As Roberto Palomba visits Australia, Space Furniture unveils a 450-square-metre apartment installation that positions Kartell not as a collection of objects, but as a complete way of living.

Casa Kartell transforms Space Furniture’s Alexandria showroom into something far more immersive than a product display. Conceived as a 450-square-metre apartment, the installation unfolds room by room, presenting Kartell as a complete domestic environment rather than a series of standalone pieces.

Roberto Palomba is currently visiting Australia, bringing with him a design philosophy that has helped shape Kartell’s contemporary identity. As co-founder of Palomba Serafini Associati, Palomba has played a central role in the brand’s evolution from pioneering plastic innovator to fully realised lifestyle house. His oft-quoted position, that he designs “a way of living” rather than objects, underpins the logic of Casa Kartell.

The experience begins outdoors, where the HiRay collection by Ludovica Serafini and Roberto Palomba establishes a sculptural terrace setting in metal, signalling Kartell’s confident expansion beyond its historic material palette. From there, living spaces transition between informal and formal zones with subtle shifts in tone and tactility. Patricia Urquiola’s Aaland sofa system anchors the relaxed lounge, while Lunam, Largo and Asia introduce a more composed atmosphere through upholstery, reflection and layered form.

In the dining room, the Albert table and newly launched Belvedere Vienna chairs express Kartell’s ongoing dialogue between tradition and modernity. The installation makes a deliberate point of showing how these pieces coexist, demonstrating proportion, colour and material continuity across spaces rather than isolating hero products.

For the first time, the concept extends decisively into the night-time realm. The master suite is conceived as a retreat, while children’s rooms integrate enduring icons such as Componibili by Anna Castelli Ferrieri and Mobil by Antonio Citterio into everyday domestic life. A study featuring Ferruccio Laviani’s Four Table reflects contemporary working patterns, and Kartell Laufen solutions bring architectural cohesion to the bathroom.

The sequence concludes in a cinema room centred on Rodolfo Dordoni’s K-Wait sofa, a space dedicated to comfort and collective experience. Throughout, Casa Kartell positions the brand as an adaptable system capable of operating across residential and contract settings, while retaining a distinct identity.

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With Palomba in town, the installation reads as both a showcase and a statement of intent: Kartell not simply as manufacturer, but as orchestrator of atmosphere, ritual and contemporary living.

Palomba Serafini Associati
palombaserafini.com

Space Furniture
spacefurniture.com.au

Kartell
kartell.com

Photography
Pablo Veiga