Sleek steel and warm wood combine in a striking, tongue-in-cheek furniture collection designed by Philippe Starck for Alessi.
Renowned French designer Philippe Starck knows how to push boundaries with innovative designs that are as unconventional and playful as they are creative. With the Poêle collection, Starck shows that humor can make any design better. Created for world-famous Italian brand Alessi, this furniture series began as a fun challenge, of translating the forms and materials of a frying pan into functional but also decorative chairs and home accessories.
“The Poêle Chair started as a serious joke, with a sketch of a pan with legs and the great idea of adapting an existing high-technology to different purposes. The seat and back inspired by a frying pan, legs as handles, the Poêle Chair elegantly incarnates the most beautiful symptoms of human intelligence: humor and technology. Very much like my relationship to Alberto and Alessi,” explains Philippe Starck.
“I have been trying to make a chair with Philippe Starck for around 20 years now and, finally, we did it. I asked him if it was possible to design a chair that is manufactured like a frying pan is made using the Alessi cold-press metal high-technology. As is always the case with Starck, it started with a subversion,” adds Alberto Alessi.
Minimalist timber frames and soft metal seats create sculptural designs.
The Poêle collection comprises chairs and stools as well as a matching coat stand. All of the designs feature the series’ signature blend of sleek steel and organic wood. Showcasing Alessi’s wealth of experience in working with both materials, the chairs and stools feature thin sheets of steel that seem to settle around the timber frames in a fluid motion. The resulting pieces of furniture keep function and artistic sensibility in balance.
Perfect for any setting, from homes to offices and high-end spaces, the Poêle chairs, stools and coat hanger have a strong personality. The chairs come either without arms or with short armrests. Likewise, the stools come in two versions: low and high. They all feature light, minimalist wood bases and metal seats with soft, organic lines. While the beech wood frames feature a dark brown finish, the metal elements come with a matte or a mirror polished finish. Finally, the coat stand features four solid beech elements linked with two metal connectors that boast a chrome-plated finish. Discover the entire collection in Alessi’s online store. Photography by Pietro Cocco, Bordel Studio.
