MCM in the Room - Kartell Componibili

Hi Modtometrists!  CT from Living Analog here.  It's been a little while -- the Living Analog abode has relocated from St. Louis to Phoenix and things have been hectic to say the least.  Now that we're moved and have the magical interwebs plugged back in, it's time to get back to MCM in the Room!  Before my little offline spell, I had found images of the BKF Butterfly Chair, Eames LCW and Panton "S" Chair in situ for your viewing enjoyment.  I thought I'd take a break from chairs for a while (but don't worry, not  forever - there's so many to love!) and showcase something different.  This week, I give you the Kartell Componibili - the storage unit for every MCM room!

The Kartell Componibili was designed by Anna Castelli Ferrieri in the 1960s.  Also known by their production numbers "4970/84" (or 59.166667 as Google so helpfully did the math for me when I did a search for the item, thanks Google.).  Castelli Ferrieri, like so many of the furniture designers we know and love, was an architect.  She designed Kartell's headquarters, married the owner and went on to become the company's Design Director.  Not bad for a day's work. (Joke).


The Componibili seems to pop up most in the three Bs - bathrooms, baby rooms and bedrooms.  (Also, be careful with your spelling when searching for Componibili on the web - you can stumble on some scary stuff with a little misspelling!).  The use of plastic was innovative at the time this storage compartment first hit the market.  It makes a very utilitarian and also hygienic choice.  Speaking of  cleanliness, shall we start with a bathroom?

I pretty much love everything about this bathroom.  The geometric patterned tile is balanced out by the curving lines of the Componibili.  Everything is white and simple and you add a colored towel and it's like "Wow, punch!".  Has to be in Europe, right - Czech Republic to be exact. (Link here).

Okay next, a baby's room.

I appreciate that this room isn't all either pink or blue or yellow and green.  It could still maybe benefit from a pop of color like the bathroom above but this space still falls under the category of eye candy.  (Link here)

Speaking of eye candy, this next room does NOT qualify but it is also under the baby/kids room category.  And for the sake of a breadth of coverage, this is one of the few images I could find that showed the Componibili in a color other than black or white.

Whoa Nelly.  I don't have many other (kind) words for this room (link here if you want more!) but at least the Componibili can hold it's own in any style of room.

Okay, we've covered bathrooms and baby rooms, now on to bedrooms.  This next space is the designer Abigail Ahern's house, photographed by The Selby.  (Link here)  Seriously check out The Selby's website if you want to lose yourself in a time warp of crazy and creative spaces.

I love the contrast of the new and sleek look of the Componibili next to the rusted chair and rough-hewn floors.

Here's another bedroom . . .

I'm digging all the natural light and that cactus - living in Phoenix, I have seen some crazy cacti! Plants do so much to bring life to a room besides just . . . bringing life.  And Miss Componibili looks so stylish and sophisticated paired up with a simple wood chair.  Very elegant and understated.  (Link here).

Believe it or not, the Componibili is also available as a square component - however they're seemingly rarer and were much harder to find in situ.  This image (from an online shop) finally came across my screen and I thought I'd share . . .

Here it's looking very college dorm-y to me, but what great furniture to start out with in college - you could carry it with you your whole life and it would never go out of style!

I thought I'd leave you today with an image that really shows the modularity and flexibility of the Componibili.

I love the concept of a "mega stack" of Componibilis to really amp up the storage power of a room.  And the bright white floor and nice sheepskin along with the white Componibili really look so fresh and so clean against that lovely purpley-gray wall.  (Link here).  It's so inviting, you kind of just want to cuddle in with that kitten and hang out a while.

So that's a wrap on this week folks.  I hope you enjoyed these Componibilis as much as I did!  This is one piece of furniture I have not yet come across during my thrifting adventures.  Do any readers live with them in their bathrooms, baby's rooms or bedrooms?  Please share!  Cheers - CT