Soft Blown by Nichetto Studio
The Italian design practice’s first foray into the universe of lighting with Lladró
Nichetto Studio, the Italian design practice based in Stockholm, founded by Luca Nichetto, launches a collaboration with Lladró. The Soft Blown collection is composed of two lamps: the Afloat chandelier and the Airbloom table lamp. Available in a variety of colour ranges, the collection draws inspiration from the convivial spirit of balmy, sunny days when the streets are lined with performance artists effortlessly crafting colourful and intricate balloon creations.
Nichetto Studio is a prominent name in the global design scene. Its founder, Luca Nichetto, was born in the island of Murano and has become a benchmark in lighting design with a style that masterfully plays with soft shapes and bright colours.
Soft Blown is the result of Nichetto Studio’s first collaboration with Lladró. It is a collection that debuts with two pieces, a chandelier, and a table lamp, presented at Salone del Mobile in Milan, in April 2023.
This collection highlights the creative possibilities that arise from combining the knowledge of Nichetto Studio together with the craftsmanship and heritage of Lladró’s porcelain lighting making it possible to approach any shape and type of decoration whilst establishing a creative exchange with unique results.
Thus, Soft Blown_with its evocative imagery recreates the playful world of balloons and inflatables in the Airbloom table lamp and the Afloat chandelier.
Airbloom is made up of a white central lampshade, made of translucent hand-ornamented porcelain, and a series of modules available in three colour ranges in a glossy finish.
Evoking balloon art and other skilfully hand-blown pieces, the illusion of weightlessness belies the porcelain structure of the Airbloom table lamp. Drawing inspiration from the airy construction of such items, Nichetto Studio has created a playful but functional object with an unexpected, fanciful quality. The oval-shaped stem is carved with classic patterns reminiscent of summer’s inflatable pool loungers, intricate designs that embody Lladró’s unique mastery of porcelain art. With its woven-effect surface, the spherical top emits a warm glow, infusing the room with a subtle, elegant light.
Afloat has a central body with 6 modules, in the same colour ranges as Airbloom, combined with globe shades in translucent white porcelain. All Soft Blown models feature LED lighting.
True to form, Nichetto Studio artfully blends playfulness and creativity with everyday functionality in the Afloat suspension lamp. Inspired by the intrinsic ease of summer with its ubiquity of street performers and balloon art, the lamp is composed of a string of porcelain “balloons” pieced together to create the illusion of weightlessness and form the final geometry. Carved with classic patterns influenced by those often found on inflatable pool loungers, the blending and medley of textures convey Lladró’s time-honored heritage of porcelain art. The engraved bulbs radiate a soft light that showcases the detail of the design in its finest light.
