Design DNA Anna Castelli Ferrieri’s ‘Componibili’ storage unit – a 1960s plastic classic – is given an eco-friendly twist
One of the key designs that helped to make plastic fantastic, this 1960s icon is being reinvented in a new, eco-friendly guise
Created in 1967 and in continuous production ever since, Kartell’s ‘Componibili’ storage unit is one of the most instantly recognisable designs of its era, reflecting a contemporary passion for space-age curves and modular design. Its endlessly adaptable, stackable components are equally at home in a stylish living room as they are in a bedroom or children’s playroom. The design is simple enough to be truly timeless, and the handy wheels make it even more versatile.
The ‘Componibili’ also encapsulates the belief of its creator, Anna Castelli Ferrieri (1918-2006), that good design unites style with substance. ‘It is not true that what is useful is beautiful. It is what is beautiful that is useful,’ she once said. ‘Beauty can improve people’s way of life and thinking.’ Today, the enduring popularity of her classic design has somewhat overshadowed Castelli Ferrieri’s own fame, but she was an intriguing and important figure. A trained architect, she was married to chemical engineer Giulio Castelli, who founded Kartell in 1949, and served as the brand’s art director from 1976 to 1987. She began designing for Kartell in 1966, having also been chosen as the architect of its headquarters in Noviglio near Milan (which now houses a museum as well as its factory). A driving force in making the company a success, she brought on board influential new designers such as Joe Colombo and Achille Castiglioni.
Furthermore, Castelli Ferrieri was a champion of the finish that would become Kartell’s signature: plastic. The ‘Componibili’ unit was an early example of her innovations in the material, conceived almost as a building in miniature, with units that could be customised to suit flexible, modern lifestyles. ‘These stacking storage units on wheels have made it possible for everyone to change their living space, shaping it to their desires, with no more conformisms,’ the designer reflected in 1986. It’s a quintessentially free-spirited 1960s sentiment, but one that’s never gone out of style.