Creating Familiarity Through Natural Forms

New York-based furniture and interior designer Anna Karlin debuted her collection “Subverting Domestic Familiarity” at the Milan Design Week 2019.

As part of the much anticipated FuoriSalone installation, Anna Karlin showcased her iconic Chess Stools, new iterations of her Dimple Lamp, Curved Chaise, a pair of W Chairs in natural maple finish, a new burl nesting coffee table and a new totem-like, floor-to-ceiling light fixture. The pieces on view are new additions to Karlin’s ongoing “Subverting Domestic Familiarity” collection, which explores the relationship between natural forms and the precision of the man-made.  “We have a fundamental need for familiarity or to be surrounded by natural forms,” says Karlin, “where there is fragility, there is strength. Where there is disequilibrium, there is a balance. Where there is vulnerability, there is support. The works are a visual interpretation of these emotional paradigms that exist in our everyday lives,” she says.

Born in London, Anna is trained in visual communication, she is a self-taught product designer. Her work encompasses of projects in print, art direction, fashion shows, interiors and set design. This alchemic approach to design led her to launch her Furniture + Fine Objects Collection and she is now represented internationally by a network of design galleries and works with leading interior designers and architects to place her pieces in some of the most prestigious buildings internationally.  She believes strongly that all forms of design should tell a story and that all the disciplines contribute wonderfully to each other and therefore no one area must remain untouched. Her studio practice and Anna Karlin Furniture + Fine Objects are the results of this sensibility. Furthermore, she has just launched Anna Karlin Fine Jewelry.

By Aarti Mohan

Pictures Courtesy Anna Karlin