Feminine, sophisticated geometry combined with a distinctive, recognizable visual language and quality materials: on the pieces of furniture designed by Bohinc Studio, in which orbs and the cosmos play an important role, the world of jewelry and industrial design meet. Let’s begin!
Slovenian-born Lara Bohinc soon became committed to fashion, jewelry and architecture. She studied Industrial Design at the Ljubljana Academy of Fine Arts, then moved to London later to master the craft of jewelry design. Before founding her own studio, she worked for such distinguished brands as Cartier, Gucci or Montblanc.
Her work is quite versatile: Lara is a passionate believer in universal, good, unique design. Her peculiar style is a mixture of contradictions—bold, yet light, square, yet delicate and feminine. The iconic aesthetics inherent in her objects are due not only to the shapes, but also the choice of materials and the forming technique: while respecting traditional crafts, the designer prefers to rely on the latest industrial technologies. According to her, combining the two results in not only contemporary, but also environmentally friendly solutions.
She set off her own studio in 2016 as Bohinc Studio, then later in 2017, she opened the showroom of the brand in one of the coziest districts in London, Notting Hill.
In addition to raw materials such as stone, ceramics, glass and wood, one of the typical elements of her furniture collections is metal—which is not only the most popular raw material used in jewelry design, but also sustainable, with endless recycling possibilities. The metal forming techniques are often associated with geometric yet surprisingly feminine shapes, not least with the frequently recurring pattern system of astrological references.
Such is the collection called Since the World is Round, in which the designer not only took her admiration for orbs to a new level, but also debuted with special chairs for the first time in the life of the brand. The entire furniture collection was inspired by the orbits of the planet and the Moon, which is echoed in the curved frame structure of the minimalist and elegant chairs. For example, The Solar Chair, created as a part of Since the World is Round, is characterized by its asymmetrical frame: its circular seat and back, as the name implies, are meant to symbolize sunrise and sunset.
Her collection called Planetaria also honors an orb, more precisely, the Saturn. “I have always been fascinated by cosmic forms and manipulating these shapes into furniture design”—says the designer. “This collection reflects my fascination for planet Saturn; the orb seems to be caught within their rings: this has inspired these designs of spherical and tubular shapes”—she adds.
The collection consists of a set of floor and table lamps, a sofa, a pouffe and a console table, the design of which is both geometric and organic.
The Planetaria luminaires are based on the analogy of Saturn: the setting of the lamp consists of three arcs forming a sphere, in which a glass or brass sphere is placed. The lighting is provided by small LED light sources, resulting in exciting refractions and reflections.
Her latest works, presented at the London Design Festival 2020, are called ion (meaning “going” in Greek), and in addition to studying these orbs, it also carries further thought. The design of ion object collection is the reinterpretation of one of Lara’s earlier concepts, the Jupiter vase: this time the rings of Jupiter transform into cylindrical light sources. The result has a futuristic effect, and at the same time, the concept of the photo campaign presenting the objects is inspired by an alternative vision.
“Over the past few months, like many others, I have been reflecting on what the future might look like. During the quiet of the pandemic, whilst people were leaving cities for the countryside, nature seemed more powerful and more vibrant. For the photo shoot, we imagined such a future, in which plants have taken over abandoned town houses in the metropolis”—detailed Lara.
For further pieces of furniture with geometric, sophisticated and astrological references, follow the webpage and Instagram of Bohinc Studio.
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Source: Bohinc Studio