A set of four original Maui dining chairs designed by Vico Magistretti for Kartell, Italy.
Introduced during the 1990s, the Maui became one of Kartell’s most successful designs, capturing a moment when modernist furniture began to move away from strict geometry towards softer, more organic forms. The design is defined by a single flowing shell whose subtle inward curve creates a visual transition between seat and backrest.
Constructed from moulded polypropylene with slender metal frames, the chairs possess a lightness that belies their durability. Their restrained silhouette allows them to work equally well around a dining table, in a studio workspace or as occasional seating.
Magistretti’s work was always characterised by simplicity of line and clarity of purpose. The Maui demonstrates this particularly well: a chair reduced to its essentials, yet instantly recognisable.
The chairs retain their original finish and present well, showing only light signs of age and use consistent with their history.
Why it works
The Maui occupies an important position in late twentieth-century design history. Neither strictly modernist nor overtly postmodern, it demonstrates how designers such as Magistretti softened the language of modern furniture without abandoning its underlying principles of simplicity and utility.
