Kartell
Kartell is an Italian furniture company and one of the internationally best-known symbols of Italian design — founded in 1949 by Giulio Castelli (chemical engineer, student of Nobel laureate Giulio Natta) and his wife Anna Castelli Ferrieri (architect, student of Franco Albini) initially as a manufacturer of automotive accessories in plastic in Noviglio (Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy). 1953 founding of the housewares division, 1963 opening of the Habitat division (furniture). 1988 Claudio Luti (son-in-law, ex-Versace) took over the company and initiated collaborations with Philippe Starck, Ron Arad, Antonio Citterio, Vico Magistretti and many others. 1999 Kartell became the world's first company to use polycarbonate for furniture (La Marie Chair, Philippe Starck). 1999 founding of the Museo Kartell.
Iconic designer collaborations: Philippe Starck (Louis Ghost Chair 2002 — transparent polycarbonate, worldwide design symbol; La Marie Chair 1998 — world's first fully transparent single-material chair; Victoria Ghost, Bubble Club Sofa), Patricia Urquiola, Piero Lissoni, Antonio Citterio (Mobil drawer system 1994), Ron Arad (Bookworm wall shelf 1994), Vico Magistretti (Maui Chair 1996), Ferruccio Laviani (Bourgie table lamp; FL/Y pendant lamp), Anna Castelli Ferrieri (4966 Componibili 1969 — Compasso d'Oro 1979; K 4870 stackable chair — Compasso d'Oro 1987). Materials: polycarbonate 2.0 (from renewable sources), FSC-certified wood, high-quality plastics. Sustainability: Componibili Bio from biopolymers.
For architects and interior designers seeking for residential, hospitality and public contract projects an Italian design icon house active in Noviglio (Milan) since 1949 and repositioned under Claudio Luti since 1988 that as the world's first company in 1999 deployed polycarbonate in furniture production and with 40+ design classics in the permanent MoMA collection and the Museo Kartell maintains the institutional memory of its over 70-year design production history — Kartell demonstrated in 1999 with the La Marie Chair what a single transparent piece of polycarbonate can do: world's first single-material chair, Philippe Starck as designer, MoMA collection as confirmation — and polycarbonate 2.0 from renewable sources as the next chapter.
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Kartell
Kartell is an Italian furniture company and one of the internationally best-known symbols of Italian design — founded in 1949 by Giulio Castelli (chemical engineer, student of Nobel laureate Giulio Natta) and his wife Anna Castelli Ferrieri (architect, student of Franco Albini) initially as a manufacturer of automotive accessories in plastic in Noviglio (Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy). 1953 founding of the housewares division, 1963 opening of the Habitat division (furniture). 1988 Claudio Luti (son-in-law, ex-Versace) took over the company and initiated collaborations with Philippe Starck, Ron Arad, Antonio Citterio, Vico Magistretti and many others. 1999 Kartell became the world's first company to use polycarbonate for furniture (La Marie Chair, Philippe Starck). 1999 founding of the Museo Kartell.
Iconic designer collaborations: Philippe Starck (Louis Ghost Chair 2002 — transparent polycarbonate, worldwide design symbol; La Marie Chair 1998 — world's first fully transparent single-material chair; Victoria Ghost, Bubble Club Sofa), Patricia Urquiola, Piero Lissoni, Antonio Citterio (Mobil drawer system 1994), Ron Arad (Bookworm wall shelf 1994), Vico Magistretti (Maui Chair 1996), Ferruccio Laviani (Bourgie table lamp; FL/Y pendant lamp), Anna Castelli Ferrieri (4966 Componibili 1969 — Compasso d'Oro 1979; K 4870 stackable chair — Compasso d'Oro 1987). Materials: polycarbonate 2.0 (from renewable sources), FSC-certified wood, high-quality plastics. Sustainability: Componibili Bio from biopolymers.
For architects and interior designers seeking for residential, hospitality and public contract projects an Italian design icon house active in Noviglio (Milan) since 1949 and repositioned under Claudio Luti since 1988 that as the world's first company in 1999 deployed polycarbonate in furniture production and with 40+ design classics in the permanent MoMA collection and the Museo Kartell maintains the institutional memory of its over 70-year design production history — Kartell demonstrated in 1999 with the La Marie Chair what a single transparent piece of polycarbonate can do: world's first single-material chair, Philippe Starck as designer, MoMA collection as confirmation — and polycarbonate 2.0 from renewable sources as the next chapter.