Kartell 2008

The Italian manufacturer presented nearly 20 new products: the typical transparent plastic, the accustomed outstanding high quality, a set of new beautiful colours and the usual team of star designers with a new entry, Tokujin Yoshioka.

Philippe Starck remains the company's favourite designer. His Hi Cut chair, designed with Eugeni Quitllet, has essential lines and a characteristic top piece in the backrest that plays with shiny fluorescent colours and a vertical texture.



Mr. Impossible is a beautiful shell chair named after the huge challenge that meant for the company the use of the laser technology applied to plastics, by the perfect welding of two semi-spheres and the use of different colours the chair has a rich deepness effect and the seat appears to be floating in the air.


Dr. Yes is a characteristic chair devised for outdoors and contract, a pure example of Starck's aesthetical sensibility. 
Lou Lou Ghost is the baby version of the very famous Louis Ghost chair, available in brilliant colours including the new trendy green and orange fluorescent colour, children have never been happier.

Misses Flower Power is a giant polycarbonate vase obtained with rotational moulding, a technology that has never been used before with this material and that allows to obtain a one piece product; the imperfect surface creates an interesting vintage look.
 
Patricia Urquiola signs the Frilly chair, inspired in the wavy texture created by pliseè fabrics the chair has an interesting surface and visual effect, but it feels a bit weighty. Presented in a beautiful colour palette that includes fuchsia, orange, turquoise, pink, violet and amber.


Alberto Meda presented the production version of his Honeycomb chair, a light, functional and elegant foldable chair that reflects the characteristics of its creator.


Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec sign one of my favorite pieces of this Salone, the Papyrus armchair impeccably conjugates simplicity, memory and grace.


Tokujin Yoshioka, one of the most prolific designers of the show (he also signed new pieces for Moroso, Driade, Cassina and Swarovski) in his first collaboration with Kartell creates Ami Ami, a chair and a table inspired in the art of weaving. The interlaced effect is interesting but I'm not sure the result is worthy the complex manufacturing procedure needed for reproducing it.



Spoon is the name of the foldable table designed by Antonio Citterio that has a peculiar toy look.