Artek , now part of Vitra AG, will kick off 2014 with the 50th anniversary of the Karuselli lounge chair, a new addition to the Artek product range. Designed by Yrjö Kukkapuro in 1964, Karuselli was relaunched as part of the Artek range earlier in January 2014. Karuselli is one of the most famous lounge chairs in the world. Kukkapuro began developing the fibreglass chair in the 1950s, arriving at the famous shape in 1964. The international launch of the chair took place at the Cologne Furniture Fair in 1965. The shape of the Karuselli chair is the result of extensive experimentation. Kukkapuro spent four years sculpting it – searching for the right dimensions, initially using his own body as a guide. Karuselli is exceptionally comfortable as well as stylistically distinctive precisely because it is ergonomically based on the shape and proportions of the human body. As a result of his persistent efforts, Kukkapuro finally arrived at a form that represented a novel combination of ergonomics, new materials and production methods, as well as artistic design. It was this combination of qualities that made Karuselli a revolutionary chair in its time. In autumn 2013, Artek signed a cooperation contract with Yrjö Kukkapuro.
www.artek.fi ( seen at Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair 2014)
