The collaboration between Kartell and illycaffè continues in the name of the circular economy, which is expanded with the Eleganza armchair, in the ELA and NIA versions, designed by Philippe Starck, on the occasion of Salone del Mobile 2023. The innovation this year is the structure of the seat, made with the Iperespresso capsule recycling system in two color variants.

After the Re-Chair, made by Antonio Citterio for Kartell and designed as an experimental object with the expressive power of recycling, as well as the first ambassador of the project that made it possible to transform waste coffee capsules into a design product, the Eleganza innovation is based on the processing already implemented for Re-Chair, paving theway for new applications, colors, and creative possibilities.

The collaboration between Kartell and illycaffè will also be the focus of the installation that will animate the illy flagship store on Via Montenapoleone (Milan) from April 17 to 23, with an installation where the themes of nature and sustainability will be the protagonists: rich vegetation will spread spontaneously in all spaces and welcome the Re-Chair chairs. This will bring to life a perfect cohesion and coexistence between all elements without compromising nature and greenery. In some vegetation islands, green plexiglass volumes with coffee capsules will be combined to highlight the production process of the chair. This is also a picturesque way to emphasize how two excellences of Made in Italy contribute to the sustainability of the planet through the reinforcement of production models in the circular economy. On the occasion of Salone del Mobile, the restaurant space will be furnished with Re-Chair and Eleganza chairs.

“Passion always pushes us one step further to look for new materials, technological solutions, and increasingly efficient and sustainable production processes,” explains Lorenza Luti, Marketing and Retail Director of Kartell. “To do this, we put a lot of energy and investment into it, and we develop collaborations that can yield great results. The project with illycaffè does not draw on a product or a slogan: it is an industrial vision that has led two excellences of Made in Italy to come together to contribute to the sustainability of the planet through production models in the circular economy. A common quest for innovation that focuses on quality, beauty, and good production and that today continues by bringing new products and new solutions to life, told with an installation during Salone del Mobile.”

“The promotion of the transition to a circular economy model is now an essential factor in securing the future of our planet,” says Cristina Scocchia, CEO of illycaffè. “Together with Kartell, with whom we share the urgency of the transition to increasingly sustainable systems and the ability to combine forces and mutual knowledge for the protection of the common good, we have been able to implement solutions that have transformed materials at the end of their life cycle into a new design product.”