi enhances its versatility, catering to various social dynamics. Whether bringing people together or providing privacy, it adapts seamlessly to outdoor and public settings, offering solutions for diverse needs. For the outdoors or a hotel lounge, the backrest prioritizes comfort with added stability features like the embedded metallic ballast and the non-slip fabric at the bottom,’ adds the design studio.

generously sized poufs and sofas maintain the contrast between the bold volumes of the seat and the lightness of the legs

buddy oasi becomes waterproof

For further versatility, the product is available in five sizes, and two heights, offering the freedom to create multiple layouts anywhere, whether at home, the workspace or the back home garden. Especially for the oudoors, Buddy Oasi is fitted with a completely waterproof lining and removable fabric cover ensuring easy maintenance and durability, leading to the timeless quality that Pedrali takes pride in.

‘Introducing two new dimensions for Buddy expands the possibilities for outdoor seating arrangements. From sofas to lounges to sun beds, the options for composition are endless, offering flexibility in spatial design. Not only that, but Buddy Oasi also comes in two different heights, allowing for dynamic landscape creation within spaces, maintaining design continuity across the product’s generations. Most importantly, none of these qualities were compromised when the new materials were introduced – it was a matter of reengineering. We had to try different kinds of fabrics until we found the one that truly followed and adapted itself to Buddy’s round shape. As mentioned, our aim was not to compromise the aesthetics, but to enhance them,’ concludes Busetti Garuti Redaelli.