OPALINA by Cristina Celestino

Opalina is the new collection that Cristina Celestino has designed for Tonelli design, a benchmark in Italian design which has been manufacturing glass furniture with the hand-bonding technique for over twenty-five years. This collection includes a dressing table, a writing desk, a mirror, a coat stand, and a stool. These furnishes stand out for their joints, rounded volumes, and muted, matt colours.

For Cristina Celestino the Opalina project is not just formal and aesthetic research but cultural too. Up to the 19th century, the word ‘opaline’ referred to an off-white, rose colour. Later on, in the antiques world, it referred to both the colour and material of an artefact: opal crystal. Over the centuries, the use of opaline glass became more sophisticated in terms of colour variations; however, white and pastel pink, blue, and green were the most popular during the early 20th century. With this collection for Tonelli design, the word ‘opaline’ no longer defines just ornaments and giftware, but also glass furniture. The Opalina collection is made of thick etched and painted glass slabs that give a translucent and silky appearance.