Plastic and fashion sixties: what to buy, where to put

A frenzy of explosive plastic and neon colours,walnut veneer and widely spaced furniture legs, clear lines and high windows. The retro style of the 50s-70s is conquering houses and apartments. And if you still remember "Hipsters" and re-watch "Mad Men", this article is for you, because we will tell you how to properly use in a modern interior the main product of the "golden era" of design - plastic. Polyvinyl chloride, acrylic and even polyethylene - plastic has long been a part of our everyday life. Bright and light, plastic furniture adds color and a good mood to our home. Modern designer plastic has nothing in common with chairs from a roadside cafe. Futuristic look, innovative materials and ergonomic approach make these items extremely convenient for use in any interior. Plastic world Reliable, eternal, durable, lightand saves trees in the forest - plastic is almost ideal. And even in its designer version, it will cost half as much as a wooden analogue of similar quality. Just like any other, a plastic chair can be softened with covers and pillows. But no other can be hidden without hiding. A transparent object can perform all the necessary functions without overloading the interior. Our opinion:— Minimalism, Scandinavian style, classics — plastic “fits” anywhere, but most effectively emphasizes the advantages of eclecticism. One or two plastic chairs will decorate any dining room, even if they stand next to museum-quality antiques. A transparent plastic coffee table is a godsend for a small or narrow living room, it will not be visible at all. And incredibly compact and reliable plastic stools are a good solution for the kitchen. The advantages of plastic in a child’s room are also obvious: it is a bright, comfortable, light and modern partner for any game. Get your child a good plastic chair — and there will be no more problems with pinched fingers and scratched parquet.Philippe Starck House Don't forget about the bathrooms.Wet zones are the bane of wooden structures, no matter how much you treat them with special solutions. But plastic will serve you until you get tired of it. If it is designer plastic, you will not get tired of it very soon. Plastic for bathroom Several yearsago, the plastic boom opened the doors of bathrooms. The technological breakthrough took place in the partnership of masters: plastic business Italian Kartell with Swiss Laufen - one of the leaders of the European plumbing market. The new brand Kartell by Laufen in just a few months became the embodiment of the sample of modern bathroom design for everyone. Kartell developed everything plastic, Laufen - everything sanitary ceramics.Furniture and sanitary ware for bathrooms Kartell by LaufenFurniture and plumbing for bathrooms Kartellby Laufen Roberto Palomba and Ludovica Palomba-Serafini (Ludovica+Roberto Palomba), designers and architects The artistic direction of the Kartell by Laufen project was entrusted to the famous Italian duo Palomba, who filled the series with emotions and a special mood. The spouses have been working together since 1994. They met at the University of Rome and have never parted either in their personal or creative lives. The designers founded their own studio, Palomba Serafini Associati (ps+a), which deals with architectural and artistic projects, industrial and graphic design. A distinctive feature of the tandem is the ability to combine a modern outlook on things with knowledge of the history of design. This makes it easy to combine the past with the present and even sometimes look into the future. "If your works are addressed to human hearts and people's needs, they will live for a very long time. Many of our first items are still in great demand and are therefore produced by factories again and again. palombaserafini.com Kartell by Laufen calls its approach to bathroom design architectural. And it is true: the combination of clear colors and laconic forms emphasizes the geometric beauty of the objects. Several dozen color solutions - from white and black to light green and purple - allow you to create a variety of combinations. And the choice of items and their sizes will pleasantly surprise owners: cabinets, shelves, bedside tables, towel holders and various variations of mirrors make it possible to find the necessary functional set for almost any occasion. Several models of lamps of different sizes allow you to create dozens of variations of lighting and backlighting and model various images.Furniture and sanitary ware for bathrooms Kartell by LaufenFurniture and plumbing for bathrooms Kartellby Laufen It turns out to be something like a construction set — “transformer furniture,” a lifesaver for small spaces and large families. Such furniture helps to create multifunctional spaces and maintain perfect order in them. The blocks can be attached to walls or placed on the floor, connected in a variety of variations. And transparent elements create a feeling of lightness even in the most modest space.Furniture and sanitary ware for bathrooms Kartell by LaufenFurniture and plumbing for bathrooms Kartellby Laufen Despite its outward elegance and simplicity, this furniture can last for at least 20 years. It is currently one of the most technologically advanced offerings on the market. The company believes that it is thus contributing to the concept of reducing the volumes of unrestrained consumption that we all indulged in in the pre-crisis years.Furniture and sanitary ware for bathrooms Kartell by LaufenFurniture and sanitary ware for bathrooms Kartell by LaufenFurniture and sanitary ware for bathrooms Kartell by LaufenFurniture and plumbing for bathrooms Kartellby Laufen Plastic boom It all began in the late 40s, when a small company from Milan changed the way Europeans thought about the simplest everyday objects. It was founded by architect Anna Castelli Ferrieri and her husband Giulio Castelli, a chemical engineer with no connection to design, to produce plastic household goods. Castelli was distinguished by his boundless faith in the possibilities of the material and the same boundless energy. It was in his laboratory that a new polymer material was obtained - durable plastic, and a technology was developed that made it possible to produce items from it in large