Nika Zupanc

You’ve worked with metallics for years. With the Ghidini 1961 collection, did brass present any particular challenges?

the challenge was bringing something new to a material that has certain...connotations. Ghidini 1961 is one of the largest brassworkers in Italy, but it’s not present in the contemporary design environment. Brass works well in a simple, modern form. For me, it’s similar to using black and white.

Would you always prefer to work with warmer metallics?

I choose my colours as a medium for storytelling. For my Miss Dior chair (2013), for instance, I was inspired to use rose metallics when I saw a pink Dior coat. It looked very contemporary.

Are warmer metallics less vulnerable to trends in furniture?

I don’t think so. chrome is a classic finish that can have different meanings. As a designer you play with those meanings. Gold, on the other hand, can be interpreted as too rich, so you have to be careful. cooler shades like chrome are already contemporary, being quite technical. But I like to play with assumptions.

Your collection for Ghidini 1961 is called Take Me to Miami. What’s so American about metallics?

Brass reminds me of the American glamour I picked up from Hollywood movies. My interpretation is a simplified version of what I learned in my youth. It promises this paradise that you can never really grab. the material has always been out there, available but largely forgotten. My task as a designer is to bring it back.

The Ljubljana-based designer on her latest collection for Ghidini 1961 of Italy, which is made entirely out of polished brass