Kristalia is proud to announce the birth of CONDOMINIO.
Kristalia has chosen Condominio to tell the company’s story and represent it. Condominio is the modern residential archetype which, at the Kristalia showroom, becomes a set, a territory, a place for imagining and a blank sheet of paper for designing. Condominio allows us to communicate, at the same time, the total living, the domestic and collective dimension, and to maximize the personality and versatility of use of our furnishings and systems.
Welcome to Condominio.
The 8th edition of the international Archiproducts Design Awards (ADA) has concluded, and the jury has unveiled the winners. Selected by some of the most prominent figures in architecture and design today, the winners stood out for their unique and creative concepts.
Bottega, designed by Kensaku Oshiro, was elected in the “Furniture” category.
The project for this new table collection draws inspiration from the aesthetics of utility that are typical of everyday work tools, such as the wooden easel in a craftsman’s workshop. Its beauty lies in its function, in the intrinsic nature of the table and its use over time. The elegant solid ash frame features surprising visual lightness. The top is available in glass, wood or Laminam, either rectangular or oval.
What does contemporary living mean for us at Kristalia?
At the Design Post Spring Edition x imm Cologne, we bring our interpretation of the concept of total living. It encompasses a combination of reflections, visions, and realities that continue the journey we started at the Salone del Mobile.
Discover the novelties that will be showcased in our space at the Design Post Spring Edition x imm Cologne.
Bottega
DESIGN BY KENSAKU OSHIRO, 2023
Bottega, the new table by the Japanese designer Kensaku Oshiro, is inspired by the aesthetics of utility that are typical of everyday work tools, such as the wooden easel in a craftsman’s workshop. Its beauty lies in its function, in the intrinsic nature of the table and its use over time. The elegant solid ash frame features surprising visual lightness. The top is available in wood or glass, either rectangular or oval in shape.
Contour
DESIGN BY RAMOS BASSOLS, 2023
For the Contour collection, the designers Ramos and Bassols focus on the idea of the chair as a micro architecture in wood, lightweight and harmonious. Sinuous lines and fine surfaces delineate its contours, whereas the minimalist design is given warm appeal by the solidity of natural or stained ash wood. Elegant and contemporary, Contour reinterprets the art of cabinet-making from an industrial perspective, since the individual pieces of solid wood are machined by a robot and finished by hand. Contour is available in a chair and armchair version, with wood seat.
Avenue—Up
DESIGN BY RUGA.PERISSINOTTO & SCIUTO ARCHITETTI, 2023
Avenue-Up is a vertical upright system that can be used to create wall systems or systems in the middle of a room. The uprights, made of Black or Bronze extruded anodized aluminium, feature a rounded cross-section. This shape gives them a smooth appearance, made lighter at the foot height with adjustable pushers. The uprights can be combined with base and wall units in the Avenue System, wooden shelves, aluminium and glass trays with integrated light, and open elements. The upright can be used as a mirror or TV stand, even on its own, or wall- or ceiling-mounted. It can also incorporate a vertical LED light and a TV cabling system.
Kristalia is present at the Salone del Mobile with a design and communication project that reflects the company’s most authentic DNA. After a process of analysis and elimination, the company chose ‘The reality is way more interesting’ as the title of its communication campaign, which represents its outlook and approach to the world of design. This message conveys an important implication and reveals originality, concreteness and strong commitment as the cornerstones of the brand.
In the crowded, and at times eccentric, context of the trade fair, a non-place par excellence, visitors can enter the Kristalia stand, a concrete and tangible environment. Because nothing is more interesting than reality.
Our stand is a rational, understated and well-organised volumetric layout. Its perfect interior design expresses the character of Kristalia products and now also those of Personal Spaces by MD House, the design project that complements the total living solution and allows the company to broaden its range in terms of design, for the home and the contract sector. The 400-square metre stand is inspired by the architect Craig Ellwood’s Case Study House No.16, built between 1952 and 1953 in Bel Air for the Case Study House Program, funded by the US magazine Arts&Architecture in response to the post-war boom in building, with prototypes of modern, easily reproducible and affordable homes.
In 9 living spaces, 4 projects are presented along a circular route, including new products and extended collections. Each room conveys the linear design concept behind the total living programme. The home is a small eco-system in which we live and interact, a place to leave and return to, as in reality. Rather than focus on overly excessive decorative objects, which would stifle how furniture elements are interpreted, Kristalia chooses a skilful combination of real objects and details that intrigue and elicit a smile, playing on the slightly ironic element that has always been a distinctive feature of the way the company communicates.
