Kartell. What a Wonderful Design World
1949-2009: Kartell celebrates 60 years of research within the world of plastic and its infinite possibilities, along with the brand’s success in creating timeless pieces that are both functional and fun. Furnishings that suit all kinds of environments while reflecting contemporary fashion.
The story begins with an inventive resolution on behalf of Giulio Castelli, chemical engineer and company founder, to produce objects for everyday use using plastic. An often-overlooked material for the world of design – which up until the 1960s had favored wood and glass – plastic gradually became transformed by visionary designers worldwide who saw it as a synonym of creativity. Plastic was the material of choice for many of modern design’s iconic pieces, many of which can be found in the permanent collections of museums like the New York MoMA: Ferruccio Laviani’s ironic, notable neo-Baroque table lamp Bourgie, the fairytale-like and indestructible Louis Ghost by Philippe Starck, the sinuous Bookworm designed by Ron Arad, and Anna Castelli Ferrieri’s eclectic Componibili. Pieces like these represent design at its most lucid. Kartell has also cultivated a relationship with fashion resulting in projects like Mademoiselle à la mode, in which Missoni and other fashion designers created one of the brand’s signature chairs, or the Barbie Dream House that was set up at Kartell’s Milan flagship store during this year’s Furniture Fair in honor of the legendary doll’s 50th birthday. Their most recent successful fashion collaboration, Glue Cinderella, consists of a range of colorful ballerinas, which are produced in collaboration with .normaluisa.
What a Wonderful Design World: discover the 60-year history of Kartell
Lights and chairs, tables and furnishings: they all share a fascinating transparency, glinting reflections, lightweight and versatile proportions in an array of vivid colors that suit every environment. In each Kartell object – from the cult items to the latest pieces like Mario Bellini’s sheer trays Dune and the metallic abat-jour Cindy by Ferruccio Laviani – there are always two realities: the long tradition of Italian design and avant-garde contemporary design.
