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Kartell Furniture

Italian

The Italian design giant Kartell transformed plastic from the stuff of humble household goods into a staple of luxury design in the 1960s. Founded in Milan by Italian chemical engineer Giulio Castelli (1920–2006) and his wife Anna Ferrieri (1918–2006), Kartell began as an industrial design firm, producing useful items like ski racks for automobiles and laboratory equipment designed to replace breakable glass with sturdy plastic. Even as companies like Olivetti and Vespa were making Italian design popular in the 1950s, typewriters and scooters were relatively costly, and Castelli and Ferrieri wanted to provide Italian consumers with affordable, stylish goods.

They launched a housewares division of Kartell in 1953, making lighting fixtures and kitchen tools and accessories from colorful molded plastic. Consumers in the postwar era were initially skeptical of plastic goods, but their affordability and infinite range of styles and hues eventually won devotees. Tupperware parties in the United States made plastic storage containers ubiquitous in postwar homes, and Kartell’s ingenious designs for juicers, dustpans, and dish racks conquered Europe. Kartell designer Gino Colombini was responsible for many of these early products, and his design for the KS 1146 Bucket won the Compasso d’Oro prize in 1955.

Buoyed by its success in the home goods market, Kartell introduced its Habitat division in 1963. Designers Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper created the K1340 (later called the K 4999) children’s chair that year, and families enjoyed their bright colors and light weight, which made them easy for kids to pick up and move. In 1965, Joe Colombo (1924–78) created one of Kartell’s few pieces of non-plastic furniture, the 4801 chair, which sits low to the ground and comprised of just three curved pieces of plywood. (In 2012, Kartell reissued the chair in plastic.) Colombo followed up on the success of the 4801 with the iconic 4867 Universal Chair in 1967, which, like Verner Panton’s S chair, is made from a single piece of plastic. The colorful, stackable injection-molded chair was an instant classic. That same year, Kartell introduced Colombo’s KD27 table lamp. Ferrierei’s cylindrical 4966 Componibili storage module debuted in 1969.

Kartell achieved international recognition for its innovative work in 1972, when a landmark exhibition curated by Emilio Ambasz called “Italy: The New Domestic Landscape” opened at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. That show introduced American audiences to the work of designers such as Gaetano Pesce; Ettore Sottsass, founder of the Memphis Group; and the firms Archizoom and Superstudio (both firms were among Italy's Radical design groups) — all of whom were using wit, humor and unorthodox materials to create a bracingly original interior aesthetic.

Castelli and Ferrieri sold Kartell to Claudio Luti, their son-in-law, in 1988, and since then, Luti has expanded the company’s roster of designers.

Kartell produced Ron Arad’s Bookworm wall shelf in 1994, and Philippe Starck’s La Marie chair in 1998. More recently, Kartell has collaborated with the Japanese collective Nendo, Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola and glass designer Tokujin Yoshioka, among many others. Kartell classics can be found in museums around the world, including MoMA, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. In 1999, Claudio Luti established the Museo Kartell to tell the company’s story, through key objects from its innovative and colorful history.

Find vintage Kartell tables, seating, table lamps and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Period: Late 19th Century
Creator: Kartell
White Methacrylate Square Mirror 4724/5 by G. Stoppino for Kartell
By Gino Colombini, Kartell
Located in Varese, Lombardia
White methacrylate square wall mirror design by Gino Colombini and produced by Kartell in the 1970s. Good condition: a very small chip on one corner. a few darker lines along one side.
Category

1870s Italian Space Age Antique Kartell Furniture

Materials

Mirror, Plastic

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Kartell furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

Kartell furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of plastic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Kartell furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 219 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 904 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original furniture by Kartell were created in the modern style in europe during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider furniture by Driade, Philippe Starck, and Gervasoni. Prices for Kartell furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $80 and can go as high as $18,400, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $671.
Questions About Kartell Furniture
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 22, 2022
    Kartell is known largely for producing contemporary furniture out of plastic. The Italian company, founded in 1949, helped elevate the material, proving that it was suitable for designer furniture. You can find a collection of Kartell furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertFebruary 21, 2024
    The history of Kartell starts with an Italian chemical engineer named Giulio Castelli and his wife, Anna Ferrieri. The couple founded Kartell in Milan as an industrial design firm, producing utilitarian items like ski racks for automobiles and laboratory equipment designed to replace breakable glass with sturdy plastic. Even as companies like Olivetti and Vespa were making Italian design popular in the 1950s, typewriters and scooters were relatively costly, and Castelli and Ferrieri wanted to provide Italian consumers with affordable, stylish goods. They launched a housewares division of Kartell in 1953, making lighting fixtures and kitchen tools and accessories from colorful molded plastic. Buoyed by its success in the home goods market, Kartell introduced its Habitat division in 1963. Kartell achieved international recognition for its innovative work in 1972, when a landmark exhibition curated by Emilio Ambasz called "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape" opened at New York's Museum of Modern Art. Castelli and Ferrieri sold Kartell to Claudio Luti, their son-in-law, in 1988, and since then, Luti has expanded the company's roster of designers. On 1stDibs, explore a large selection of Kartell furniture.
  • 1stDibs ExpertMarch 25, 2024
    How you clean Kartell plastic depends on the piece. Often, the best way to clean plastic furniture is with lukewarm water and mild dish soap. However, recommended cleaning methods vary. For the best results, refer to the manufacturer's care instructions that accompany your furniture. Shop a collection of Kartell furniture on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertApril 5, 2022
    Kartell Louis Ghost chairs are made of lucite. Designed by Phillipe Starck for Kartell in 2002, this clear chair is crafted from a single piece of plastic, making it a beautifully elegant piece. On 1stDibs, find a range of authentic Kartell Ghost chairs from top sellers.

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