Studiokhachatryan takes to MDW 2024 to unveil three new Armenian-inspired projects
Taking the stage at Baranzate Ateliers during the ongoing edition of Milan Design Week, the three objects Case, Corps, and State transcend to achieve perfect harmony between contemporary innovation, functionality, and tradition. Designed by interior designer Noro Khachatryan, the founder of Belgium-based studiokhachatryan, the functional design pieces take cues from Armenian monumental architecture and everyday objects—melding artistry and utility, and the past and present. “I could easily consider the resulting sculptures without adding any function. However, the inspiration behind it was dynamic and functional. Hence, I found it fascinating to add functionality and consider it a form of performance,” says Khachatryan.
Serving as a showcasing space for the Milan Design Week 2024, Baranzate Ateliers is an initiative that transforms industrial wastelands around European cities into vibrant design showcases. Conceived by Lionel Jadot in 2019 as a brainchild of Zaventem Ateliers, Baranzate Ateliers returns to Milan with another anticipated edition. The presentation sets up camp at a residence at Via Gaudenzio Fantoli 16/3, a monumental 1950s industrial building of 7,300 square metres near Linate. This year’s programme traverses art, collectible design and performances—emerging as a major highlight of the design week.
Hailing from Armenia, Khachatryan integrates design elements and characteristics from his native land. His eponymous studio has a diverse portfolio involving sculptures, interiors, architecture, and elements for public and residential display. The design principle of the studio revolves around infusing natural materials with analytical gestures built using traditional craftsmanship. The designer’s ideology is to bridge objects and product design with architecture in a way that each piece of art can seamlessly blend in an architectural space whilst having its own personality. With a minimalistic approach and a blank canvas as the origin for each project, Khachatryan explores new and diverse ideas. The material palette for most of the studio’s projects includes natural materials such as stone and wood, and industrial materials such as concrete and semi-precious metals. A similar design approach is conspicuous in their newly unveiled creations: Case, Corps, and State.
