Beyond Belonging: Cristina Celestino for Billiani.

Corolla Chair by Cristina Celestino for Billiani.

Billiani, an Italian company specialising in the production of timber chairs, had released their latest catalogue for 2020, under the art direction of Milan-based designer Cristina Celestino. Celestino designed two new collections for the brand and well as directed the photoshoot set within modernist architecture in Ljubjana, Slovenia.

Dubbed “Beyond Belonging”, Celestino worked alongside photographer Mattia Balsamini, telling the story of the Billiani chair across three architectural projects by Jože Plečnik and Ivan Vurnik – The National Library in Ljubljana, the architect’s house, and the first undercover sports complex in Slovenia.

The three locations were chosen as they reflect the shared three qualities of the Billiani collection – the first one being rather institutional and rigorous, the second more ironic and fresh, while the third is warmer and more intimate.

Cristina Celestino‘s two new chair collections for the brand, Corolla and Frisée, are created as a symbol of the new era of Billiani.

[Photography by Mattia Balsamini.]