The poetry of wood embraces technology… Kartell creates an event by including wood in its catalogue for the first time in its history! With the Smart Wood collection, Kartell and Philippe Starck rise to a new challenge: working wood with the same fluidity as composite materials to give it a new look, full of finesse and curves. With its unique moulded wooden shell, the Smart Wood collection combines timeless elegance, contemporary shapes and perfect finishes. The generous curves and dimensions of the shell provide excellent seating comfort. The major figures Ray and Charles Eames were the first to experiment with moulding plywood into complex shapes. More than 50 years later, technological advances have allowed Kartell to offer even more with less. This is the Smart Wood collection. Philippe Starck explains: “I wanted to create wooden seats using just a minimum of material. Twenty years ago, you could bend wood two centimetres, then five, six, and so on. I wanted to bend it thirty-five centimetres… Each year, I gained another centimetre! To launch the Smart Wood range, it was necessary to invent a technology that did not exist.” This feat was made possible thanks to a unique patented 3D technology that produces a wooden curvature of extreme proportions. The moulded wood adopts the incredible sinuous lines with enveloping curves, like an embrace that offers total comfort. To reduce the cutting down of trees, the shell uses very little material: just wood residues. It’s made from ash nano-shavings glued in nano-layers which are then laminated. Then, using machines that cut the wood in line, the wood takes on the appearance of a kind of fabric that can be deformed. For 10 to 15 minutes, the wood, now soft as silk, can be moulded. As it dries, it stiffens and returns to the texture of wood. A plastic seat upholstered with Aquaclean® fabric is embedded into the moulded plywood shell.

In detail:

Variation : Black / Black base

Brand : Kartell

Designer : Philippe Starck

Type : Armchair

Colour : Shell: Black wood / Seat: Black fabric / Black base

Material : Shell: Plywood (made from seven nano-layers of ash wood, sourced from FSC-controlled production chains), varnished, moulded using 3D technology – Seat: Thermoplastic technopolymer covered with Aquaclean® fabric – Base: painted steel

Dimensions : L 55 x D 57 cm x H 81 cm – Seat: H 42.5 cm – Armrests: H 64 cm

Weight : 14.52 lb

Characteristics : Bi-material (seat upholstered with fabric) – Unique patented 3D moulding technology – Wood from controlled production (FSC) – Made in Italy – Winner of: Reddot 2020 winner