Allseating is launching Prata, their latest collaboration with Carl Gustav Magnusson. Prata, meaning "to speak" in Swedish, boldly inspires conversation. Affordable and expertly crafted for the modern office, Prata is a conference chair that utilizes an innovative mechanism concealed within its seat frame that allows users to naturally adjust their position to ensure all-day comfort.
When a user is seated, the suspension mechanism automatically reacts to their weight so they can recline comfortably. As an aficionado of vintage luxury cars, Magnusson integrated many automobile-inspired features into Prata’s design. Its polished aluminum seat frame houses elegant aluminum side levers. The proprietary levers move smoothly and decisively adding confidence to the user––just as consumers would expect from the seat and dashboard controls built into high-end cars.
“The contract market is saturated with great conference chairs, but upon closer look, we identified a common shortcoming and developed a simple, proprietary solution to improve the modern conference chair’s functionality,” says Carl Gustav Magnusson of CGM Design. “It’s not enough for a chair to provide features —design matters— paying attention to details such as where a person’s arm falls as they sit and understanding how they internalize levers, will result in a chair that offers more than just features, but seamless, user-friendly functionality. This is exactly what we sought to accomplish with Prata.”
Aesthetically, Prata is unique for an office chair due to its softer, more approachable look and feel. Its upholstery applies traditional craftsmanship techniques of saddle-stitched seams along the chair’s undulating shape, a level of detail that is not often found in conference chairs offered on the market. Furthermore, as individuals usually approach conference chairs from the back, Magnusson designed the back to have a subtle curve that is visually inviting. The striking shape is beautiful from all angles and its “resimercial” design makes Prata a timeless addition to any workplace or home office.
Adding to its elegant and simplistic appearance, the shell of the chair is intentionally neutral and available in a multitude of combinations, including leather, fabric, dual fabric, or contrasting patches of different materials. Prata is available in a polished aluminum finish and has two back height variations, low-back and mid-back, to expand design possibilities.
Prata’s innovative design has garnered substantial attention even before its official launch. The chair is a Bronze Winner of the International Design Awards (IDA), a winner of Chicago Athenaeum’s Good Design Awards, an honoree of Fast Company’s Innovation by Design awards, and a Finalist in Interior Design's Best of Year Awards.