As an independent designer of products, interiors and furniture, Nika Zupanc collaborates with a host of top international brands to produce her particularly distinctive style. Her eclectic output includes lighting through to outdoor furniture and installations to eye-wear.
“I believe that story telling is, first and foremost, a very important part of contemporary design” – Nika Zupanc
Nika emerged onto the international design stage in 2008 with the launch of her iconic Lolita lamp for Moooi.
Since then she has stacked up an increasing number of accolades. Most recent awards include the German Design Award 2018 for her sparkling Crystal lamp created for Italian lighting specialist Contardi Lighting.
Nika is now a name closely watched by the design industry and beloved of the design press. Descriptions of her work range from “punk elegance” (Elle USA) and “techno chic” (BusinessWeek) to “Zupanc is the real star” (The Wall Street Journal).
Point’s new outdoor furniture collection: Dalmatia
Nika Zupanc is also the designer behind this summer’s beautifully elegant outdoor furniture collection Dalmatia for Spanish specialists Point.
The Dalmatia range exudes old world charm and more than a hint of Hollywood glamour. We fell in love with this elegant outdoor furniture range the instant we spotted it in Milan this year. It has also been widely celebrated in the UK press by titles including Elle Decoration and Homes & Gardens. High praise indeed.
We caught up with Nika to discover her inspirations, her design secrets and what excites her most about the design process.
“The Dalmatia outdoor furniture collection was inspired by all the beauty of the summers that I usually spend in our house on a small island in Dalmatia”
GM: Dalmatia has a very unique look, not at all like the many ubiquitous boxy shaped designs around. What was your original brief from Point? Did they give you free reign?
NZ: My task was to successfully detect and merge the DNA of Point with some features that are a signature part of my design thinking. I believe that the best products are born when the company and designer merge their philosophies. This is the best way for something new and exciting to happen in a product.
GM: What was your starting place and what images/ideas did you have in your head? Was there a particular story you were trying to tell?
NZ: The Dalmatia collection was inspired with all the beauty of the summers that I usually spend in our house on a small island in Dalmatia.
It is the best time of the year for me. There are so many details and feelings there that I wanted to incorporate in the collection. From the colours of the Adriatic sea, the whiteness of the stones on the beaches, to the dark purple colour of pine trees wood. Plus the simplicity of the outdoor furniture you see on ferry decks that take you to the Dalmatian islands.
Dalmatia’s slatted metal fronds are carefully woven to create enduring frames that are as fluid as they are static. Flowing and animated yet rooted in the tradition of timeless patio furnishings that whisper coastal majesty given new, exuberant life.
Dalmatia Garden Armchair
GM: Are there any extra challenges involved with designing outdoor furniture?
NZ: I think the challenge is always achieving the perfect balance. Between innovation, use of technology, form and some sort of special factor X. So, it’s hard to describe, but you always know if it is there.
” I try to work with materials that can last a very long time, that you can inherit, that have some sort of timeless elegance in them”
GM: You trained in industrial design. How much of the design process with furniture is creative and how much is the technical side? Do these ever ‘fight’ each other?
NZ: There is no rule. The process works both ways. Sometimes you are asked to work with certain technical requirement or technology from the start. Other times you propose a specific material or a technical solution, because you are inspired or fascinated with its properties. Therefore, I think this relationship is the essence of my profession.
Personally, I love to challenge myself by constantly working with different techniques, different materials, different technologies. This is a real challenge to me. Also the source of my inspiration and creativity. My work is like making a puzzle without having a final picture. You need to connect very different parameters; from innovation in technology to story telling in one object.
GM: What is the most exciting part of the design process for you?
NZ: I believe that story telling is, first and foremost, a very important part of contemporary design. The emotive value, or more accurately, the emotive ergonomics of products in mass production are something I consider a necessary function. Never just an ornament or decoration. I believe design can be a powerful tool. To spread a message or simply ask a question, making people think and wonder.
GM: Sustainability is the current buzz word with climate change at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Is this something you are able to consciously consider in your designs?
NZ: Yes of course. I believe this is now, and will be, the biggest question and task that also designers have to answer and contribute to.
It is of course a very complex question, that doesn’t have just one answer. Personally, I try to work with materials that can last a very long time. Materials that you can inherit, that have some sort of timeless elegance in them. I am also against any new virgin plastic, especially the plastic products for single use. I try to avoid these in my daily life and in my work. On the other hand, I try to include recycled materials and help to recycle the plastic or other materials that are already here.
“Quality and elegance is in every aspect of the product, regardless of the technology or number of products”
GM: Do you develop an emotional attachment to any of your products or are you able to let them ‘free’ once they have been signed off?
NZ: No, I don’t emotionally attach in that way – I am happy to see them have a new life, maybe in completely different or surprising surrounding. I think this is also a time when you see that a certain object is really successful – when it finds new stories and new settings, far beyond your own expectations or imagination.
GM: In an era of mass production, how easy is it to stay focused on high-end design and materials, and the production values this demands?
NZ: High end design is our mission, the essence of the work of my studio. We still carefully select clients we work for in order to be always sure we have the same mission. First of all, quality and elegance is in every aspect of the product, regardless of the technology or number of products.
GM: Does your Slovenian heritage influence your work in any particular way?
NZ: I think being born and raised in Yugoslavia and living in Slovenia, which lies in the middle of a wonderful crossroad of different cultures, absolutely contributed to my fresh perspective in design. In a radius of 500 km, I have cities like Milano, Firenze, Vienna, Split, Belgrade. I can really easily swap the Mediterranean mood for the Alps in one day. I am sure this diversity is great for my work and living. However, I believe industrial design really is a very international, global profession, so you always have to design for global citizens.
GM: So, what’s happening next for you, what can we look forward to?
NZ: Many different things…. A collection of glasses for a newcomer in the world of eye-wear. A new Collection of furniture for another brand from Spain, that will be presented at Maison et Objet in Paris in January. Then some wonderful new projects and collections for a number of international producers, that will be ready for Milano design week 2020. In the mean time we also work with interiors, so also some wonderful novelties on that front.
Spanish manufacturer Point will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2020. Look out for our special feature with this much loved company early next year.