Cristina Celestino

After wowing us at the Milan Furniture Fair, this Italian designer’s colourful, playful aesthetic makes her the one to watch this year

A bona fide hit at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair, this designer’s playful, colourful aesthetic makes her one to watch

Since launching her studio in 2009, Italian architect and designer Cristina Celestino has been winning the hearts of design fans with her knack for making sugary, retro-inspired colours and soft silhouettes feel fresh and modern. Featuring variations of scale and experiments with pattern and texture, her work is all about playfulness and surprise.

‘I find much of my inspiration in the urban landscapes of Milan, where I live,’ explains Celestino. ‘Sometimes, my references come from nature, or perhaps from fashion and jewellery. Other ideas come from the great masters I admire, such as Carlo Scarpa, Gino Sarfatti and Ettore Sottsass. I usually start my design process by exploring my clients’ roots and heritage, and from there, I try to create my own story.’

Having already collaborated with brands such as Fendi, Seletti, Sergio Rossi and Torremato, Celestino worked with Gebrüder Thonet Vienna at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair on a series of floral-shaped tables with colourful inlays, as well as creating the enveloping ‘Separè’ armchair for Nilufar Gallery ( both left). She also collaborated with fabric specialists Rubelli to design the interior of Tram Corallo (right), which serves the Brera district of Milan, upholstering the seats and draping the windows in the brand’s ‘ Venezia’ textiles.

In addition, Celestino was appointed art director at tile company Fornace Brioni last year. With the firm’s latest collection sporting seashell shapes, perforated surfaces, buds and discs in an array of sherbet shades (top left), it looks as though Celestino’s signature style is about to reach the masses – and garner a whole new wave of devotees (cristinacelestino.com).

From top Tiles from the ‘Giardino delle Delizie’ collection at Fornace Brioni. Celestino’s ‘Separè’ armchair for Nilufar Gallery. The ‘Caryllon’ table for Gebrüder Thonet Vienna. A selection of Celestino’s furniture designs for Sergio Rossi