Vibrant, playful, and emotive yet also bold and decorative. This is the essence of the kaleidoscopic creations by Serena Confalonieri, a designer and art director who has built her creative practice on the powerful alliance of multidisciplinary approaches and carefree spirit.
Moving fluidly between product and interior design, with a passion that often spills into graphic and textile work, Serena loves infusing her ongoing collaborations with brands and artisans with an ironic, hyperbolic flair. To achieve this, she seeks out unexpected motifs, experiments with tactile material combinations, and revels in chromatic palettes that transport viewers into a magical realm, perfectly balanced between fairy-tale wonder and pop sensibility.
This same creative approach shaped Zdora, a project developed in collaboration with Very Simple: Kitchen and La Pietra Compattata, showcased at EDIT Napoli 2022. Drawing inspiration from Emilia Romagna's culinary tradition, home to both companies and where "zdora" refers to the women who master fresh pasta-making, the designer reimagined the timeless checkered tablecloth, that iconic symbol of conviviality in trattorias and Sunday lunches.
From this concept emerged a dynamic checkerboard pattern, reinterpreted through vibrant color palettes. Artisans at La Pietra Compattata then translated this graphic motif into kitchen countertops for Very Simple: Kitchen, as well as into surfaces for a collection of tables and seating designed by Serena herself, blurring the lines between functional design and edible nostalgia.
Following its debut at EDIT Napoli, where the collection was showcased in an immersive installation dominated by the graphic checkerboard pattern, the project became part of the furnishings selected by Serena Confalonieri for her Milan loft.
Here, the kitchen, featuring wooden modules topped with the ceramic checkered surface, enters into dialogue with a matching table in the bright open-plan living area. The table's top extends the same chromatic theme, its patterned surface cascading down the sides like an actual tablecloth, creating a playful continuity between countertop and dining space.