Kettal unveils new furniture amidst a dance of volumes and spaces in Milan

The recently concluded Salone del Mobile 2023 platformed innovation and refreshing novelty from artists, designers and brands from across the globe. Every year during the design festival, the streets of Milan morph into a stage that resounds with singular and diverse design philosophies, unremitting creative expressions and audacious experimentation. Justifiably so, this event that is marked in red in the annual global design calendar draws design enthusiasts and professionals globally—and for one week, Milan becomes the designated and electrified nerve centre of the design scene.

Spanish brand Kettal, joining this all-encompassing celebration, showcased 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 brand’s stand in the design event was conceived by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola, who injected permeability into the exhibition space—intriguing the visitors and inviting them to gradually discover the internal space, whose language is only hinted externally. In an environment that emulated an art gallery, a dialogue simmered between furniture designs by acclaimed designers such as Naoto Fukasawa, Antonio Citterio, Patricia Urquiola and Rodolfo Dordoni. “Kettal has changed quite a bit, it was a big surprise,” says Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa. “They are trying to be a bigger company and focus on not only outdoor furniture but also a wider vision of furniture,” he adds.

‘A’ by Naoto Fukasawa

Chairs and desks made of solid wood are not very common in the office environment. “The concept of workplaces integrating home and office made a change, and I think it became more like that,” shares Fukasawa. “The touch of our hands and bodies on the wood means coexisting with trees and getting closer to nature. It means living together,” he adds. Wooden round bars, as opposed to casting strong line shadows in the space, are beautiful and warm, in harmony with air, light, and people.

Collection A by Fukasawa for Kartell encompasses a stackable armchair with upholstered seat and backrest, and table designs in three sizes—Home Deck, Meeting Table and Workstation, in natural and dark oak wood. Accessories from the same collection, namely table lamp A in ceramic, desk divider front and side in natural wicker, ceramic sockets and USB ports, can be incorporated into the Home Deck and Workstation tables seamlessly. “Kettal focuses on presenting a new way of working or studying anywhere, which is why the furniture is not expressed as something particular,” the designer explains. “ It is more nice, friendly furniture for any environment,” he adds.

‘Eolias’ by Antonio Citterio

The Eolias collection by Antonio Citterio for Kettal was born with the aim of creating versatile products that work in both outdoor and indoor environments. The focus lies on sustainability which is reinforced by the use of natural and synthetic materials such as aluminium and wicker. Like the Aeolian archipelago—which is the source of the collection’s name—the collection has the same origin but is made up of variations that lend different appearances and characters. 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.

These variations adopt the names of each of the islands depending on their personality: the folding table is called Eolias Lipari; the variant with outdoor wicker is called Eolias Salina; the version with outdoor rattan adopts the name of Eolias Panarea. The outdoor collection is made up of teak tables, stackable armchairs, a club armchair and lounge club armchair in outdoor wicker, and an outdoor rattan dining armchair. The indoor version has all of the above, with the addition of an armchair with wheels and a club armchair.

‘Plumon’ by Patricia Urquiola

Plumon, designed by Patricia Urquiola, is based on the concept of clothing, dressing and undressing furniture. Adopting a tailoring approach, Patricia Urquiola has designed two new models: a dining chair, with braided rope arms, and a club chair design. For the collection, Urquiola designed a light structure, on which a padded tailored dress is ‘tied,’ enveloping it. This ribbed padding, which is characterised by its stitching, as well as being an aesthetic element, offers all the comfort of the product design. With a few simple movements, the dress is placed on the rigid teak structure and embraces it; extreme ease of use sets the outdoor collection apart. The tables in the Plumon collection are made using an innovative method: 3D stoneware printing. 3D printing and new technologies offer endless possibilities and open the doors to a vast uncharted territory, on both an industrial and an aesthetic level.

‘Grand Bitta’ by Rodolfo Dordoni

Grand Bitta, a collection by Milanese architect and designer Rodolfo Dordoni for Kettal, incorporates two new models into the collection, a dining armchair and a daybed. Grand Bitta is a warm, comfortable collection which features a combination of aluminium frames with braided polyester cords, teak and stone table tops. “My aim was to create dense braiding that would still let the air through, reminiscent of the braiding of the ropes used to moor boats (hence the name Bitta, which means ‘mooring’ in Italian), which makes the pieces look lightweight but, at the same time, they look just like cosy nests in natural colours to sit back and relax in,” comments Dordoni.

‘Kall’ by Kettal Studio

Kettal imagined that ideally, a phone booth should simply be the door to a meeting room, nothing more. For this reason, they created the glass door as the protagonist and the space of the ‘phonebooth’ corresponds to the projection in space of this door. The result is that, if you look at it from the front, the volume is not perceived and it could be understood to be embedded against the wall. “We sought the minimum expression to fulfil the function, with no other pretension than that,” reads the brand’s official release. Kall provides privacy through small side walls and a translucent curtain while maintaining transparency. The design also prioritises environmental and aesthetic aspects, creating a warm atmosphere instead of a cold space.

Technology is integrated for ease of use, with electronic controls for scene creation, table height adjustment, and more, hidden behind knobs that simulate old Hi-Fi equipment. The cabin is designed for simplicity, where users provide their own devices, but a touchscreen control system is also available for more tech-savvy individuals. The Kall family is available in several sizes, all of them modular designs with the leeway to be joined together to create special configurations as required.

‘Pavilion O’ and ‘Pavilion H’ by Kettal

Kettal also presented its pavilions—Pavilion O and Pavilion H—in their booth at Milan Design Week 2023. Pavilion O is a modular structure to reinvent the workplace. Many companies have adapted to the increasingly unpredictable market by creating agile organisational structures. Pavilion O is the ideal structure solution for these new work environments. The principal function of the design is to provide a flexible way of segregating offices into zones while offering enclosed workspaces. It consists of an aluminium structure that can be built out with a variety of materials. Similarly with Pavilion H, Kettal seeks to bring order, form and structure to outdoor areas, although functionally they are designed to provide shelter—to shade and cool or protect from the rain and wind.

STIR’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2023 showcases the best exhibitions, studios, designers, installations, brands, and special projects to look out for. Explore Euroluce 2023 and all the design districts—5Vie Art and Design, Brera Design District, Fuorisalone, Isola Design District, Tortona District, and Milano Design District—with us.