A seat without the usual silhouette
Giorgio Ceretti, Pietro Derossi and Riccardo Rosso designed Pratone in 1971 for Gufram. The manufacturer describes it as a seat of soft polyurethane, finished by hand with Guflac.
The tall green forms suggest grass, but their exaggerated size makes the object deliberately strange. There is no conventional pair of armrests to tell you how to approach it. Recognizing that it is seating changes how you look at the entire piece.
Look at the scale, then the material
From a distance, the repeated green blades read as one dense shape. Closer up, their folds and rounded edges make the softness easier to understand. The broad base gives the upright forms a shared boundary.
The poster focuses on this contrast: an almost graphic green silhouette with enough shading to show each blade. Its lilac circle and aubergine background are our editorial composition, rather than a claim about a historical exhibition setting.
Why show something this unusual?
A design reference does not have to be a shopping recommendation. An unfamiliar piece can help you notice what your own room repeats: straight legs, rectangular upholstery, pale timber or smooth neutral surfaces.
That does not mean replacing everything with a sculpture. It can be a prompt to compare one different outline, a stronger color or a softer material alongside the pieces you already have.
The reading shelf
More furniture that changed the rules.
Companion references for exploring experimental seating and the wider history of designed objects.
Charlotte & Peter Fiell · TASCHEN · hardcover
A compact illustrated reference for comparing chair forms, materials and the designers behind them.
Before you choose Choose the revised multilingual edition and check the seller and condition.
Phaidon Editors · Phaidon · hardcover
A broad visual reference that puts furniture, lighting and everyday objects in the same design history.
Before you choose A large-format reference book. Check the 2022 English-language edition and its dimensions.
Sources & editorial notes
Gufram — Pratone, official product history and material description · Checked 2026-09-28Practical suggestions are editorial judgments; adapt them to your needs. No personal product testing is claimed.
