Kubirolo | December 2025

Designed in the mid-1960s by Ettore Sottsass, Kubirolo was the first piece of furniture produced by Poltronova to organize domestic spaces through the repetition of modular elements. The module consists of a 45 cm lacquered gray wooden cube which, when multiplied, allows for the creation of diverse compositions suitable for a wide range of environments.
Given its essential and neutral form, it can expand infinitely along a three-dimensional grid, saturating the environment in accordance with the Radical design quest for spatial measurement typical of the 1960s. However, one small detail makes all the difference: the handle. Composed of three concentric rings of colored plastic, the handle acts like a magnet, polarizing the entire aesthetic dimension. Through this small detail, Sottsass designed one of the most iconic and representative domestic landscapes of the era.
Shortly thereafter, also for Poltronova, Angelo Mangiarotti designed Cub8, the first Italian wall system devoid of aesthetic allusion and conceived exclusively for functionality. While Cub8 was a commercial success that marked a new era for interior design, Sottsass took a different path—one free from functionalism and increasingly rich in symbols, allusions, and humanism.
Starting in December 2025, the gallery will exhibit a series of Kubirolo compositions alongside various objects and furnishings designed by Ettore Sottsass and Sergio Cammilli, the company’s two primary creative forces.