The Maker of the Ubiquitous Louis Ghost Chair Sits Down with Us

By Reena Jana
February 7, 2011

Claudio Luti If you’re an interior design aficionado (and even if you’re not), chances are you can immediately recognize a sleek, slick plastic chair made by the Italian furniture maker Kartell. The company is known for its breakthrough production techniques that result in gorgeous yet practical re-interpretations of classic shapes, such as the ubiquitous Louis Ghost chair, a sexy, see-through, remake of an 18th-century seat designed by Philippe Starck.

Kartell was founded 62 years ago by a chemical engineer; but the man behind the company's current super-stylish vision is its elegant chairman, Claudio Luti. A former managing director of the late Gianni Versace’s fashion empire, Claudio Luti bought the Kartell furniture and design business in the late 1980s and has turned it into a design powerhouse. Besides Philippe Starck, numerous renowned designers, from Marcel Wanders to Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, have collaborated with Kartell. In 2008, Claudio Luti was honored with a “Visionaries” prize from New York’s Museum of Arts and Design—a lifetime achievement award akin to an Oscar in the design world.

Claudio Luti took us behind the scenes of his forward-thinking design empire.

The Inside Source: Kartell's furniture creations are more than beautiful objects. They often feature innovative materials and were manufactured using inventive processes and techniques. Can you share with us some of the Kartell furniture and design company's most remarkable innovations?

Claudio Luti: Kartell was founded in 1949 in Milan by the young chemical engineer Giulio Castelli. He said he wanted to “produce objects which had innovative characteristics as an application of new production technologies, aimed at saving on materials and use of ‘efficient processes.’” Business began with the production of car accessories, house wares, lighting appliances and laboratory equipment. In 1963, the Habitat Division was set up to make furniture and furnishing accessories.

Since its origins, Kartell has been availing itself of a completely innovative approach to the design of its products based upon technological research and design. The turning point came in 1999 when, after years of research, we became the first company in the world to use polycarbonate to produce furniture. The result was a chair called La Marie, a completely see-through seat with a modern and minimal design. From then on, Kartell developed and delved into the theme of transparency, which the company has made a unique and original part of our brand.

One of our latest designs is the [Kartell] Ghost Buster, a storage cabinet that weighs only 16kg [35 lbs.]. Ghost Buster is the largest plastic monobloc [single piece of plastic] ever made in the world of furnishings.

The Inside Source: What was the inspiration to design Kartell shoes?

Claudio Luti: The very first idea of making a plastic shoe collection came out three years ago thanks to my daughter Lorenza, who works as Marketing Director in the company, after a fashion show of the brand .normaluisa, which is designed by her long-time friend, Giorgiana Zappieri. For the runway show, we had our transparent furniture pieces placed in the background. They both thought that it would have been really cool to come up with completely see-through ballerina shoes that were sexy and chic to show on the catwalk. So Lorenza started investigating the possibility of exploiting Kartell’s long-term knowledge of plastics to produce plastic transparent shoes too.

And so the “Glue Cinderella” collection was born: transparent plastic ballerina shoes with a graceful, amusing, simple and super-chic look...for today’s princesses! They received a great reception by the public and the successful sales figures from around the world led us to really believe in the project, so much so that today we are bringing out new styles and collaborations, such as our new Moschino Bow Wow ballerina shoes.
glue cinderella

left: The Cinderella ballerina shoes were Kartell's first foray into footwear; above: These new Bow Wow ballerina shoes are the result of a recent collaboration between Kartell and Moschino

The Inside Source: The world's most admired and most creative designers, such as Philippe Starck and Ron Arad, have collaborated with Kartell. How do you choose your design partners?

Claudio Luti: Normally I look for designers who are able to exchange ideas on projects with me and my designers, who are generous and collaborative, and who are able to work with plastic materials and industrial production, which is not as easy as it seems. The team of designers at Kartell is very creative, and they have developed a particular style for the brand. But through an ongoing dialogue with the outside designers, they achieve a balance between the collaborator’s experience and the company's requirements.

The Inside Source: The collaboration between Kartell and Philippe Starck has been a highly productive one. What are your a few of your favorite Philippe Starck pieces for Kartell?

Claudio Luti: The collaboration with Philippe Starck started more than 20 years ago in 1988, when I took over as Kartell's owner and chairman. This association has been about generating innovative shapes and goods with a distinctive and unmistakable design, a combination of different materials (aluminium, wood and fabric), transparency and color, and the redefinition of the thickness of the materials.

In 2000 rotation moulding technology made its debut in the design sector when we began production of Philippe’s Bubble Club seats, mass-produced plastic sofas and chairs manufactured in a single mold, which won the ADI Compasso d’Oro award [given by Italy’s Association of Industrial Designers].

The Louis Ghost chair marked a further turning point in 2002, for it embodied the marriage of antique and modern by combining a reworked Baroque design with an innovative material, polycarbonate plastic.

kartel chairs

The La Marie Chair was Kartell's first, groundbreaking piece made from polycarbonate; The Louis Ghost Chair, designed by Philippe Starck in collaboration with Kartell, combined a classic design with modern technology.

The Inside Source: You have worked on some intriguing partnerships outside of the furniture-design world, such as a book on Kartell’s design history and the Barbie Dream House project for the Milan Furniture Fair in 2009. Why is it important to look into other industries or sectors to keep a company's innovation moving forward?

Claudio Luti: You know, for me, Kartell is not merely a design company, but an authentic lifestyle brand that is contemporary and therefore crosses boundaries into various realms. Restricting Kartell's range would mean limiting its intrinsic potential of energy, creativity, vitality and innovation, which are the core of its success worldwide. A new challenge is always a further step in our evolution.

There are currently almost 300 listings for "Kartell" on eBay, and online auction sales rose 35 percent in the past 30 days vs. the prior period—a testament to the always-growing popularity of this iconic brand. When looking for Kartell designs on eBay, it may help to not only search for the company name, but also to look for specific products.

Here are a few of the company’s most memorable designs.

La Marie Chair

This transparent seat was designed by Philippe Starck in the late 1990s. Its debut launched Kartell’s signature style.
Bubble Club Chairs

Starck and Kartell re-imagined the cozy overstuffed chair in colorful plastic, and won awards for their technological and design breakthrough.
Bubble Club Sofa

The Bubble Club line of furniture also extends to this full-sized sofa.
Louis Ghost Chair

A contemporary design classic, this chair was modeled after an 18th-century style. Philippe Starck and Kartell remade it in super-sexy plastic.
Aha Stool

For design fans on a budget: an affordable and versatile piece by Starck and Kartell is this stool, which can also serve as both an extra seat at a dining table or a cool side table.
Ron Arad Chairs

Besides Philippe Starck, many of the world’s hippest designers have collaborated with Kartell. Ron Arad, for instance, created these sleek plastic chairs for the company.
kARTell: 150 Items, 150 Artworks

Want to learn more about Kartell? Pick up this beautiful new book, which features more than 150 Kartell products re-imagined by contemporary artists such as Maurizio Cattelan and Vanessa Beecroft and shot by the world’s top photographers, including Helmut Newton, David LaChapelle, and Bruce Weber.