Kettal has introduced Grosso, a new sofa by Patricia Urquiola, the latest addition to a design relationship between the two that stretches back to her Maia collection in 2005. Unlike Maia’s reliance on rope and teak and Plumon’s fabric designs, Grosso adopts a sculptural form, crafted as a single, oversized volume that contours to the body.
The surface is built from a patchwork of stitched segments, with each seam contributing to a visible rhythm across the piece rather than being hidden or minimised. Underneath, layers of foam at varying densities give the sofa its structure, letting it compress under weight in different ways depending on where someone sits, then return to its original shape once the pressure is removed. That layered foam system is really what defines Grosso’s feel more than its surface pattern does.
The sofa is scaled closer to a large pouffe than a traditional three-seat sofa, seating up to three people within one continuous form rather than across separate cushions or sections. Its shape allows a small amount of rotation, so a person can shift from a more reclined position to sitting upright without needing to physically move the piece or rearrange cushions.
Grosso is built to work in more than one way. Grosso serves as a daybed for lounging or a compact seat for focused use, and multiple units can create larger modular arrangements within the same design language.
The piece continues a working relationship between Urquiola and Kettal that now spans two decades and includes Maia, Plumon, and a scattering of smaller pieces like the Kettal Cottage, generally built around Urquiola’s stated interest in pairing craft techniques with newer materials and production methods.
