STYLEPARK ARPER
Lightness in seating
The sophisticated ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo is known as the ‘Queen of the Dolomites’ for good reason: for decades, it has hosted major international winter sports events and will soon do so again for the 2026 Olympics. Listed buildings such as the Baroque Basilica Parrocchiale SS. Filippo e Giacomo, which was awarded the honorary title of Basilica minor by the Pope, stand opposite luxury boutiques and La Cooperativa di Cortina, an exclusive shopping centre with over 4,000 square metres of exhibition space. As the most important retail centre in the region, the building is a meeting place that builds bridges in terms of architecture and design. Architects Carlo Saccardo and Maurizio Mattioni have combined local craftsmanship with modern elements to create a harmonious result for ‘The Roof Cortina’ bistro & lounge bar: solid wooden struts from a former barn characterise the room with open structures up to the ceiling, while the anthracite carpet ensures pleasant acoustics.
Here you can take a seat on the ‘Catifa Carta’ chair by Arper: Lievore Altherr Molina designed the chair "Catifa 53" in 2001 – it was Arper's first collection with an environmental product declaration and reinterpreted in 2024 with the revolutionary PaperShell material for the shell. "Catifa Carta" shows a linear sled base in lacquered steel and a wide seat shell in PaperShell. Twenty-nine layers of paper glued together with natural resin form the basis for a low ecological footprint. The paper used to make PaperShell comes from sustainable sources, including waste from wood production such as sawdust, shavings and branches. Catifa Carta is a circular design: at the end of its life cycle, the seat shell is converted into biochar in an oxygen-free combustion process, which is used to improve the soil.
In addition, the team at ‘The Roof Cortina’ has the option of removable, adhesive-free covers such as the innovative Breathair® seat cushion, which is fully recyclable. The comfortable seat of ‘Catifa Carta’ is thus in many respects the ideal place to relish the culinary highlights at The Roof Cortina, while enjoying the view over the rooftops to the nearby mountain landscape.
Sustainable processes are an integral part of Arper's DNA, and its commitment is based on three pillars: improving people's quality of life and well-being, transitioning to a circular economy, and reducing our environmental impact. The development of the ‘Catifa Carta’ chair in PaperShell is therefore also an expression of an aesthetic that combines form and responsibility. At the same time, the company has introduced eco-design guidelines that integrate environmental criteria into every stage of development, placing durability, modularity, disassembly and conscious material selection at the heart of the design approach.
A comprehensive overview of the strong commitment of Arper to environmentally conscious action can be found in the 2024 Sustainability Report, which transparently explains the motto ‘Designing the world we live in: sustainable growth for people and communities’. ‘We pursue a beauty that prioritizes care over novelty, selecting more responsible materials and processes. In this way, design becomes a shared responsibility, enhancing the way we live and work, today and tomorrow,’ says Arper. (am)
