How many times, during very long hikes in the mountains, have you spotted a rock with a vague armchair or chair shape, thought it might be comfortable for a little rest, and found out as soon as you sat down just how uncomfortable it was?! Probably too many times. Softrock is here to keep fooling us, but this time in a way we can’t help but like. The Portuguese brand transforms rocks into cushions, poufs and even sofas, functional sculptures that sit halfway between sculpture, product design and installation and play with our perception. They look like they’re made of stone, but they’re as soft as a cloud.

Softrock was born in Ericeira, Portugal, in 2020, from the joining of the work of Carolina Parrinha, creative director and project manager, with that of her father João Parrinha, the artist who gives shape to the pieces. It all started with an experiment for the set design of an advertising campaign, whose results were so realistic that people who saw them wanted to know where they could buy those very comfortable rocks. From there a true father-daughter partnership took off, with her holding the reins and him drawing, sculpting and painting each piece by hand. 

Each creation starts from real references of rocky environments and the material is 95% sponge and 5% polyurethane, which explains why their granite blocks can be lifted with one hand. The collection is organized by size. The Big Idea pieces are closer to a cushion, while the Good Piece ones sit halfway between a pouf and a stool. Finally, there are the larger pieces, which could easily replace the sofa at home. 

Despite only a few years of activity, Softrock has not lacked important collaborations, such as the one with Deeply and Scalpers and the Hermès window in Chiado, Lisbon, together with Studio Astolfi.

All in all, besides being a pleasant trick for the eyes, Softrock succeeds in bringing indoors elements such as large rocky boulders that we would never have imagined in a home, an office or inside shops.