There are designers who design objects. And then there are people like Anna Castelli Ferrieri, who have designed a new way of inhabiting our time.
Architect, urban planner, and designer, Anna Castelli Ferrieri was one of the female figures in the Italian landscape who successfully represented and reinvented Made in Italy with technical and stylistic innovations.
Born in Milan on August 6, 1920, she studied architecture at the Milan Polytechnic and simultaneously worked with Franco Albini. The rationalist designer's influence was profound in her education—" Albini taught me to feel the responsibility of the project "—and in her approach to design, considered in its broadest sense: " one can speak of industrial design or design tout court, which means the design of everything, from urban planning to architecture, all the way to industrial design ."
Despite being among the first women to graduate in architecture, she is best known for her collaboration with Kartell , which resulted in products that shared an innovative use of plastic. Between the 70s and 80s, she became art director of the company founded by her husband Giulio Castelli, with the aim of creating beautiful and functional objects that made design accessible to everyone.
Among the first historic pieces, the 4870 stackable chair , one of the first chairs made entirely of plastic and winner of the Compasso d'Oro award in 1987. Its main feature is that it can be easily stacked with other chairs of the same model, thus combining the functional aspect with an elegant and sober style.
Chair 4970, Kartell, 1986.
His fame is mainly due to the containers Modular by Kartell, real best and long seller The company, despite being designed in 1967, still retains its name. Initially known as the "4970/84 furniture," they were immediately appreciated for their practicality, adaptability, and innovation. They were a true revolution for their time in terms of material—the first assembled components injection-molded from ABS plastic—and modularity, achieved through a simple, solid overlap that afforded complete compositional freedom.
Modular, Kartell, 1967.
Available in gold, silver and copper versions, 2014 edition.
In 2018, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of their debut at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, the Componibili were customized and revisited by designers and stylists of the caliber of Ron Arad, Piero Lissoni, Alessandro Mendini, Nendo, Philippe Starck, Missoni and Patricia Urquiola.
The various designers with their interpretations.
Missoni's reinterpretation.
In 1994 he won the Compasso d'Oro award again with the service of Hannah cutlery for Sambonet, a tribute to elegance and simplicity. The cutlery combines functionality and practicality with a natural grace, without any lines or decorations to interrupt its sinuosity.
On the left (credit Lovethesign) Hannah cutlery set, Sambonet, 1993. On the right, Hannah cutlery set, Sambonet, 1993.
Her long professional career, marked by a strong cultural commitment and love of design, has led Anna Castelli Ferrieri to hold prestigious positions, including the presidency of ADI and university teaching in Italy and abroad.
To pay homage to one of the figures who most influenced the world of Milanese design, along with other key female figures such as Gae Aulenti and Lina Bo Bardi, the city of Milan has named the open-air pedestrian gallery in the CityLife Shopping District after her.
