Punk Shark
£ 158
Green: Innovative, Identifying, Italian — three words, one plastic laboratory
Green states its manifesto in three words: «Innovativo, Identificativo, Italiano» — innovative, identifying, Italian. The Tuscan house (Vicopisano, since 1996, born as a spin-off of Fasem) practises what it declares: «research, design, experimentation and production of furniture in innovative plastic materials» — chairs, stools and tables developed a few kilometres from Pisa and Florence, in seven collections whose names range from Giotto to Punk Shark. Built for homes and contract alike: wine bars, restaurants, cafés, concert halls and workspaces already sit on them.
La Mercanti specifies Green for UK cafés, breakout areas and workspaces — technical polymers with a Tuscan accent.
FAQ
What does «identifying» mean in the manifesto?
That the chair should be recognisable — a shape and a name you remember, from Etoile to Punk Shark: in a market of anonymous monoblocs, identity is the declared second pillar of the house.
Are technical plastics right for contract use?
They are made for it: resistant to knocks, weather-of-use and vigorous cleaning, light enough to restack a room in minutes — the reason wine bars, cafés and workspaces choose them.
How to brief character into a breakout area
Five decisions for informal spaces with a point of view.
Pick a personality per zone
The breakout can dare what the boardroom cannot.
Use colour as wayfinding
Chair colours can map functions across the floor.
Keep tables neutral
Let the seating carry the character, the surface the work.
Plan the restack
Light chairs make the Friday all-hands a two-minute job.
Name-drop deliberately
A piece with a story beats three without one.