Kartell - Alberto Rosselli, Michele De Lucchi, Paola Navone, Masayuki Matsukaze / Centrokappa Design Team - Children's furniture (5) - 5300/5340 - plastic - 2 original keys

Centrokappa for Kartell – School System – table + 4 chairs + 2 original keys – 1979
Exceptionally rare original Kartell Sistema Scuola set from 1979, designed by the Centrokappa Design Team.

This special set consists of one kid’s table, four stackable children's chairs, and two original red mounting/play keys. The Sistema Scuola belongs to the most experimental children's furniture projects in Kartell’s history and uniquely combines furniture, educational aid, and toy. Centrokappa developed the system specifically for use in preschools. The furniture could be assembled, disassembled, and reconfigured by children themselves. Large plastic connecting elements and a specially designed key-shaped screwdriver were used for this. The original documentation describes the system as changeable, transformable, and intended to enable different uses while stimulating children's creativity.

For this set, there are, exceptionally, still two original red mounting keys present. These accessories are essential to the original design concept and are nowadays rarely found together with the furniture.

The project was developed by Centrokappa, the multidisciplinary design team around Kartell. The team consisted of more than twenty designers and creatives. Among others, Michele De Lucchi, Paola Navone, and Masayuki Matsukaze were active within this design environment. The project was under the artistic direction of Anna Castelli Ferrieri, Kartell’s art director since 1976. Museum documentation links the Sistema Scuola directly to Centrokappa and Kartell and dates the design to 1979.

The significance of the design was recognized internationally: Sistema Scuola 5300/5340 received the Gold Medal in 1981 at BIO 9, the Biennial of Industrial Design in Ljubljana. (Archistudio)

The set is executed in characteristic bright red plastic with a contrasting black tabletop. Within the educational concept, the black top also functions as a chalkboard/whiteboard, making the table itself part of the creative play. The chairs are stackable and all components are designed to be easily taken apart and reassembled. In this way, System Scuola deliberately blurs the line between furniture, construction system, toy, and learning tool.

This set consists of
1 × original Kartell Sistema Scuola child’s table with black chalkboard
4 × original Kartell Sistema Scuola child chairs
2 × original red mounting/play keys
original plastic fasteners and connection elements as pictured

Dimensions
Table: approx. 62 cm wide × 52 cm deep × 46 cm high
Chairs, each: approx. 51.5 cm high × 31.5 cm wide × 30 cm deep. Seat height approx. 28 cm

Condition
Considering age and original use as children's furniture, the set is in a beautiful original vintage condition. There are normal signs of use and aging, including light scratches and superficial wear. These are consistent with an authentic object from 1979. Please view all photos carefully; they form part of the condition description. All four chairs are missing a total of four plastic mounting bolts/screws. Due to the relatively simple shape, these missing parts can still be relatively easily reproduced today, for example with 3D printing.

All parts are packed with great care and shipped fully insured with Track & Trace, so the set arrives at its destination as safely as possible.

Specifications
* Object: complete children's furniture set – table with four chairs
* Brand / Manufacturer: Kartell
* Designer: Centrokappa Design Team
* Collection / Model: Sistema Scuola
* Model series: 5300 / 5340
* Year: 1979
* Period: 1970–1979
* Origin: Italy
* Region: Lombardy
* Material: plastic
* Color: red / black
* Tabletop: black chalkboard / school board
* Style: Italian Modern / Space Age / 1970s Design
* Construction: modular, removable, and stackable
* Number of pieces: 5
* Accessories: 2 original red mounting/play keys
* Design distinction: Gold Medal BIO 9, Ljubljana, 1981

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