Milan 08: French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec launched their Papyrus chair for Kartell at the furniture fair last month.

The translucent plastic chair is lightweight and has hand-holds between the seat and curved back.

Here's some information from Kartell, followed by a press release about the stand:

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PAPYRUS

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

The new transparent polycarbonate Papyrus armchair is inspired by the linear, well-defined structure of vintage chairs. Papyrus combines a translucent structure with a very fine vertical ridged pattern, which covers the outer surface of the rounded backrest, with its soft, enveloping design. The seat is comfortable and welcoming, and the entire chair is very light. The range of transparent colours in which it is available heightens the special effects created by the patterned surfaces.

Material: polycarbonate

Dimensions: w. 60 cm; seat w. 48 cm; d. 49 cm; h. 79 cm; h. seat 44 cm

Colours: transparent, yellow, green, purple, smoke grey, brown, blue and red

KARTELL 2008 – full colour, full speed

A trademark style
Kartell is set to present an amazing range of new products and innovative, original and highly distinctive proposals at the 2008 Milan Furniture Fair, confirming the great expansion that the company is currently undergoing.

Indeed, the stand will feature an amazing 20 new products, in a triumph of colours and shapes celebrating Kartell’s relentless creative verve and constant striving for innovation.

These contemporary products recount the company’s experimentation with plastic and its different applications and performances, embodying a unique style that has become Kartell’s trademark.

Kartell products are the creative fruits of a world-famous team of designers who have developed a unique affinity with the company over the years. They are manufactured using sophisticated cutting-edge technologies and express their versatility and multipurpose nature in their applications: indoors, outdoors, offices, bathrooms, lighting.

The company dedicates particular attention to experimenting with texturisation and to the quest for new tactile, visual, aesthetic and chromatic effects. Quality and aesthetics merge in a uniquely comprehensive and multipurpose range. An iconic design firm and market leader, Kartell is also an acknowledged symbol of Italian production throughout the world, also due to its wide international distribution and the completeness of its range. Indoor-outdoor: versatility revealed Multipurpose, eclectic, adaptable, hardwearing: these are the features that make many Kartell products perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. The high quality and characteristics of the plastics from which Kartell products are manufactured ensure that they are able to withstand all kinds of weather and changes in temperature, thus allowing them to preserve their good looks outdoors.

On occasion of the 2008 Furniture Show, the “Kartell Outdoor Collection” – the entire Kartell product range, perfectly suited for use in gardens, on terraces, around swimming pools and in outdoor areas of public premises and cafés – will be presented in a highly striking display in the Triennale Gardens in Milan.

The world of lighting: an unremitting success
The great international popularity, huge product runs and progressive expansion of the lighting range, which the company revived in 2000 following the successes of the 1970s, have required Kartell to make new investments and launch new projects in the lighting sector, culminating in the recent creation of a dedicated business unit. The Kartell lamps designed by Ferruccio Laviani play with plastic materials, exploiting their lighting capabilities and reworking the classic forms of table, floor and suspension lamps. The success will be celebrated at the Metropol with an exclusive event staged in cooperation with Dolce&Gabbana: “Laviani Plastic Lamps – Kartell Lights Collection”.

The sales network: the expansion continues with a retail plan that is unique in the sector The Kartell product range has given rise to an escalating commercial success and ever-wider distribution, through a unique retail network in the sector. Indeed, the brand is exported to 96 countries worldwide and sold in 120 single-brand Flag Stores and 150 Shop in Shops situated in the world’s most beautiful cities, as well as over 4000 multi-brand outlets. These widely distributed retail points recount and encapsulate the spirit of the brand, which combines tradition and state-of-the-art design, humour, originality, innovation and practicality.

The story of a brand yesterday, today and tomorrow: the Kartell Museum in Noviglio and the “Temporary Museum” in the Milan Flag Store Tradition and present, past and future, innovative materials and classic forms, epoch-making products and previews: the Kartell Museum in Noviglio, located next to the company headquarters, traces the brand’s 60-year history with a unique heritage of Italian design culture. In order to bring its Museum’s collection to the public, Kartell will transform its single-brand store in Via Turati in Milan into a temporary branch of the institution with a special layout devised by Ferruccio Laviani. A display of the company’s iconic products, posters and historic catalogues will creatively and amusingly illustrate the main stages in the history of the brand that has become the symbol of Italian design.