Nika Zupanc
Slovenia
Product and interior designer Nika Zupanc became a globally recognised name with the launch of the Lolita lamp, her first object to be produced by Moooi.
In 2008, she established her own studio and since works as an independent designer who is constantly involved in fresh projects that grow out of distinctive interpretations of modern culture, contemporary design and available technological options. Her products are part of the range of distinguished design companies such as Moooi, Qeeboo, Sé, Moroso, and Nodus. She works with prestigious clients on specially assigned projects as was her installation Room of one’s own for Dior. Her celebrated limited edition collections and installations are exhibited around the world, sometimes as part of high-end collaborations like the one with Rossana Orlandi. Along the way, Zupanc continuously produces objects under her own brand Nika Zupanc and is involved in various interior projects.
Besides the Lolita lamp, Zupanc has designed a long line of signature ready-to-use pieces like the Golden chair (Moooi) or the Ribbon chair (Qeeboo), to name just a few. But it is also her conceptual installations and limited editions that saw her evolving into an authentic global voice – I Will Buy Flowers Myself (2009) and Gone with the Wind (2010) presented a collection of objects inside blown-up doll house structures that became a hallmark of Milan Design Week. The Black Cherry lamp, now one of the iconic pieces of her own brand, also debuted at Milan Design Week. The installations that followed, Selfdiscipline (2011) and Summertime (2012), mark the beginning of limited edition collections in partnership with Rossana Orlandi, where with a stubborn passion Zupanc examines the nature of furniture. In 2012, her hometown of Ljubljana had the privilege to be the first with an interior designed and art-directed by Zupanc personally. The noir refurbishment of As Aperitivo is an introduction to her new venture of designing interiors.
In the grand scale of things, in November 2013 Zupanc presented a wooden structure, a pavilion, a room of one‘s own as part of an exhibition Esprit Dior: Miss Dior in Galerie Courbe - Grand Palais in Paris and created a Collection III. for luxury London based company Sé. The collection was claimed to be one of the best collections presented at Milano design week 2015 by Dezeen, The telegraph and The Luxury channel to name a few. The collection was awarded the Editors award for furniture at ICFF in New York. This year also marked a launch of her capsule collection of 20 pieces for japan multi-store brand Francfranc.
In recent years, Zupanc presented exciting new objects with new contemporary furniture brand Qeeboo, established by a renewed Italian designer Stefano Giovanonni and designed a collection, titled Take me to Miami for Italian brand Ghidini1961. She also designed two collections of furniture for young and up- comping luxury brand Scarlet Splendour. Elsewhere, she has continued to build her portfolio to rising acclaim, with awarded designs for companies like Contardi lightning & De Castelli Her Longing cabinet for Italian company Decastelli was part of the Tracing identity project, that was awarded the prestigious Salone Del mobile award 2017 and her Crystal lamp, designed for Contadi was awarded as best German design award in 2018.
Zupanc’s pieces carry an emotional charge as well as being exquisitely finished, which is why Elle USA characterised her work as punk elegance. There's a touch of theatre and Film Noir in her work, and somehow her pieces make the user feel like an actor. As for Zupanc, the explanation is unnecessary.
Her visual language comes from deep within and is about "communicating the things that cannot be told".
Product and interior designer Nika Zupanc became a globally recognised name with the launch of the Lolita lamp, her first object to be produced by Moooi.
In 2008, she established her own studio and since works as an independent designer who is constantly involved in fresh projects that grow out of distinctive interpretations of modern culture, contemporary design and available technological options. Her products are part of the range of distinguished design companies such as Moooi, Qeeboo, Sé, Moroso, and Nodus. She works with prestigious clients on specially assigned projects as was her installation Room of one’s own for Dior. Her celebrated limited edition collections and installations are exhibited around the world, sometimes as part of high-end collaborations like the one with Rossana Orlandi. Along the way, Zupanc continuously produces objects under her own brand Nika Zupanc and is involved in various interior projects.
Besides the Lolita lamp, Zupanc has designed a long line of signature ready-to-use pieces like the Golden chair (Moooi) or the Ribbon chair (Qeeboo), to name just a few. But it is also her conceptual installations and limited editions that saw her evolving into an authentic global voice – I Will Buy Flowers Myself (2009) and Gone with the Wind (2010) presented a collection of objects inside blown-up doll house structures that became a hallmark of Milan Design Week. The Black Cherry lamp, now one of the iconic pieces of her own brand, also debuted at Milan Design Week. The installations that followed, Selfdiscipline (2011) and Summertime (2012), mark the beginning of limited edition collections in partnership with Rossana Orlandi, where with a stubborn passion Zupanc examines the nature of furniture. In 2012, her hometown of Ljubljana had the privilege to be the first with an interior designed and art-directed by Zupanc personally. The noir refurbishment of As Aperitivo is an introduction to her new venture of designing interiors.
In the grand scale of things, in November 2013 Zupanc presented a wooden structure, a pavilion, a room of one‘s own as part of an exhibition Esprit Dior: Miss Dior in Galerie Courbe - Grand Palais in Paris and created a Collection III. for luxury London based company Sé. The collection was claimed to be one of the best collections presented at Milano design week 2015 by Dezeen, The telegraph and The Luxury channel to name a few. The collection was awarded the Editors award for furniture at ICFF in New York. This year also marked a launch of her capsule collection of 20 pieces for japan multi-store brand Francfranc.
In recent years, Zupanc presented exciting new objects with new contemporary furniture brand Qeeboo, established by a renewed Italian designer Stefano Giovanonni and designed a collection, titled Take me to Miami for Italian brand Ghidini1961. She also designed two collections of furniture for young and up- comping luxury brand Scarlet Splendour. Elsewhere, she has continued to build her portfolio to rising acclaim, with awarded designs for companies like Contardi lightning & De Castelli Her Longing cabinet for Italian company Decastelli was part of the Tracing identity project, that was awarded the prestigious Salone Del mobile award 2017 and her Crystal lamp, designed for Contadi was awarded as best German design award in 2018.
Zupanc’s pieces carry an emotional charge as well as being exquisitely finished, which is why Elle USA characterised her work as punk elegance. There's a touch of theatre and Film Noir in her work, and somehow her pieces make the user feel like an actor. As for Zupanc, the explanation is unnecessary.
Her visual language comes from deep within and is about "communicating the things that cannot be told".