After the rain, color: CLU, the umbrella stand that becomes a chromatic totem
With a modular design where each piece holds its own shade, CLU, designed by Estudio Gris, is a minimalist totem that transforms storage into sculpture, adapting to homes, hotels, and offices through gradients and restraint.
Human habits are often driven by needs, and needs are fulfilled by objects – some of them beautiful by definition, some laden with meaning, others present simply because we require them. How many things do we collect that inhabit our homes and shape how we live? And how many of them can dialogue with space and function in an immediate way? These questions become particularly relevant when we consider the objects we barely notice, the ones that exist at the edges of our daily rituals, waiting by the door. That’s why CLU by the Colombian Estudio Gris won the third edition of DesignWanted’s Ideas for Business competition, about the umbrella stand.
The studio’s ability to connect a very specific function with beauty in a subtle way, adapting to any environment with strong character and a pursuit of beauty expressed through material treatments, color gradients and modularity. The project was awarded 1000 euros as part of the competition’s mission to support emerging design talent, providing the resources to help transform young ideas into concrete business opportunities, bridging the gap between concept and market. In a category often relegated to pure utility, CLU emerges as proof that even the most overlooked objects deserve thoughtful design.
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Umbrellas have always carried symbolic weight beyond their practical function. Once markers of status in their early history, they became democratized in the 20th century, evolving from privilege to protection available to all. Today, they’re such ordinary companions in contemporary life that we forget their presence until the sky opens. Yet this very ordinariness creates space for reinvention, and this is where CLU intervenes, transforming the umbrella holder from a receptacle into a true stand – a pedestal, even a totem – that connects entry spaces and furniture we rarely think about, elevating the mundane without overcomplicating its purpose.
“After the rain, color” is the object’s claim, and for good reason. Each module – Mono, Duo, Trio – carries its own shade, and when placed together, they create gradients that speak a language of transitions and crossings. Like the sky clearing after a storm, CLU captures that suspended moment between necessity and relief, between wet disorder and dry calm. This chromatic composition isn’t merely aesthetic – it’s narrative. It tells the story of transformation, of moving from one state to another, which mirrors exactly what happens when we cross into home. We arrive drenched, burdened, displaced by weather, and within moments we shed those outer layers, becoming ourselves again in the safety of interior space.
The design transforms the humble umbrella stand into a sculptural presence, a minimalist totem that conceals the everyday mess of wet fabric and metal ribs, leaving only a monolithic volume of color behind. With a removable drip tray and a top peg for compact umbrellas, CLU combines functionality and emotion, turning storage into an understated gesture of order and beauty.
The object conceals 80% of the umbrella, shifting attention to form, color, and presence rather than the chaotic tangle of spokes and fabric we’re used to seeing. This act of concealment is generous – it protects the space from visual clutter while allowing the umbrella to fulfill its secondary purpose: drip, drain, and dry. Lightweight, flat-pack, and made of powder-coated metal, it adapts effortlessly to homes, hotels, and offices, proving that good design travels across contexts without losing its character.
Estudio Gris approaches design as a quiet yet transformative language, shaping both space and daily experience. Founded by two industrial designers in Colombia, the studio is driven by a shared commitment to elevate the essential and express its inherent strength.
Their work centers on furniture defined by minimal architecture and material clarity, pieces that integrate rather than impose, offering quiet permanence and revealing the beauty of the elemental. Each object is conceived as small-scale architecture, articulated through sober lines, clear structures, and enduring materials that stand apart from fleeting trends.
Simplicity, timelessness, and functionality form the core of their practice, guiding designs suited to both living spaces and contract environments. The studio also embraces design as a form of responsibility: working with long-lasting materials, supporting local craftsmanship, and creating pieces that reflect Colombia’s cultural landscape while speaking to a global audience.
About the author
Ludovica Proietti, journalist, design historian and curator, teaches in universities and curates events, always exploring projects with fresh, unconventional perspectives.
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