Anna Castelli Ferrieri

Italian architect and industrial pioneer Anna Castelli Ferrieri (1918–2006) was a central visionary in post-war Italian design and one of the first women to graduate with an architecture degree from the Politecnico di Milano. In 1949, she co-founded Kartell with her husband, chemical engineer Giulio Castelli, transforming industrial polymers into high-design homeware. Ferrieri achieved design immortality in 1969 with the Componibili modular storage units. Engineered from injection-molded ABS plastic with sliding doors, the stackable, cylindrical units revolutionized domestic organization and remain continuous bestsellers in MoMA’s permanent collection. She served as Kartell’s art director for decades, authoring stackable chairs, dining tables, and utilitarian accessories.