Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva create ceramic tableware for shared meals

Milan 2014: designers Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva collaborated to create a ceramic tableware collection to accompany a porcelain coffee set, for an exhibition at Spazio Rossana Orlandi.

Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva's ceramic tableware to launch at Spazio Rossana Orlandi

The Cheburashka table set for ceramics company Dymov was designed by Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva to enhance and reinterpret the ritual sharing of food.

Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva's ceramic tableware to launch at Spazio Rossana Orlandi

A large collective container has oversized handles and a lid that when placed upside-down becomes a flat surface for the serving spoon, which can also hang from either handle.

Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva's ceramic tableware to launch at Spazio Rossana Orlandi

Two smaller bowls complete the set and can be stacked upside-down on top of the main container’s lid, creating a totem shape for storage.

Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva's ceramic tableware to launch at Spazio Rossana Orlandi

Hand-engraved lines on the surface of the ceramics resemble a fishing net, appearing to wrap the containers.

Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva's ceramic tableware to launch at Spazio Rossana Orlandi

“Cheburashka” is the ancient Russian word for the floats used by fishermen to support their nets and also the name of a popular big-eared Soviet children’s character, who bears a resemblance to the main container in the collection.

Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva's ceramic tableware to launch at Spazio Rossana Orlandi

After being formed on the potter’s wheel and dried, the surface of the red clay pieces are polished using a hard smooth surface to close the pores and shine the material.

Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva's ceramic tableware to launch at Spazio Rossana Orlandi

The pieces are fired at 950 degrees and then smoke-fired in an air-tight kiln filled with smoldering embers of wood chips and sawdust.

Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva's ceramic tableware to launch at Spazio Rossana Orlandi

A chemical reaction allows the clay minerals to absorb the smoke and gives the products their dark appearance. Finally, the objects are polished using natural beeswax provided by local beekeepers.

Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva's ceramic tableware to launch at Spazio Rossana Orlandi

Cheburashka was exhibited as part of the Walk the Line exhibition at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan last week.

Luca Nichetto and Lera Moiseeva's ceramic tableware to launch at Spazio Rossana Orlandi

The set was paired with Nichetto and Moiseeva’s Sucabaruca porcelain coffee range for the Mjölk gallery in Toronto, which was designed with the similar principal of enjoying hot drinks with others.

“The idea is to show that the same kind of approach can create two objects that are completely different, one in porcelain and the other in ceramic, but with the same kind of energy and the idea of sharing with guests,” Nichetto told Dezeen at the exhibition.

Photography is by Lera Moiseeva and Luca Bragagnolo.

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Casamania launches La-Dina chair by Luca Nichetto at Milan design week

Milan 2014: Venetian designer Luca Nichetto has reimagined a traditional Tyrolean chair for his latest collaboration with Casamania, debuting in Milan this week.

Casamania launches La-Dina chair by Luca Nichetto at Milan design week

Luca Nichetto‘s La-Dina is a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional wooden chairs from the Dolomite mountain range in west Austria and north-east Italy.

Casamania launches La-Dina chair by Luca Nichetto at Milan design week

Its name is a pun on Ladin – Ladina in Italian – the language spoken by the people who once built their settlements in the region.

Casamania launches La-Dina chair by Luca Nichetto at Milan design week

Luca Nichetto has simplified the form, using rounded lines and including a small upside-down triangular hole that punctures the back rest.

Casamania launches La-Dina chair by Luca Nichetto at Milan design week

The legs are fixed into the solid wood of the seat, which in turn is secured to the backrest using a clamping wedge.

Casamania launches La-Dina chair by Luca Nichetto at Milan design week

La-Dina is made from ash wood and is available in a range of colours.

Casamania launches La-Dina chair by Luca Nichetto at Milan design week

The design marks Casamania‘s 30th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of its collaboration with Nichetto.

Casamania launches La-Dina chair by Luca Nichetto at Milan design week

The brand is exhibiting at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, Hall 16 Stand D39, in Milan until 13 April.

Casamania launches La-Dina chair by Luca Nichetto at Milan design week

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Hai Lounge Chair

Hai Lounge Chair disegnata da Luca Nichetto combina il giusto nordico con l’eleganza italiana. Disponibile in due finiture di colore. La trovate in vendita su One Nordic.

Hai Lounge Chair

Hai Lounge Chair

Elysia lounge chair

Elysia lounge chair è la prima sedia disegnata da Luca Nichetto per il brand portoghese De La Espada. Di chiara ispirazione mid-century con sostegno in legno di frassino o noce e seduta in tessuto imbottito. Presentata durante la scorsa Stockholm Design Week.

Elysia lounge chair

Elysia lounge chair

Elysia lounge chair

De La Espada launches new collection with a chair by Luca Nichetto

Stockholm 2014: Italian designer Luca Nichetto and Portuguese furniture brand De La Espada have launched a lounge chair as the first product from a new collection.