This overall outlook on living, touching on the theme of the room, expresses the ultimate flexibility of use and spatial arrangement of furniture by Kristalia and Personal Spaces by MD House.
The seventh edition of the international Archiproducts Design Awards (ADA) competition has ended and the jury has revealed the winners of the 2022 edition. Selected by a panel made up of the most important figures in architecture and design in the current panorama, the winners stood out for their unique and creative concept. Tonbo, designed by Kensaku Oshiro, was elected within the “Furniture” category. The project for this new collection of seats was inspired by Japanese aesthetics and cabinet—making. The signature feature of the chair and armchair is a backrest with organic lines that rests delicately on the frame, like a dragonfly — “Tonbo”, in Japanese.
We look forward to seeing you at Design Post x Orgatec, October 25th to 29th, where you can visit our renovated spaces and discover a preview of Elephantino, our first chair with a shell entirely made of post-consumer recycled plastic and totally recyclable. The project enriches the family of Elephant chairs, Kristalia bestsellers designed by Neuland in 2010.
Design Post
25—29.10.2022
Deutz-Mülheimer-Strasse 22a 50679 Cologne
Opening time
Tuesday—Friday 9 am—8 pm
Saturday 9 am—6 pm
The new advertising campaign by Kristalia and MD House
A total living proposal. This is what Kristalia and MD House present in their first advertising campaign together. A major project, developed with the hindsight of the past two years, marking the beginning of a shared path dedicated to contemporary and minimalist design. MD House systems are reinterpreted, become instantly recognisable and technically flawless in the encounter with the essence of Kristalia’s design approach. With their complementary and reciprocal industrial and design models, Kristalia and MD House have now teamed up to propose a unified vision and a complete, signature solution. In their first home together, Kristalia’s iconic furniture accessories, created by internationally renowned designers, meet MD House’s modular systems and products, resulting in a total living proposal, ranging from the living room to the bedroom and outdoors.
Kristalia and its new MD House brand at the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022
A total living proposal. This is what Kristalia is presenting at the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022, teaming up for the first time with MD House. A major project, developed with the hindsight of the past two years, marking the beginning of a shared path dedicated to contemporary and minimalist design. MD House systems are reinterpreted, become instantly recognizable and technically flawless in the encounter with the essence of Kristalia’s design approach.
With their complementary and reciprocal industrial and design models, Kristalia and MD House have now teamed up to propose a unified vision and a complete, signature solution. In their first home together, Kristalia’s iconic furniture accessories, created by internationally renowned designers, meet MD House’s modular systems and products, resulting in a total living proposal, ranging from the living room to the bedroom and outdoors.
The inspiration and the reverted black
The stand designed by Kristalia and MD House together with the colour designer, Giulio Ridolfo, is black, reverted black: the structure is black, the floor is black, the plants are black — with the jet black tufts of Japanese grass and dark leaves inspired by the paintings of Henri Rousseau and the Fauve artists. It is solid black, the black cast by a long shadow. Sharp, vibrant, sinuous. As deep as thoughts, but neither mystical, dark nor lonely. Ridolfo, who has always worked with colour, now takes on black — through meticulously researched textiles, objects and plants — with a styling approach that creates a wunderkammer, a cabinet of wonders.
The inspiration is the Case Study House number 16 by the architect Craig Ellwood, built between 1952 and 1953 in Bel Air for the Case Study House Program, a programme funded by the US magazine Arts&Architecture to respond to the post—war housing boom with prototypes of modern, easily reproducible and affordable homes. In the almost 500—square—metre exhibition space, the search for distinctive fabrics and colours is meticulous while the choice of textured surfaces counteracts the sterile mood following the pandemic. Sophisticated yet simple objects complement functional spaces, where everything blends naturally. A living place both inside and out — the heart of the design is the welcoming outdoor space visible from every room, where the half—shade promises solace and contemplation. The home conceived by Kristalia and MD House is a small ecosystem in which to live and interact, a place to start out from and return to.
Focusing on the environment has always been part of Kristalia’s philosophy and is now also part of MD House’s. The stand has been designed with this in mind, featuring a reusable structure as part of a circular economy process. Brand partners were selected that espouse a vision of minimising environmental impact. The materials to be distributed to the public during the Salone del Mobile have also been reduced to a minimum.
Press Kit
Stand Photos
Stand Brochure
The partnership continues between Kristalia and Kensaku Oshiro, who created the iconic Holo table. For the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022 he designed a new Holo Pillar version, featuring a marble top and a collection of chairs called Tonbo, inspired by Japanese aesthetics and cabinet—making. The signature feature of the chair and armchair is a backrest with organic lines that rests delicately on the frame, like a dragonfly — “Tonbo” in Japanese. The special rounded joints are what creates this delicate effect.
