Focus on... Joe Colombo’s “Universale Chair”

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esigned in 1965 by Joe Colombo for Kartell, the Universale Chair was a true innovation. Lightweight and stackable—it can support up to three additional chairs—the chair features interchangeable legs that allow for adjustable height. Initially made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), then injection-moulded nylon, and finally polypropylene, the Universale Chair was the first to be fully moulded from plastic. Its production was particularly complex, as the technology was still in its infancy, and the chair only entered production in the autumn of 1967.

Its adoption by industry was nonetheless highly significant: the material offered excellent resistance to impact and weathering, while remaining cost-effective. The name “Universale” reflects the chair’s versatility—it was conceived for use both indoors and outdoors.

The Universale Chair also embodies Joe Colombo’s formal exploration of plastic as a material. The designer did not seek to highlight the moulding technique itself. Instead, the chair’s rounded edges, sharply defined contours, and semi-cylindrical legs convey the fluidity and expressive potential of this new medium.

A graduate of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in 1949, Joe Colombo also studied architecture at the Politecnico di Milano between 1950 and 1954. From the outset, he stood out for his multidisciplinary approach, engaging with painting, photography, sculpture, and architecture. In 1950, he co-founded the Arte Nucleare group. He completed his first architectural project in Milan in 1952–1953 and took part in the 10th Triennale in 1954. However, that same year marked a turning point: Colombo stepped away from his artistic pursuits to take over the family business for several years. He returned to the creative field in 1962, opening his first studio in Milan and focusing on design and architecture.

Joe Colombo quickly made his mark in the field of industrial design. Fascinated by the new synthetic materials emerging in the 1960s, he saw in them the potential to invent a new way of living and conceiving inhabited space. His creations reflect a modular and rationalist approach to furniture, paired with an aesthetic shaped by these innovative materials. His work is driven by a desire to create pieces that are combinable, multipliable, and expandable.

Colombo aimed to bring together, within a unified and coherent system, the various zones of everyday life: cooking, relaxing, socializing, personal care, and sleeping. In 1970, his Universale Chair was awarded the prestigious Compasso d’Oro, one of the highest international distinctions in design. ◼