quantities and relatively inexpensively. A new approach that combined bold ideas with an adequate price tag made Kartell furniture a symbol of the "plastic boom" of the 60s. In an era of fascination with artificial materials, it changed the history of design. Magnificent forms and high-quality execution became the property of millions for the first time.Vintage poster from the book "Kartell. Plastic Culture"Giulio and Anna Castelli, photo from the book "Kartell. The Culture of Plastic"This is where the plastic boom began.The 60s and 70s were a time of boundless faith in the power of the human mind and technical progress. New materials – complex metals, plastic and cellophane – were used even in clothing trim, not to mention interiors. But it was plastic that allowed the most daring ideas to be realized both in form and in colors that got out of control. Mass Design Kartell's New Revolutionaccomplished in the late 90s, when she found a 100% like-minded person - the most controversial, outrageous and most famous of the modern classics: Philipp Starck.Comback chair design by Patricia Urquiola, KartellMasters Chairs designed by Philippe Starck, KartellGhost chairs designed by Philippe Starck, KartellPhilippe Starck, designer of mass-produced consumer goods, Starck was born in 1949, into a family of aircraft designers. He studied at the famous Parisian School of Camondo, and then founded his first design company, which made inflatable art objects. Since then, Starck has worked with Pierre Cardin, designed apartments for then-President François Mitterrand, made a torch for the 1992 Olympics, and a transparent computer mouse. His works are on display in the permanent collections of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris and the Design Museum in London. A Frenchman who lives in the cabin of an Air France plane, an absolutely omnivorous designer who can create furniture, houses, door handles and toothbrushes with equal ease, Starck attracted Kartell with three main ideas: “If you think that I will spend my whole life working for a handful of very rich people, you are mistaken. I spend my life killing design, or rather, its elitism.” “Plastic is technologically smarter and more complex than any natural material. It is a symbol of civilization. In addition, it allows us to produce the maximum number of beautiful and affordable objects for people.” “I try not to make entire residential interiors - I believe that designer interiors are harmful, you need to build your own life. I only help people do this.” starck.comThe interior was created by designer Philippe StarckThe interior was created by designer Philippe StarckThe interior was created by designer Philippe Starck.In the late 90s, Starck created the illusionary La Marie chair for Kartell, weighing 3.5 kg and made from a single piece of plexiglass, and opened a “Pandora’s box” — or rather, gave a start to his colleagues’ boundless experiments with eclecticism. The chair fit into any style and interior as if it were native and could be combined with anything, giving the room a unique ironic touch. The Starck/Kartell alliance spent the next 15 years experimenting with plastic forms. The results were revolutionary and today allow them to create furniture miracles — to make witty, super-technological, inventive and extremely functional items. La Marie chair designed by Philippe Starck, KartellLa Marie chair designed by Philippe Starck, KartellChair La Marie design by Philippe Starck, Kartell BIn 2000, Philippe Starck created a postmodern version of the Louis XV chair for Kartell: Louis Ghost. The new plastic chair gave a contemporary touch to interiors designed in a classical and neoclassical style, and reduced the theatricality of Art Deco, turning adult homes and apartments into playgrounds for children.La Marie chair designed by Philippe Starck, KartellLa Marie chair designed by Philippe Starck, KartellLa Marie chair designed by Philippe Starck, KartellMid-century modern A new wave of passion for plastic in the interior came to us with the fashion for the 50s, 60s and 70s. Exciting and exciting decades of hippies, pop art, wasp waists, miniskirts and space flights. — at the peak of fashion. In English, the "golden thirty years" of world design is called Mid-century modern. And that is how it entered the textbooks. Retromania has captured the world: the 60s are returning to the living rooms of Hollywood stars and IKEA collections. And this is not surprising. Items created during this era or with this in mindit, equally easily coexist with futuristic functionality, Scandinavian clarity and lightness, whimsical stucco and museum antiques. In many ways, the Mid-century style is a direct heir to Art Nouveau: it is also characterized by a love for high-quality materials, light and air, functional and beautiful furniture. But it still has more practicality and simplicity. The post-war baby boom dictated the need for an economical and comfortable environment for ordinary people. And people who remembered the years of military deprivation wanted brightness, freshness and a great mood. Mid-century modernism loves light.One of the main ideas is to unite the living space with the world outside the windows, so there should be as many windows as possible and as few walls as possible. Mid-century modern loves attic ceilings, beam structures, as well as fireplaces and hearths. If there is no opportunity to start a redevelopment of an apartment or house, you can limit yourself to reducing the textiles on the windows and adding mirrors in the necessary areas. Our opinion:— The calling card of retro style in the interior is the kitchen. For us, who grew up in the Soviet era, this place is mystical. But for Europeans of the mid-20th century, too. The post-war generation strove for bright colors, technical innovations, and the warmth of the family hearth. Retro-style kitchens are incredibly charming — they are dominated by functionality, futurism, and a fair share of self-irony. The key to creating such an interior is a combination of modern materials, bright accents, and designer accessories with clear lines and extraordinary household appliances. Retro-style refrigerators, checkerboard floors, pop art, plastic lamps and furniture, and, of course, the signature color — a shade of mint — will do.