kettalstampa

a shell full of holes

The name points to the process. Stampa takes its look from metal punching, where a press perforates flat sheet in a set pattern. The brothers placed the holes with care, so the finished shell has the quality of a textile and lets light pass through it. Outdoors the pattern also earns its keep: rain falls through the perforations rather than sitting in the seat, and a breeze reaches the back on hot days.

Aluminum is the right metal for a chair that lives outside all year. It does not rust, so a Kettal Stampa chair can stand by a pool or on a balcony that faces the sea with no cover over it. For its size it is also light next to steel, which helps when the chair has to follow the shade across a terrace during a long afternoon.

The Bouroullecs compared the chair to a pair of leather boots. Their aim was a surface that changes as it is used, collecting the marks of seasons outdoors much as good boots take on the shape of whoever wears them. It is an unusual brief for a piece of Kettal outdoor furniture, and it will appeal to buyers who would rather see a patina than a finish that stays factory new.

Because the collection is one chair, it acts as an accent and not as a full set. Two or three Stampa chairs around a low table from another family make a reading corner, and a single one placed at the end of a garden path gives a reason to stop there. Ask for a quote on a single chair or a group.

Punched sheet metal that reads like cloth.