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Dedicating itself to a quest for newness and innovation, ‘My Kartell’, Kartell's stand at the now-concluded Salone del Mobile 2023 in Milan was articulated by changing colours that provided a stunning backdrop for their furniture arrangements and individual products. The Italian brand exploited colour to blend perfectly with the displays which comprised lamp designs, furniture designs, mirrors, trays and chair designs, completing the living zone arrangement with rugs accompanying sofas and armchairs.
"Kartell has always been a creative workshop in which designers are asked to conceive industrial products. In parallel, they are now being tasked with adopting the same approach and applying the same experience to expanding the Kartell product range and creating products made from different materials and destined for different uses, indoors and out... The creativity of our designers is what turns a concept into a finished product, or into a family of products covering a whole range of lounge furnishings. The project is transformed into an industrial product and the culture of the product and the brand becomes a style of living. 'My Kartell' is an approach of life based on beauty and quality as the strategic cornerstones of a business philosophy that draws on the past while looking to the future," the brand relayed.
Kartell embraced the same approach and expertise to diversify their product range, offering innovative designs. Building upon their 2018 manifesto, Kartell expanded their commitment to social and environmental sustainability, by emphasising the use of recycled or sustainable materials such as certified wood, glass, ceramics, and metal, striving to transition their entire production with sustainable practices.
“It all starts with our stores. Today, our stores are adding impetus to our sales strategy. They provide a purchase experience in which customers can obtain an overview of Kartell, formed by a combination of new and classic products, get personal help with their purchases, and seek advice on how best to combine a product with existing furnishings in potentially different styles,” elaborated Claudio Luti, President of Kartell.
During the annualdesign festival, Kartell unveiled a wide roster of new product designs conceived in collaboration with internationally acclaimed designers. Asia, the latest sofa collection conceived by Italian architect and designer Piero Lissoni, featured a compact, enveloping seat manifested within a harmonious design profile, while HHH Her Highest Highness, Philippe Starck's chair embodied a 'majestic elegance' and graphic qualities that encouraged self-expression through the act of posing.
The vibrant and versatile Jewel tables, including Thierry XXL for dining rooms and Thierry Bistrot for lounge bars, offered a plethora of colour options and vividly coloured glass tops resembling sparkling precious stones, offering themselves as a stylish and adaptable furnishing solution for various occasions. Architect and designer Ferruccio Laviani, who is also the Art Director for Kartell, introduced Teresa, a lamp with gracefully unfurling petals showcasing bold design ideas and innovative industrial moulding techniques.
Milanese architect and designer Rodolfo Dordoni expanded the K-WAIT upholstered furniture collection with a swivel armchair and the round-shaped K-LIM carpet, both showcasing the contrast between formal simplicity and soft, rounded lines. With fuller and more generous shapes, Undique Mas designed by Patricia Urquiola retained its original proportions while offering versatility through tops of varying sizes and heights, allowing for arrangements that foster social interaction within a home.
The Okra vases made from recycled plastic showcased Urquiola's exploration of tactile and aesthetic effects, while the Parays rugs featured layered and overlapping tones, offering a dynamic and vibrant spatial atmosphere. Ludovica+Roberto Palomba's HiRay line expanded its offerings for refined and sophisticated outdoor settings. All collections showcased in Milan exuded a functionalist design ethos, while maintaining an emotional appeal—reiterating Kartell's commitment to sustainable materials, and meticulous craftsmanship and ongoing research of eco-friendly practices.
Kartell's Flagship Store in Via Turati, Milan was transformed into a vibrant pop-art gallery for Milan Design Week 2023, showcasing an array of creative interpretations through artworks and designs inspired by the iconic Bourgie lamp, attracting visitors with its kaleidoscope of colours, graphics, and cultural references. The store's experience is currently bolstered by its status as a pop-art classic, and its interactions with notable figures like Andy Warhol, Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz, Ariana Grande, Pharrell Williams, as well as its prominent appearances in television series and films. This journey through culture, beauty and creativity was complemented by the Bourgiemania exhibition at the flagship store, to make Kartell‘s contribution to the design festival even more layered, and in essence, richer.
The Luce Viva exhibition curated by Elisa Storace and a layout designed by Studio Laviani, explored the poetic essence of light and its capacity to evoke beauty and emotion through five distinct sections that delved into the emotional and functional aspects of lighting design. The show displayed contemporary lamp designs that symbolised the philosophical significance of light, its innovative functions enabled by technical advancements, and the interplay of materials and colours, apart from decorative lamps with textured surfaces, culminating with a singular lamp that embodied the exhibition's metaphorical theme.
Kartell's collaboration with Illycaffè took centre stage in an installation at the latter's flagship store in Via Montenapoleone, featuring a nature-themed ambience manifested through lush vegetation and Re-Chair chairs, integrating seamlessly with green plexiglass shapes containing coffee capsules. A commitment to sustainable production methods and circular economy practices became the protagonists here, while the catering area was adorned with Kartell’s signature furniture designs.
Kartell Eyewear introduced new designs that align with the latest fashion trends, showcasing their commitment to beauty, quality, and design beyond interiors, with collections like Squame (that reinvented traditional materials), Robusta, that featured bold and colourful frames, Lamina, which explored multi-dimensional silhouettes, and Inflatabubble, which offered round and soft forms. Design models from Ferruccio Laviani, Piero Lissoni, Fabio Novembre, and Rodolfo Dordoni, brought their own creative flair and distinctive styles to the eyewear collection, exemplifying Kartell's identity and incorporating elements and materials from their industrial design expertise.
From stylish sofas and chairs to elegant tables and lighting fixtures, these pieces showcased a harmonious blend of form and function, exemplifying Kartell's heritage in the field of design. With an added focus on sustainability, the use of recycled materials and the exploration of new techniques further enhanced the appeal of these diverse collections. With their exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail, the exhibited pieces offered endless possibilities to style and augment spaces in both, residential and contract environments. As the brand affirms, "My Kartell is a definition of belonging, my Kartell, that of the company and that of each customer, each consumer who wants and loves to identify with the product and the strategy."
(Text by Sanskriti Vashisth. Intern at STIRworld)
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.
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