Founded in 1949 by Giulio Castelli in Milan, the Italian furniture manufacturer Kartell has taken up a triumphal march which is still unstoppable even today.

Kartell has always stood for innovations which are mainly produced from the material favoured by the Italian manufacturer, plastic. Kartell thus proves that plastic is much more diverse, robust and high-quality than its reputation – a form of art.

Kartell features many design-artists: Renowned designers such as Philippe Starck, Ron Arad or Patricia Urquiola are just a few examples of the diverse team of lateral thinkers and individualists of the Italian manufacturer. Kartell is always up to date: Following the motto "Stagnation means regression” the Italian design brand develops constantly new and better materials and manufacturing processes for their popular furniture.

One aspect runs through the design concepts of Kartell like a unifying thread: Inspired by past centuries the manufacturer always managed to create design objects which not only imitate contemporary designs but reinterpret them.

The best example for this is the Bourgie Table Lamp by Pietro Ferruccio Laviani, that you can now order online in many different versions. Its design is clearly inspired by the era of the Baroque, butwith shiny metallic surfaces and dazzling colour combinations Kartell managed to create something completely new.

The Louis Ghost chair by Philippe Starck also takes us into a bygone era, namely the epoch of Louis XIV, the fabulous Sun King. But only its shape is reminiscent of the creations of the 17th century - the modern materials such as transparent polycarbonate make the Louis Ghost Chair a contemporary, almost futuristic seating furniture. The lightness of being - portrayed by Kartell by crystal coloured, seemingly weightless design creations. With the Lou Lou Ghost chair modern design with ancient roots ultimately entered children´s rooms.

A journey through Kartell´s product history

In the 50s Kartell mainly focused on household objects. During this period especially Gino Colombinis creations shaped the design drafts of the Italian manufacturer.

The following decade of the 60s steered Kartell towards its current main business: the creation of exceptional furniture and lighting. International attention has been paid to the manufacturer in 1964, when Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper designed the children´s chair and in 1968 when Joe Colombo entered living rooms with his classic chair "4867". Special celebrity attained the stack container Componibili by Anna Castelli-Ferrieri at this time which is still a bestseller to this day and can be used as a universal sideboard, nightstand or trolley.

Kartell succeded to create a groundbreaking material composition in the 70s: the development of foamed plastic enabled creations as the armchair "4794" by Gae Aulenti and the stool series "4822-26" by Anna Castelli Ferrieri.

In the 80's polypropylene and technopolymer were then added, two materials, which development Anna Castelli Ferrieri was instrumental to. Examples include the design creations in the form of the table "4300", which does not require complicated mounting by screws and metal parts and the stackable chairs "4870" and "4873".

Also even classic materials such as wood, aluminum and steel are used by Kartell - with the designs of the collection "Kartell Casa" the manufacturer proved in the 90s that openness to new ideas is quite promising. Examples include Antonio Citterios and Oliver Loer´s container "Oxo" and their folding serving trolley, Matteo Thun´s mirror "Delphi", "Segesta" and "Sounion" and various designs by Philippe Starck, including the shelving system "Booox" the chair "Miss Global", the table "Miss Balu" and the chair series "Glob". Important contributions for "Kartelll Casa" were also provided CentroKappa, Joe Colombo, Simon Fussell, Andries van Onck, Carlo Bartoli, Olaf von Bohr and Giulio Polvara.

The period of the 90s also includes the collection "Kartell Ufficio" which comprises desk accessories by Michele de Lucchi, Tadao Takaichi, Gino Colombini, Isao Hosoe, Sergio Asti and Angelo Cortesi.

Making the impossible possible - Kartell is still on course for success

Reaching the 21st century Kartell inspires with the popular „Bookworm“ shelf by Ron Arad, the shelf system "One" by Patricia Urqiola and Piero Lissoni, the „LCP chair“ by Maarten van Severen, the "Bubble" collection by Philippe Starck and the "Spoon Stool" by Antonio Citterio.

To date the manufacturer Kartell has grown steadily and offers a wide product range. True design lovers will find themselves in the Eldorado of opportunities as Kartell´s world is as revolutionary as it is diverse. Let yourself be inspired – on www.kartell.com you can take a virtual tour of the Kartell museum opened in 1999 in Milan and discover more than 1,000 design objects from Kartell´s company history.