In the early 2000s, Kristalia focused on developing a table with clean shapes and maximum flexibility of use, easily suitable to domestic ambient.
Attentive to the evolution of living spaces and to environmental sustainability, the company began to explore technologies far from traditional ones, together with high-performance materials, that came from manufacturing domains distant from that of furniture making. From the automotive sector it borrowed the assembling of part of the aluminium supporting structure, as well as the precision bearing system that makes it so easy to slide the extension mechanism. From construction industry instead, came the high pressure stratified laminates 10 mm thick for the tabletop and its extensions.
The result is startling, both from the aesthetic and the technical side. Thanks to a system of telescopic guides, the Sushi table is capable to reach almost twice its length, and to maintain, in all its extension, a continuous surface of only 10 mm thick, without the user perceiving, from any angle one could observe it, the presence of technical elements and thicknesses, fused into its delicate structure.
Inside the Kristalia corporate Showroom in Milan, an installation has been created that enhances the technical characteristics of Sushi and its timeless minimalism.
The history of Kristalia in a table
Design, research, innovation, durability: Sushi table is the utmost expression of Kristalia philosophy. The first in a series of fixed and extendable tables that represent its evolution (as suggested by the names: Nori and Maki), Sushi was an instant success and is still one of the company’s best sellers.
Essential lines and research materials reveal the intellectual rigor of its designer, Carlo Bartoli. Shapes are clean and strong: a thinly profiled top is contrasted by voluminous legs, hiding together the technology that ensures its extensibility without any bending.
A timeless icon, Sushi remains still today, twenty years after its launch, a compendium of the brand’s poetics.
A “research” table
In the early 2000s, Kristalia focused on developing a table with clean shapes and maximum flexibility of use, easily suitable to domestic ambient.
Attentive to the evolution of living spaces and to environmental sustainability, the company began to explore technologies far from traditional ones, together with high-performance materials, that came from manufacturing domains distant from that of furniture making. From the automotive sector it borrowed the assembling of part of the aluminium supporting structure, as well as the precision bearing system that makes it so easy to slide the extension mechanism. From construction industry instead, came the high pressure stratified laminates 10 mm thick for the tabletop and its extensions.
The result is startling, both from the aesthetic and the technical side. Thanks to a system of telescopic guides, the Sushi table is capable to reach almost twice its length, and to maintain, in all its extension, a continuous surface of only 10 mm thick, without the user perceiving, from any angle one could observe it, the presence of technical elements and thicknesses, fused into its delicate structure.
Timeless contemporaneity
Reliable technologies and resistant materials such as the aluminium of the structure, make Sushi a table destined to last, a meeting point for generations of conviviality.
A timeless table in constant evolution: contemporary but sober colours, over one hundred possible configuration variants, and the simplicity with which the elements that compose it are assembled, make it unique, formally harmonious in any context, both indoor and outdoor.
2022: new Linecompact tops
The first Sushi table had a layered laminate top, characterized by a black edge featuring two thin contrasting threads. The technical evolution of materials since 2002 ultimately led to the choice of Linecompact as the new material for the tabletops, right on the 20th anniversary. The new finish, consisting of a single raw material, and therefore more ecological and sustainable, is consistent with the aesthetics of the already wide range that it further enriches.
Happy birthday, Sushi
Twenty years have passed since the presentation of Sushi at the 2002 Salone del Mobile, years in which Kristalia has continued to experiment, accepting new challenges to grow bigger and better, always using design as a tool to pursue her own interpretation of the world.
Twenty years of projects, passion, and encounters with masters such as Carlo Bartoli, whose language, a gift that has put the company in dialogue with the whole world, remains and will ever remain a source of inspiration for Kristalia.
Meeting and talking about each other after two years of pandemic.
A two-day trip that saw us welcome our guests into our home to let them experience the traditions and values that distinguish our identity.
Thanks to the collaboration with BM Communication agency in Milan, we had the honor of hosting a group of journalists belonging to the most important publications in Italy.
A guided tour that went through the story of the company history and the values that represent it, narrated directly by one of its founders.
A journey through the company’s most iconic products – such as extendable tables and chairs – and through the latest products created during the pandemic period (among others: Palco modular outdoor seating system, designed by Sam Hecht and Kim Colin, Dua Relax armchair and Dua Lounge extension chair, designed by Läufer & Keichel, Holo Pillar table, by Kensaku Oshiro).
