Made of plastic, it's fantastic

The laser-welded, nearly unbreakable "Mr. Impossible" chair by Philippe Starck, was a hit at last year's International Contemporary Furniture Fair and is now available to the public for $490.

Michael Bradbury counts himself an ardent Philippe Starck fan. But the Brookline resident and modern furniture enthusiast had never taken the plunge and purchased a significant piece from the famed French designer.

Until Mr. Impossible came along.

"It looks like a piece of glass," Bradbury gushes when describing his newest purchase.

Produced by Italian design firm Kartell, the Mr. Impossible Chair is Starck's latest polycarbonate wonder: an ethereal, colored shell seamlessly constructed via laser technology. The piece, a standout at both the 2007 International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York and this year's Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, finally made its commercial debut in May - to the elation of Starck devotees everywhere.

"It's the new must-have," said Brooke Griswold, showroom manager at Kartell Boston. "It has a lot of personality, this chair."

The futuristic piece derives its heroic moniker from its construction, a previously unattempted feat involving lasers. The chair's shell consists of two oval polycarbonate pieces: a colored, opaque seat (nine shades are available, three opaque and six translucent) and a clear base and legs. Lasers then solder the two pieces together, creating an airy, concave armchair seemingly without seams.

The kicker: Lasers usually can't be used to weld plastic, as they won't touch what they can't see. To deal with this problem, Kartell added an element to the polycarbonate that's invisible to the eye but visible to the laser - thus making Mr. Impossible possible.

"It definitely is pushing some boundaries - and some technological boundaries," said Griswold.

Subversive design is nothing new for Starck and Kartell: the first polycarbonate chair ever created from a single mold was Philippe Starck's La Marie, introduced by Kartell in 2001 (and later seen supporting the buns of Victoria's Secret models in a 2002 ad campaign).

Despite its unapologetically contemporary aesthetic, Griswold says the Mr. Impossible has attracted the attentions of a diverse audience since it appeared on the Kartell Boston showroom floor.

"It's a piece that everybody seems to appreciate regardless of age or gender," she said, noting that several local film crews have acquired the chairs for use in commercial shoots. "I knew that the chair would do well, but I've been surprised by how many people it's been able to reach."

Part of its appeal lies in its durability; as with other Kartell plastic creations, the Mr. Impossible chair is easy to clean and nigh impossible to damage seriously. (The $490 price tag, however, may deter less ardent plastic fantastic lovers.)

Bradbury says reactions have been mixed among visitors to his home. "I had one person who said it looked like a contact lens," said the applications analyst.

He couldn't care less.

"I love it," he said. "I just look at it."