Olaf von Bohr
Kartell, Italy
1970
Olaf von Bohr is a prolific designer who has done a lot of product design work for Kartell. Here is a brief biography of Olaf von Bohr. In that post I looked at the 8800 and 7800 bed table, which remains a wonderfully usable piece today. In 1970, Olaf von Bohr designed the 4702 wall clothes hook (gancio, which is Italian for “hook”), another wonderfully usable piece, so much so that Kartell reissued it, and it is for sale at retail today.
The 4702 wall clothes hook is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The hook is made of three parts in plastic, and also requires the appropriate fasteners to attach the base plate to the wall. Installation is incredibly easy. Once the base plate is securely fastened, the hook itself slips into place and snaps over the base, and a threaded peg screws in and attaches the entire assembly.
From what I have seen, for the original issue hook, the base was sometimes made in the same color as the hook and peg. Sometimes it was provided in black. It really doesn’t matter because after installation, the base cannot be seen anyway. The combination hook and peg makes this a top quality wall mounted coat rack. It is extraordinarily sturdy and has the size and strength to allow three heavy winter coats to be hung from it when the need arises. That is what I do with the two I have on a wall in my closet. Each hook is 4-1/4” by 4-1/4” by 2-5/8” (10.8cm by 10.8cm by 6.7cm).
Front and side view schematics of Olaf von Bohr 4702 hook for Kartell.
The vintage hooks are opaque and made from ABS. They are marked on the back “4702 Kartell made in Italy” in a circle with “design / OLAF VON BOHR” underneath. The vintage hooks were manufactured in white, red, orange, green, brown, black, and chrome. The new issue in black and white are made from ABS. The other color alternatives are made from transparent or batch dyed polycarbonate.
Red
Green
Unlike every other wall plate I have seen for the hook, this one has the writing in the circle rotated approximately 120° clockwise from the more common positions. Some of the wall plates show a slight rotation of the imprint, but none this major. Image source: frescosamsin vintage design webshop.
Brown
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Reissue
The design from 1970 was updated in new materials and finishes. Each hook is available in solid black and white (made from ABS). The hooks are also made in transparent (crystal) polycarbonate in clear and vivid shades: orange red, citron yellow, and cobalt, made from batch dyed polycarbonate.
Not a bad price for a pair of these hooks. At the time of posting, the sale price for a set of two hooks was $43.20 and shipping was $1.62.
Below is a pair of black wall clothes hooks in ABS plastic. They are definitely in the style of the 4702 hook. These are 7cm by 7cm by 13cm tall and are designed by Studio Des-In Line. I don’t know nor was I able to find any additional information about the design or the studio.
