Page 24 - Trends by DELABIE

/// IN THE AIR / Cristina Celestino Cristina Celestino / IN THE AIR ///

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CRISTINA CELESTINO
I mix elements together, producing a result
Contemporary that is often unexpected and ironic.

TEMPO 3

BLENDING HERITAGE AND MODERNITY WITH A TOUCH
OF IRONY, SINCE 2010, INTERIOR ARCHITECT AND
DESIGNER CRISTINA CELESTINO HAS PARTNERED BIG
MULTI-BRAND COMPANIES SUCH AS FENDI, FORNACE
BRIONI AND SERGIO ROSSI. WITH HER AGENCY, ATTICO
DESIGN, THE MILANESE DESIGNER SETS OUT TO CREATE
"EMOTIONAL VISIONS".

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1 2 How would you describe your style as a designer of objects and You are a passionate collector. How do you integrate vintage
interior architect? into your decoration?
Cristina Celestino: My aim is to create "emotional visions" by C. C.: I became passionate about design through reading. Then I
studying traditional materials and their qualities, then adding a began buying design pieces, and they grew in large numbers over
contemporary esthetic and creating new typologies of design. I time – especially lamps. It is very useful for my work to be able
generally mix features from our heritage, our shared memory, to see and feel the creations of renowned designers. They are a
with contemporary esthetics from architecture, design and source of inspiration that every designer should have access to in
fashion. Or forms and colors inspired by nature. All of these order to consciously create with a contemporary vision.
references work together and the end result is a synthesis, that is
What place do humor and surprise have in your work?
often unexpected and ironic.
C. C.: In my works, I mix things that go together to produce an
Giving a hybrid role to objects and spaces is a principle that is
end result which is often unexpected and ironic. I experiment with
found throughout your career. Why is that?
forms, with geometry and with colors through variations of scale
C. C.: A cross-disciplinary approach in both life and work and small inventions. My objects are often able to put across new
produces unexpected results. I do it intuitively, sometimes mixing messages and different meanings.
different skills. My view of the world, and society within it, leads
What are your ongoing projects?
me to stratify content and esthetics.
C. C.: A beautiful interior project in the Parioli district in Rome.
You seem to draw part of your inspiration from the past...
At the same time, I continue to partner with the brands Fornace
C. C.: The emotional memory of objects results from Brioni and Billiani as creative director. And it's very stimulating.
meanings which belong to different periods in our lives and
which are stored in a stratified way inside our subconscious.
I believe that everything I create is the result of this magma, and
that it does not require clear or directly conscious references. If
I think back to everything that I have created over the past ten
Special Jury Prize at the “Salone del Mobile
years, I observe my great freedom to draw transversally from the
Milano” in 2016, ELLE DECO International
past by putting my output in touch with the sensitivities born of
Design Awards in 2017 and 2019, Designer of
new encounters.
the Year at the 2022 "Maison&Objet" fair...
Cristina Celestino has left a strong imprint on the
world of interior design. With a very conceptual
1. Palais Exotique by Cristina Celestino
analysis of her work, she shares with us the
2. Cristina Celestino x Fornace Brioni, Illusione
principles that guide all of her architectural
3 & 4. Cristina Celestino x Pianca, Calatea, Peonia armchair
ensembles and her designs.