Kettal STIRred 2023 with furniture and furnishings that aim to comfort

Kettal, a furniture brand headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, is known for its timeless furniture and the drive to innovate. The Spanish brand regularly collaborates with some of the most renowned names in the design industry to produce product designs and furnishings that can easily exist in both indoor and outdoor environments. The brand specialises in creating and providing minimalist designs that employ the usage of ethically sourced materials.

STIR curates a list of all the ways in which the brand STIRred 2023:

1. People

Kettal unveiled a stackable workplace collection A, created by Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa, in 2023. Collection A comprises of a set of stackable armchairs and tables in three sizes. While the armchair comes with an upholstered seat and backrest, the tables, sculptured from natural or dark oak wood, include three iterations, namely Home Deck, Meeting Table and Workstation. The collection also includes various accessories, such as a table lamp, desk divider, ceramic sockets, USB ports and more. “The touch of our hands and bodies on the wood means coexisting with trees and getting closer to nature. It means living together. Wooden round bars do not cast strong line shadows in the space. It is beautiful and warm, in harmony with air, light, and people,” the Barcelona-based brand shares.

Kettal’s new collection Grand Bitta comprises timeless furniture designs that utilise sustainable materials. Designed by Italian designer Rodolfo Dordoni, the sofa design collection comprises armchairs, two seater and three seater sofas, and a central module and two corner modules. Grand Bitta is a furniture collection which is also suitable for outdoor spaces, providing life to the gardens and terraces. The collection by the contemporary designer features a combination of aluminium frames with braided polyester cords, teak, and stone table tops.

Spanish architect and industrial designer Patricia Urquiola's Plumon collection is an outdoor furniture collection, the design of which is based on the concept of clothing, dressing and undressing furniture. “I am interested in the new poetics that come from new technologies…we are going to be more and more artisan digital producers,” shares Urquiola. Urquiola created a light framework for Plumon. Upon this frame, a fitted and cushioned dress is 'moored' and wrapped. This ribbed padding is distinguished by stitching and serves as a decorative figure—contributing to the ergonomics of the product design.

2. Pieces

Kettal’s Eolias collection, named after the Aeolian archipelago located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, was created to deliver versatile prototypes that can be placed in both indoor and outdoor environments. Placing a key focus on sustainability, the makers developed the furniture designs using materials such as wicker and aluminium. “The entire collection is characterised by the fact that it is built with a tubular aluminium structure, to which 'buckets' made from different materials can be added,” the brand shares about Eolias.

3. Events to remember

For Milan Design Week 2023, Patricia Urquiola designed Kettal’s stand with an architectural approach, based on volumes and spaces that create a dialogue between the brand's philosophy and the products that are part of their collection. The design was a four-handed story that aimed at making a dialogue between the outdoor dimension proposed by Kettal with Urquiola's desire to enhance the products, within an environment that recalls the atmosphere of an art gallery. Some of the collections on display at Kettal’s showcase at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023 in Milan, Italy, include Eolias by Antonio Citterio, Collection A by Naoto Fukasawa⁠, Kall by Kettal Studio, Plumon by Patricia Urquiola, and Grand Bitta by Rodolfo Dordoni.

Kettal also showcased their office furniture collections and new iterations of Pavilion O at NeoCon 2023.

STIRred 2023 wraps up the year with compilations of the best in architecture, art, and design from STIR. Did your favourites make the list? Tell us in the comments!