A total immersion that has allowed our guests to experience our product and its production process, increasingly internalized, and to introduce them to the aspect of a corporate DNA with a light-hearted flavor that we like to savor by walking through the corridors of a transparent architecture that reflects a natural disorder of colorfully colored plants that mark the time and the seasons.
The collaboration with local excellences then allowed us to enhance elements that are essential for us: innovation, research and experimentation, elements that are always present in all our products.
The authentic, immersive and innovative cuisine of the starred Chef Riccardo Gaspari of the SanBrite restaurant in Cortina, accompanied us in the moments of sharing and socialization of these two days and the visit to the Presot tannery – excellence of the territory that has a close relationship of collaboration with Kristalia for the creation of the iconic “1085 Edition” chair in natural-tanned leather – has introduced visitors to authentic and sustainable processes.
It was nice to meet again and to go back to look into each other’s eyes. It will be a gift to be able to do it again soon.
A house is made with walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Once again, Kristalia is inspired by music, which has always accompanied the company in its vocation and innovation at the very heart of its design.
Nina Simone said that “Jazz is not just music, it’s a way of life, it’s a way of being, a way of thinking”, and Kristalia approaches its design with this rhythm.
Design is a way of life that also plays a role in bringing people together, breaking down barriers, improvising, innovating, stimulating intercultural interaction and empowering.
Along with these notes, Kristalia turns on the lights of its EVOLUTION TOUR at a time when, as never before, overcoming the barriers caused by the pandemic means getting together again, rediscovering and renewing in a “new normality”.
In late April, Kristalia will be undertaking a trip by VAN to cross Europe and “go and embrace” its customers in their own local areas, showrooms, stores and professional studios. It will be a bespoke and engaging tour specifically for Kristalia customers, who will have the thrill of reliving a real experience, in contrast to the virtual tours we have all experienced in recent months.
The stars of the stage will be the novelties in our new catalogs: “Feel at Home (more than ever) vol. 2” and “Feel Outdoorsy”, which Kristalia customers will be able to discover and handle. Clear-cut, minimalist shapes that are also functional and embracing, inspirational mood boards, and new finishes, which are the outcome of in-depth and painstaking research by Kristalia, can be appreciated at each stage of the tour. The melody of products created by internationally renowned designers and the rhythmic beat of the kilometers covered by the VAN will merge into an authentic dialogue to create an intense and genuine customer experience.
The unusual location, inspired by the past when products were loaded onto haulage trucks to be shown to customers in the local area, will involve customers in a multi-sensory experience in a physical space, which embraces and harmonizes with the brand’s values. It has been designed and curated in the finest detail by the artistic direction of Kristalia in collaboration with the MD House brand.
To discover the playlist of products that Kristalia will be taking on tour, follow the hashtag #kristaliaevolutiontour on its social profiles.
The soundtrack of the trip has been curated by ClubKristalia.
Sushi Nori Maki wood top
Mohammed comes from Morocco. He has been working in Kristalia for 4 years and he represents one of the resources that has grown in our team over the time. A few days after the lockdown that “froze” Italy and imposed the physical distance as well as the stop of all the activities, something never seen before appeared in our production department: an Elephant chair painted with the colors of the Italian flag .
The mystery of this gesture, so unusual and at the same time so surprising, was cleared when Mohammed revealed to be the author. He said he had painted it spontaneously by hand at the end of the workshift a few days before the factory closed: “for me – he said to his colleagues and friends – it was a way to thank Italy, the country that welcomed me many years ago and which is currently experiencing a terrible moment.”
This unpublished version of the Elephant chair, whose design bears the signature of Eva Paster & Michael Geldmacher and which is not mentioned in the official catalog, soon became popular even outside the production department.
We recognized in Mohammed’s gesture a perfect expression of solidarity in a difficult moment for the entire national community, so we decided to tell his story in public and show Mohammed’s hand-painted chair on Social channels. The public’s reaction was enthusiastic.
That’s why we decided to launch a small production of the Elephant tricolor chairs as soon as the requests reaches an adequate quota to cover the minimum production costs: the rest will be donated to the Italian hospitals fighting against the Covid -19.
This is how Mohammed’s personal gesture of solidarity, so genuinely passionate and closely tied to a positive history of integration in the social and productive context of Friuli Venezia Giulia, served as a model for a wider gesture of solidarity.
Anyone who decides to buy a hand-painted Elephant chair as a sign of active participation and support of the community, can contact us through our communication channels.