Elysia chair by Luca Nichetto for De La Espada

The Elysia chair is the debut piece from Luca Nichetto‘s 50/50 range for De La Espada.

Elysia chair by Luca Nichetto for De La Espada

The frame of the chair consists of two parallel wooden legs that are joined by a wooden crib-like structure. This crib holds the padded upholstery and meets in two triangular points at the arms.

Elysia chair by Luca Nichetto for De La Espada

“The skeleton, traditionally hidden inside the upholstery, is deliberately exposed to showcase the craftsmanship and premium timber,” said Nichetto.

Elysia chair by Luca Nichetto for De La Espada

The Danish-oiled frame is made of either American black walnut or European ash and the upholstery is available in a range of fabrics, covering the harder outer shell and soft padded cushions inside.

Elysia chair by Luca Nichetto for De La Espada

“The project takes its name both from the concept of balancing skilfully hand-crafted wood with complementary materials at a ratio of 50/50,” said Nichetto. “From the idea of designing a collection that creates a whole environment in the spirit of the great architects of the 1950s.

Elysia chair by Luca Nichetto for De La Espada

The collection was launched during Stockholm Design Week, which took place last week.

Elysia chair by Luca Nichetto for De La Espada

Nichetto also revealed ceiling-mounted office dividers for Offecct and a lamp shaped like a cheese fondue pot at this year’s Stockholm Furniture Fair and Northern Light Fair.

Elysia chair by Luca Nichetto for De La Espada

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Fondue lamp shaped like a cheese-melting pot by Luca Nichetto

Fondue lamp shaped like a cheese-melting pot by Luca Nichetto

Stockholm 2014: Italian designer Luca Nichetto has produced a lamp based on a cheese fondue pot for Swedish firm David Design.

Fondue lamp shaped like a cheese-melting pot by Luca Nichetto

Luca Nichetto‘s Fondue lamp takes its inspiration from traditional European fondue cauldrons, which are kept above a heat source to slowly melt cheese. “The Fondue lamp is merging different traditions, the south European and the north European,” said Nichetto.

Fondue lamp shaped like a cheese-melting pot by Luca Nichetto

The amber-coloured glass pendant is suspended to resemble the shape of the cauldrons. A metal element runs through the glass from top to bottom, kinked in the centre where it supports the horizontal bulb.

Fondue lamp shaped like a cheese-melting pot by Luca Nichetto

The power cable can be attached to either end of the frame so it can run from a source on the ceiling or the floor. “The output of the power cable, which is generally concealed or made less evident… becomes a feature of the lamp,” the designer said.

Fondue lamp shaped like a cheese-melting pot by Luca Nichetto

David Design presented the lamp at Stockholm Furniture Fair and Northern Light Fair last week. Nichetto has also designed a lamp inspired by Darth Vader’s mask for the brand.

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Luca Nichetto’s Notes screens hang from the ceiling

Stockholm 2014: Italian designer Luca Nichetto has created a set of ceiling-mounted office dividers for Swedish brand Offecct (+ slideshow).

Luca Nichetto Notes room dividers for Offecct

Luca Nichetto designed the Notes room dividers for Offecct Lab, a branch of the brand that develops sustainable products and furniture for the workplace.

Luca Nichetto Notes room dividers for Offecct

Nichetto took influence from washing hung above the narrow alleyways in his home town of Venice when designing the screens.

Luca Nichetto Notes room dividers for Offecct

“When kids play football on the street, the clothes hanging over the lines muffle the sound of the bouncing football and screaming kids,” he explained. “So I used that as inspiration and tried to transfer it in to an industrial product.”

Luca Nichetto Notes room dividers for Offecct

Each screen is constructed from two upholstered boards with rounded corners that sandwich a layer of recycled felt.

Luca Nichetto Notes room dividers for Offecct

The felt helps to absorb noise from both sides of the division, but the pieces still allows a visual link between the spaces they separate at seated eye level.

Luca Nichetto Notes room dividers for Offecct

“My brief from Offecct was to create a new kind of sound panel that didn’t have to be fixed on the wall but more like a free standing object,” said Nichetto. “At the same time it should work with recyclable felt made of waste from the upholstery production.”

Luca Nichetto Notes room dividers for Offecct

The panels mount on rails so they can be slid side-to-side to create different arrangements. The collection includes five shapes, which can be covered in a selection of fabrics.

Luca Nichetto Notes room dividers for Offecct

Offecct will present the range at this year’s Stockholm Furniture and Lighting Fair, which starts today as part of Stockholm Design Week.

Luca Nichetto Notes room dividers for Offecct

The brand is also launching a modular table system with plug sockets within the structure, designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune.

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Tales Pavilion by Luca Nichetto

Italian designer Luca Nichetto has created a pavilion in Beijing with a facade covered in 1200 vertical brass tubes (+ slideshow).

