DINZ德网 | Athena Calderone · 一场跨越百年的设计对话

Looking back on history allows us to look ahead to the future. Drawing inspiration from the past can pave new creative paths, reshape perspectives, and give rise to fresh and contemporary interpretations. Constantly exploring the unknown and adhering to self-discovery in the design field have always been the driving forces propelling progress. After moving into her Tribeca apartment, Athena Calderone developed a profound interest in Art Deco architecture and delved into in-depth research. She unexpectedly fell in love with the fluid forms and understated expressions in French and Viennese Art Deco designs from the early to mid-20th century, which opened up a world full of brand-new possibilities for her.

Athena Calderone's second collection, Salon, designed for Beni Rugs, is rooted in geometry and offers a timeless interpretation of historical patterns from the Art Deco movement. An ink drawing of a Vienna building facade by Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann from the 1930s inspired her carpet designs, color schemes, and patterns, ultimately leading to the creation of the Fassade carpet.

Athena Calderone's exploration of the Functionalism period brought her to Vienna. There, she immersed herself in the study of the era's Art Deco and design, incorporating the sharp, linear, and repetitive elements from the city's architecture into her carpet designs. The glass ceiling of the MAK Museum became a significant source of inspiration for the symmetric geometry and modern linear frameworks in her collection. Through in-depth research on the Vienna Secession, she learned how to use abstract geometric compositions to reimagine vintage decorative carpets. These irregular shapes provided her with creative space, enabling her to freely build upon traditional patterns, sketch ideas, and continuously refine her designs.

The 1925 Art Deco movement earned its name from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. The geometric framework of the exterior of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, designed by French architect Auguste Perret (recognized as Paris's first Art Deco building), sparked Athena Calderone's creative impulse. The historical building facades, window frames, doorways, and other elements she encountered during her travels merged with the fundamental vocabulary of Art Deco, such as straight lines, rectangles, and layered shapes. As she sketched, repetitive lines and self-contained patterns gradually formed a cohesive collection. The final designs distilled shapes and linear patterns into their simplest and most powerful forms.

In the world of color in design, designer Atina Calderón is experiencing a shift in her use of color. In her study of Art Deco, she discovered a unique color combination of cool blue and terracotta. Her palette also shifts from bright sunny tones to richer colors, including ochre, green, red and blues from deep navy to cool silver.

Paris was deliberately chosen as the shooting location for the Salon series to capture this historic city that perfectly combines historical heritage with modern design language. Coincidentally, the shooting location is Auguste Perret's former house (penthouse at 51 rue Renoir, Paris), the architect's facade design is the inspiration for this series.

The plush organic material of the hand-woven rugs is embellished with decorative rectangular patterns, creating an interesting dialogue between man-made and natural. This interaction injects a touch of softness into the angular space, which is exactly the opposite unity of design that Atina Calderón always pursues. Beni Rugs shares her admiration for art and craftsmanship, respect for cultural traditions, and a firm belief in the power of handmade beauty. This series pays tribute to history and inherits fine traditions.