Kartell - 4867 Chair

 

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A classic and milestone!

The Chair 4867 from Joe Colombo has been the first chair of the world that was made out of plastic in a die casting procedure in its time. The versatile plastic chair appeared in the years 1965-67 with the name “Universale”.

Joe Colombo initially had the aim of creating the chair with the removable feet out of aluminium. Together with the Italian manufacturer Kartell, which is known for its high quality plastic products, both decided then to use ABS-plastic as material. With the number 4860 the chair went into production in the year 1967 and ABS was the first chair that was manufactured in a die casting procedure, out of one only piece in the whole world. In 1974 Kartell overworked the chair and named it 4867. Since then it is made out of polypropylene.

The status of a classic was given to the chair 4867, not only because of its origin. It is furthermore characterized by numerous planned artistic works that made it unimagined versatile and flexible. The characteristic half-spherical cross-section of the feet makes it possible to place several chairs beside each other; the cuts at the laterals of the seat make it easier to stack them as there is enough space for the back-feet of two more chairs. The opening in the middle of the backrest serves as comfortable handle if the chair has to be transported, and it allows the air circulation and the water drainage if the chair is used outside.

Design: Joe Colombo

Cesare (named Joe) Colombo was born in Milan on July 30th in 1930. For a couple of years, the autodidact attended the Academy Brera and the Faculty for Architecture at the Politecnico in Milan. Designer Joe Colombo