Tales Pavilion by Luca Nichetto

Nichetto‘s pavilion sits within a garden and houses a range of design showrooms.

Tales Pavilion by Luca Nichetto

The tube facade is a reference to blades of grass and the landscaped setting in which the pavilion sits.

Tales Pavilion by Luca Nichetto

The brass tubes will oxidise and change colour naturally as time passes.

Tales Pavilion by Luca Nichetto

Behind the facade sit large bronze monoliths with generous windows revealing the exhibition spaces inside.

Tales Pavilion by Luca Nichetto

The reception and business area in the centre is clad in elm wood recycled from old houses in the Hebei province.

Tales Pavilion by Luca Nichetto

White plaster and concrete floors provide a plain backdrop for the products on sale in the showrooms.

Tales Pavilion by Luca Nichetto

The first floor mezzanine is lit by a large skylight, which is embedded within the exposed concrete beams.

Tales Pavilion by Luca Nichetto

The railings are decorated with gridded lattice work that references the plan of the building, and the same pattern is used for the window in the reception area, rugs and air-conditioning grids.

Tales Pavilion by Luca Nichetto

The pavilion opened to coincide with Beijing Design Week, which took place from 26 September to 3 October.

Tales Pavilion by Luca Nichetto

Other pavilions that have featured on Dezeen include an austere concrete pavilion in Lisbon with a staggered corridor and a hidden courtyard and a temporary pavilion by Shigeru Ban made from cardboard tubes. See more pavilions »

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Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Product news: the seat of this chair by Venetian designer Luca Nichetto is made of folded felt.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Called Motek, the design by Stockholm-based Luca Nichetto for Italian brand Cassina is pressure-moulded to make it rigid enough to support a person’s weight without losing the lightweight qualities of the fabric.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Origami-inspired folds give extra support to the structure.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

The design comes with wooden or steel legs and there’s also a version upholstered in leather.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Nichetto presented the chair at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan last month, where he also showed cabinets carved with geometric patterns for Casamania and a TV-like lamp for Foscarini – see all design by Luca Nichetto.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Read our interview with the new Salone del Mobile president on how he plans to tackle issues that “damage Milan” and see all our stories about Milan 2013.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Other felt products we’ve featured recently include a chair with a pressure-moulded seat by Patricia Urquiola for Moroso and a seed-shaped pod for working or napping in peace – see more stories about designs in felt.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

Here’s some more information from Luca Nichetto:


The inspiration behind Motek chair is a sheet of paper, which is flexible and lightweight by its very nature. Originally, a sheet of paper cannot bear weights, but the Japanese art of origami – which, with a series of folds, creates forms and structures that can support weights – the same sheet takes on a new lease of life.

Thanks to a new technology for Cassina, such as pressure molding, a sheet of felt is folded, which will bring the necessary rigidity to the body of the chair for it to support weights without losing the lightness of the original material.

Motek by Luca Nichetto for Cassina

In this project, the search for details and the experimentation with materials typical of the collaboration between Nichetto and Cassina led to a felt version of the chair, which comes in three different shades, as well as to a leather version, where the seams highlight the folds characterizing the aesthetics of the seat.

The adaptability to the different consumers’ tastes is yet another feature sought by Nichetto for Motek, which was obtained through a series of combinations of structure, legs and body.

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Toshi cabinets by Luca Nichetto for Casamania

Venetian designer Luca Nichetto has created a collection of cabinets carved with geometric patterns for Italian brand Casamania.

Toshi by Luca Nichetto for Casamania

Called Toshi, which means ‘city’ in Japanese, the cabinets by Luca Nichetto for Casamania have geometric grooves in their outer surfaces.

Toshi by Luca Nichetto for Casamania

“Toshi is a family of cabinets relating to the mosaic decorations that can be found in some buildings in Tokyo” explains the designer.

Toshi by Luca Nichetto for Casamania

Made from milled and lacquered MDF, the cabinets come in a variety of shapes, heights and colours, and can be combined in numerous configurations.

Toshi by Luca Nichetto for Casamania

Smaller containers in contrasting colours are also available, designed to compliment the family of sideboards.

Toshi by Luca Nichetto for Casamania

The cabinets are mounted on either a low, recessed base or metal square-section legs that raise the cupboards further away from the floor.

Toshi by Luca Nichetto for Casamania

Luca Nichetto recenltly teamed up with Japanese studio Nendo to create a range of products including a knitted room-divider and a scaly carpet, which were presented in Milan last month.

Toshi by Luca Nichetto for Casamania

Other designs we’ve recently featured by Luca Nichetto include a lamp called Stewie that is the height, size and luminosity of a TV and a lounge chair with a folding backrest.

Toshi by Luca Nichetto for Casamania

See all designs by Luca Nichetto »
See more furniture designs for Casamania »
See all our stories about cabinet design »

Toshi by Luca Nichetto for Casamania

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