A new way of experiencing the interaction with the landscape within living spaces
Giopato & Coombes brought their distinctive design approach to Milan Design Week, showcasing a blend of design, art, and unique pieces of light excellence.
The focus was on a new collection, Bruma, which was presented in the Giopato & Coombes Gallery, the brand’s permanent exhibition space in the heart of Milan at via San Maurilio 19. The designer duo founders, Cristiana Giopato and Christopher Coombes, opened the doors to the site-specific installation “A Thousand Landscapes.”
This project stemmed from the emotional experiences of the designers. On a winter day, the light and mist that created blurred profiles of Venice and London transformed the visible into a suspended landscape perceived differently.
“On a walk in October, the mist had arrived around us slowly and softly, ending up enveloping everything, hiding and revealing objects, shapes, lights and shadows at the same time. Near and far had changed, as had our perception of space. The perspective depth had been transformed into a rhythm of overlapping planes, while the objects had become masses of misty air, to be glimpsed between the invisible and the visible. From this spatial chiaroscuro, the Bruma project was born.” say Giopato & Coombes‘ founders.
The Bruma collection achieved a balance between density and absence, creating a space that was integral on a structural, compositional, and material level. The installation “A Thousand Landscapes” revealed a luminous landscape that encouraged the observer to experience perspective and navigate the space between the visible and invisible.
Behind every luminous creation was an in-depth study of the positioning and dimensionality of the elements. Each composition displayed a natural perspective rhythm, achieved by placing laminar glass modules with a semi-transparent, misty texture—crafted by hand and varying in size—at different heights, resembling thin condensations of mist in the air.
When observed from different angles, the interaction with the lamp became perspectival, echoing the ethereal presence of mist and our interaction with it. It was a silent sculpture of light, akin to a trompe-l’oeil effect.
The luminous sculptures of the Bruma project combined experimentation with materials and freeform gestures, advanced lighting technology, and rational research. They revealed a new sense of three-dimensionality and a novel way of perceiving and experiencing the interaction with the landscape within living spaces.
