Pratic, 60 years of open-air culture

Technology and design, as well as 100% Made in Italy production and planning. Outdoor furniture from the province of Udine continues to lead by example.

Whether it’s a garden full of flowers, a green terrace, a roof garden high above the city rooftops, or even the grass beside a swimming pool, we have really come to understand the value of the outdoors this year, that space that gives off our living rooms and which represents the final, perhaps the most precious frontier. A space to be lived in and carefully designed. This is the mission that the Orioli family embraced 60 years ago when they set up Pratic, now one of the global leaders in the manufacture of architectural and design elements that make our homes feel like spaces open to the landscape, sheltered but not enclosed. Their results are achieved by harnessing the commitment, passion and quality that has shone through from their very first patented awning to everything they produce. Design and research are now the pillars that characterise the brand, along with a creative yet grounded spirit, swift yet precise.

Pratic was set up in 1960 in Ceseretto in the province of Udine, and is helmed by Dino and Edi Orioli, the second generation of brothers, who opened their new headquarters in Fagagna in 2011, an environmentally-friendly, visually sympathetic building that slots seamlessly into the hilly Friuli landscape. The building contains 240 employees and is split into administrative, design and operational offices, the manufacturing area, a large showroom and the new paint system plant, built with environmental sustainability and energy self-sufficiency principles uppermost. The company has more than 850 sales outlets in Italy, whilst its foreign target markets are Europe, North Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Australia.

As always, the design and manufacturing are 100% Italian. The former takes place inside the brand’s design and development area, Pratic Concept, where ideas are born, grow and develop. The keywords here are creativity, innovation and sharing. The production cycle is also based at the headquarters, sourcing raw materials, fabrics and automation systems from its partners - all basic stages that Pratic carries forward, along with sectoral studies focused on spotting the outdoor trends of the future, the design demands of the architects and the customisation requirements of the clients. For a number of years, scientific research geared to creating a real outdoor culture has formed a fundamental part of the project process. Three neuro-scientific studies have so far been carried out in collaboration with prestigious Italian institutions: Healthy Lighting (2018), exploring the effects of light on the human brain and on lifestyles; Lively Colours (2019), devoted to the neurological perception of colour and its potential for design; Design for Well-being. Semiosi delle Forme (2020) which tested the various functions that the brain triggers in the left and right hemispheres when one is out of doors in an architectural setting.

The upshot of all this is technological solutions in the form of pergolas and coverings that interact harmoniously with the outdoor space, allowing the air to circulate naturally on very hot days, thanks to swivelling blades and folding coverings, which also ensure the pergola can be closed completely in bad weather or when the temperature drops, thanks to tempered glass perimetral panels. Coverings set against the walls have given way to modern porticoes marking the line between indoors and outdoors, while free-standing pergolas slot into the natural or urban landscape, furnishing it with style. Clean, pure lines, essential design and sophisticated details are what make the open air living areas designed by the company stand out, with materials and colours inspired by nature and current interior design trends.