Altherr Désile Park

Catifa Carta

Catifa Carta chair by Lievore Altherr Molina for Arper, a sustainable paper-based design with refined contours for modern interiors.

Arper

2024

Catifa is one of Arper’s most iconic collections designed by Lievore Altherr Molina in 2000. In 2024, its shell was re-engineered in PaperShell, a sustainable wood-based composite that echoes the original inspiration of a paper sheet in the wind. We shaped the new chair’s definition and directed the imagery and narrative, as well as the art direction for 2024 MIlano booth, reflecting Arper’s “Project of Living” vision.

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Design

Altherr Désile Park

Client

Arper, Italy

↗ Link to website

Catifa Carta × Arper

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Altherr Desile Park Catifa Carta Chair Furniture Product Design Art Direction Color Design 02

LIGHTWEIGHT IN SHAPE AND IMPACT

Designed in 2000 by Lievore Altherr Molina, Catifa has become one of Arper's most iconic collections. In 2024, its shell was re-engineered using PaperShell, a sustainable composite made from wood by-products — a material that brings a new warmth and tactility to the piece. The paper shell is also a subtle nod to the original inspiration: a sheet of paper floating in the wind. For this version, we helped Arper define the new chair's configuration in terms of bases, colors and overall appeal, ensuring the updated design felt both coherent and fresh.

We also directed the narrative and artistic vision of the imagery, defining the story around the new material and its relationship to sustainability and the story of the Catifa chair as a design concept. We led the art direction of the Milano 2024 booth — which represents what Arper calls "the Project of Living", a broader vision of how Arper can meet people's and the planet's needs across the company's initiatives — shaping a spatial and visual experience that brought this ambition to life.

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Altherr Desile Park Catifa Carta Chair Furniture Product Design Art Direction Color Design 04
Altherr Desile Park Catifa Carta Chair Furniture Product Design Art Direction Color Design 05
Altherr Desile Park Catifa Carta Chair Furniture Product Design Art Direction Color Design 06
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Altherr Desile Park Catifa Carta Chair Furniture Product Design Art Direction Color Design 08
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Altherr Desile Park Catifa Carta Chair Furniture Product Design Art Direction Color Design 10
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A CIRCULAR APPROACH

The Milano booth, designed by Maio Architects, minimized the architectural footprint through reusable and recyclable elements — large fabric panels for video, a reused reception, and a fully recyclable floor. For the central space we designed an abstract landscape highlighting the life cycle of PaperShell and Arper’s continued commitment to sustainability, surrounded by evocative scenes presenting the new collections.

Each scene represented a distinct moment within the Project of Living, enhanced by custom audiovisuals that explored architecture, nature, and everyday life — art directed in collaboration with Clase Bcn. We also developed a styling concept rooted in sustainable materials, expanded together with Leandro Favaloro, while a café, restaurant, and private meeting room formed the social core of the space.

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Altherr Desile Park Catifa Carta Chair Furniture Product Design Art Direction Color Design 15
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COLOR AND ARCHITECTURE

Sustainability in architecture calls for a new material sensibility — one where wood, earth, and recycled resources set the tone, and where saturated colors or glossy finishes can easily feel at odds with the whole. For Catifa (Re), the revised edition of Catifa 46 and 53, we developed a new color palette specifically for 100% recycled plastic, sourced from a blend of post-consumer and post-industrial material and with a new texture guided by the more organic feel of sustainable architecture.

Beyond the shell, we extended the redesign to every component with disassembly and circularity in mind. We introduced a new, more slender edge that reflects the refined properties of the material; we also designed new Covers that are fully detachable for easier maintenance and end-of-life separation, and a loose seat cushion that replaces conventional polyurethane foam with recycled Breathair® padding.

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Altherr Desile Park Catifa Carta Chair Furniture Product Design Art Direction Color Design 27

Awards

  • ADI Design Index

  • Architizer A+ Product Awards

  • AZURE / AZ Awards of Merit

  • CDW Product Design Awards, UK

  • Metropolis Planets Positive Awards, USA

  • METROPOLIS LIKES

  • HiP AWARDS

  • Interiors Monthly Awards, UK

  • Mix Awards North, UK

  • CREATIVE DIRECTION

    Altherr Désile Park

  • PRODUCT DESIGN

    2000 Lievore Altherr Molina, 2024 Altherr Désile Park

  • ART DIRECTION

    Altherr Désile Park, Clase BCN

  • IMAGERY

    Salva López, Altherr Désile Park

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