Cristina Celestino STIRred 2023 with designs that intertwined tradition and innovation

Italian designer Cristina Celestino is an established name in the fascinating field of design that combines innovation, tradition, and sensory inquiry seamlessly to create unique experiences and objects. Celestino's artistic journey is presented as a complex narrative through a tapestry of projects that includes immersive installations and collaborations with popular brands. Each piece is a homage to meticulous craftsmanship and an investigation of the poetry of nature. As we come to the end of 2023, STIR recalls the highlights of the designer’s approach towards combining original methods with an artistic approach to materials and composition.

Pieces

In 2023, in collaboration with the Paris-based fragrance brand Diptyque, Celestino presented her debut scented candle collection titled Les Mondes de Diptyque. Conceived to add beauty to the everyday while withstanding the passage of time, the candle collection became an enduring luxury product design. Les Mondes de Diptyque was unveiled at the Diptyque store during Paris Design Week 2023.

The furniture designer had designed the Raquette collection for Billiani as a homage to the ancient technique of intertwining wooden slats. Taking inspiration from the world of tennis, Raquette's sides comprise textured latticework within a frame. The seat is on a wooden platform that raises it like an island; it houses a soft and organic padded shell that evokes the plant world. The seat is on a wooden platform which raises it like an island; it houses a soft and organic padded shell which evokes the plant world. The relationship between these two constituent parts of the armchair forms the very heart of the project, assuring comfort in domestic settings whilst also being suited to hospitality installations.

Celestino designed a terracotta cladding for Fornace Brioni titled Cretto. The cladding comprises paths, maps, grooves, tracks, and backgrounds. Cretto was the outcome of an in-depth investigation by the product designer into the recognition of the land, the earth's layering of marks, and the symbolism of natural elements. Together, the tiles create extended spatial plots and organic shapes, creating the illusion of an infinite world with no boundaries.

Drawing from a craftsmanship background, the Ottavia chair by Celestino for Fendi Casa is focused on marrying a contemporary vision to a historical-layered tradition. The purpose behind the chair design is comfort, as the chair’s backrest seems to unfold around the back naturally. The dominant sign is inspired by the curving shape of an arch, which distinctly recalls the Roman archetypal signature signs, and Palazzo delle Civiltà, home to Fendi. Sculptural art and furniture design merge into simple and experimental shapes that can blend to create unique new typologies, while still offering comfort and sophistication in the home space.

Projects

During Milan Design Week 2023, Celestino presented a special project, an immersive installation titled Clay Court Club. The project was designed as a tribute to Giovanni Muzio's Tennis Club Milano Bonacossa.

The Venetian palace Velario was designed by Celestino for Pianca, a living space distinguished by luxury fittings, bright tones, and fabric on the walls, therefore becoming the point of reference for the staging of a fluid and ever-changing project. Pianca’s décor presented itself through the articulation of chromatic oases and hints of material, its finishes calling back to the refined stratifications of the Venetian tradition. Velario is at once classic and timeless, where interweaving partitions and glowing geometric solids give form to a harmonious metaphysical theatre in which décor is the star actor.

STIRred 2023 wraps up the year with compilations of the best in architecture, art, and design from STIR. Did your favourites make the list? Tell us in the comments!