Design Moment: Componibili Modules, 1967

Units made from glossy plastic ABS provide neat good-looking storage space

It is unusual to find a piece of furniture that works in any room in the house, and one that is just as useful and good looking in both commercial and domestic environments.

Architect turned furniture designer Anna Castelli Ferrieri (1918-2006) set up the Milanese manufacturer Kartell with her husband Giulio Castelli in 1949 and the company quickly became known for its innovative and practical designs.

In 1967, she designed the visually striking Componibili storage modules which are still in production by Kartell. Made from ABS, a strong glossy plastic – a material widely used by Italian designers in the 1960s – her sophisticated yet brilliantly simple design captured a Pop art aesthetic and lent plastic, a low status material, a higher value.

The handleless doors slide open, travelling around the inner side of the unit, and as well as their practicality, the large round finger holes in the doors work as a decorative element. Without doors that swing open, the modules work in tight spaces and the vertical storage units can be stacked on top of each other.

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison is an Irish Times journalist and cohost of In the News podcast