Confident, venturesome and innovative, Kartell is an Italian company that has gifted the design world with many classics. Established in 1949 by chemical engineer Giulio Castelli and his wife, the famed industrial designer Anna Castelli Ferrieri, Kartell epitomises ‘Made in Italy’ design. Starting out with a car accessories division, the company’s celebrated home products arm was born in 1953. Now presided over by Claudio Luti (Giulio Castelli’s son-in-law, Luti became owner and chairman in 1988), Kartell is the story of a company with a legacy that has captured the imagination of design aficionados worldwide.
Bookworm
Designed by Ron Arad. Pictured in pink.
Louis Ghost
Designed by Philippe Starck. Pictured in crystal.
Bourgie
Designed by Ferruccio Laviani. Pictured in black.
Victoria Ghost
Designed by Philippe Starck. Pictured in heavy red.
Attila
Designed by Philippe Starck.
A spirited and vivacious enterprise, Claudio Luti has worked to ensure Kartell can avail of collaborations with many of the world’s foremost designers, including: Philippe Starck, Ron Arad, Antonio Citterio, Piero Lissoni, Patricia Urquiola, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Nendo and Rodolfo Dordoni. Product designs are often recognizable and unique, their form playful, sometimes ironic and always inspiring an emotional connection with the user. Many designs are iconic and indeed classic.
Mobil
Designed by Antonio Citterio with Oliver Löw. Pictured in matt slate.
Bubble Club
Designed by Philippe Starck. Pictured in zinc white.
Componibile
Designed by Anna Castelli Ferrieri. Three stacked modules pictured in white.
Componibile
Designed by Anna Castelli Ferrieri. One unit with two compartments pictured in white.
Kartell’s relationship with plastic is enduring. An exceptionally utilitarian and lasting material, the company’s application of plastic to design, aided by new technologies, is constantly evolving. Moreover, Kartell ensures that its plastic products have an aesthetic that raises each object to an exalted status.
Maui
Designed by Vico Magistretti. Pictured in milk yellow.
Masters
Designed by Philippe Starck with Eugeni Quitllet. Pictured in rust orange.
Ghost Buster
Designed by Philippe Starck with Eugeni Quitllet. Pictured in fume.
Comback
Designed by Patricia Urquiola. Pictured in hazelnut with oak legs.
Spoon
Designed by Antonio Citterio with Toan Nguyen. Pictured in matt aluminium.
Today, Kartell is a retail success story having 130 flagship stores, 250 shop-in-shops and 2500 retailers globally. Year-on-year its customer base is growing, and the company is constantly enjoying new legions of design devotees. The Kartell Museum, sited in the Kartell factory in Noviglio, Milan, was founded in 1999 by Claudio Luti. With an ever-expanding collection – it comprises over 8,000 objects, 5,000 designs and 15,000 photographs – the museum tells the history of Kartell from its inception to the present day.
Take
Designed by Ferruccio Laviani.
Usame
Designed by Patricia Urquiola. Pictured in transparent orange.
Stone
Designed by Marcel Wanders. Pictured in transparent orange.
Upper
Designed by Alberto Media and Paolo Rizzatto. Pictured in cobalt blue.
A company that is constantly focused on engineering great design, Kartell is original, definitive, sincere, fun and thoroughly Italian.
All images © kartell.com.
