Decor - Issue 9
Clay - is one of the oldest building material in human history, however you will not find many ceramic furniture objects or other decor pieces nowadays. As an artisan tool and design element clay is very plastic, timid and not easy to deal with for an artist. Still even small clay details of furniture can deliver a very warm and positive vibes for your home.
Artisan furniture collection FAINA was created in 2014 by Ukrainian architect and designer Victoriya Yakusha. Central element of her minimalist ethnic collection is clay. “Pottery traditions in Ukraine are
very old, they starts from Trypilian culture in ancient times, - says Victoriya. - I decided go back to our roots and create contemporary furniture using materials and techniques of our ancestors”. While working on collection she collaborated with 8 Ukrainian artisans in order to develop ceramic pieces, make them durable, textured and still looking interesting in the aesthetic sense. The seemingly fragile nature of clay actually turned out to be very reliable and stable.
“Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to look
with your eyes wide open”
Today her essential collection FAINA contains of 10 design objects: round table, sideboard, cabinet, ceramic floor and pendant lamps, washbasin and set of vases. Each piece is handmade and absolutely unique, there is no mass production. You can model different sizes and change colour - from natural beige to black chocolate. “Looking back to the very first moment when I got the idea of this collection, the first furniture I ever designed, I can say that there was a very strong desire in my heart to make our national ethnicity understandable and recognizable in a modern world, - said Victoriya, author of clay furniture FAINA. - And my main tool to achieve this goal was my favourite language of minimalism and eco-design, which I use for 15 years in my interiors and architect projects”.