Milan, Italy

Kartell’s new Smatrik collection by designer/artist Tokujin Yoshioka does just that by exploring the possibilities of Kartell’s sophisticated production technology to create a chair that is light and strong and highly decorative.

The structures unique to material have been the core of Tokujin Yoshioka’s chair designs; such as “Honey-pop” made of piled up papers to form a honey-comb structure, “PANE chair” which the fiber itself is the structural body, and “VENUS – Natural crystal chair” which takes its shape by making crystals grow.

For this project, Tokujin Yoshioka designed the structure itself and created an innovative chair made of acrylic resin. It is formed by casting with 2 layers of matrix-state structure using an injection molding technique.

This chair was realized when Tokujin Yoshioka’s experimental creations stemming from numbers of studies met the Kartell’s edgy yet sophisticated technology which broadens the possibility of acrylic resin.

The Smartik Stool by Tokujin Yoshioka is crafted using a mold which enables the recreation of a 3D net that overlaps and crosses over.

Thanks to a special injection technology, the layers of transparent or mass-dyed polycarbonate create a structure molded in a single piece, which simulates a metallic net.

The stool is offered with a painted or chrome-plated base for indoor use or painted with stainless steel for the outdoor version.

Kartell has always been open to collaborations in order to achieve a variety of production solutions by investing in technological innovation and materials that allow it to create increasingly efficient, high-performance products.

Joining the ‘ContamiNation’ collection described by Kartell as closely linked to the concepts of “uniqueness” and “identity”, the Smatrik combines Yoshioka’s experimental ideas with Kartell’s sophisticated production technology.

At Kartell design projects are based on craftsmanship but always involve innovative industrial processes.

Developing the Smatrik required a complex mould for the delicate seat with its overlapping layers of polycarbonate.

Here, Yoshioka’s design reduces the seat to an essential structure that is light and strong and highly decorative.

“I drew inspiration from 1950s chairs that were made from steel wire… rather than focusing on their exterior look, I chose to create a design that resembled the structure as much as possible using Kartell’s innovative injection moulding technology.” said Yoshioka.

“The two layers of acrylic resin create a three-dimensional structure in a harmonious blend of shapes and materials that are essential and timeless.”

“Kartell invests to create products that perfectly combine technological research, originality, attention to detail and industrial production, which are determining factors both today and in the future,” states Claudio Luti, President, Kartell.

“For the first time, Kartell has experimented with polycarbonate by applying it to such a complex mould, thereby increasing the potential for production and creativity.”

The Smatrik collection of chairs includes the Matrix Rocking chair with a timber or metal base and a series of high stools.

Project: Tokujin Yoshioka Smatrik Chair
Designers: Tokujin Yoshioka Inc.
Manufacturer: Kartell SpA