Tessa Sakhi's functional evocations of the 'Primitive' are odes to Lebanese heritage

"As an architect and designer today, my role is not just to shape spaces but to create environments that are conducive to healing," says Tessa Sakhi, an architect and designer based between Venice, Beirut and London. "My work is rooted in the belief that architecture and design have the power to inspire, nurture and heal the body, mind and soul, much like nature," she tells STIR. Primitive, her recent collection wielding all earmarks of her creative pursuit of balance and well-being, sprouts from captivating archaeological sites across Lebanon. From the Baalbek Temple to Roman ruins, these sites are temporal bridges between the Mediterranean cultures and the shared heritage of Lebanon and Italy. Stone ruins, witnesses to countless civilisations and devastating wars, morph into functional evocations of primal construction elements in the furniture design collection.

Sakhi, who founded her studio in 2015, specialises in renovations, interior architecture and design that embrace heritage and blend it with contemporary designs. "In today's world dominated by rapid change, mass production and digital technologies, much of my inspiration comes from the natural environment, where I seek to learn and translate its lessons into sensorial experiences in my designs," she explains. Thoughtful use of materials and forms join forces in a meaningful collaboration with artisans to foster resonance, introspection and inspiration. Akin to the other projects by Sakhi, Primitive emerges as "a dialogue between tradition and innovation, memory and present, form and feeling", as the project's press release states.

An assortment of furniture—from benches to table designs—reveal layers of checkered stone finishes, akin to the gradual formation of a rock. The edges of each piece are carefully hammered by hand by craftsmen in Cairo, Egypt and Verona, Italy; the deliberately rough finish guides the viewer's attention to the craftsmanship and attention to detail. The checkered finish alternates between rough and polished, reaffirming the interplay between rawness and refinement in the product designs, balancing the core of our journey through life. Sakhi shares with STIR the process of creating the collection, "In the collection, the stone tended to chip significantly during hand hammering, making it challenging to achieve a flawless intersection between the hammered and polished sections of the chequered finish."

Having worked mostly on large-scale projects, Sakhi emphasises the shift in approach necessary when working on smaller-scale ones such as Primitive. "You have to focus more on the details and it requires many trials, a lot of patience, attention and dedication," she notes. In her objects, she tests the limits of the raw materials, the designs evolve within the production process embracing all surprises and accidents. With each material, the designer strives to highlight its solidity and fragility, strength and delicacy, chaos and form, randomness and precision, spirit and matter—evident in the stone compositions of her latest collection.

For Sakhi, a creative exchange between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary innovation lies at the heart of her practice. By injecting an artisanal character in her designs—breakfast table, coffee table, bench, dining table, library and side table—she looks to enhance their artistic allure, singularity and authenticity. "My creative process lies in my commitment to sustainability, social responsibility and circular design principles that prioritise longevity, durability and timeless design. My life and my work boils down to telling stories and creating timeless spaces and objects that embody both essence and depth," Sakhi concludes.