KEEPSAKES

KABINET Bio

KABINET is an ambitious experiment forged out of the pursuit of tasteful aesthetics and a longlasting friendship. The longing for future craftsmanship lies in the foundation of this partnership. Since meeting at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan during their Bachelor’s degrees, Danu Chirinciuc developed his expertise in furniture making in Verona while Daniel Nikolovski moved onto practising interior design internationally before returning to study his Masters in Interior Design at the Royal College of Art.

The two reunited with one simple idea to collaborate and design a capsule furniture collection for Salone del Mobile 2019, composed of upholstered goods and cabinets in different wood finishes and paints. The result was far beyond expected: they came out fully rethinking how upholstered goods are defined today, and proceeded to extend their network of collaborating artisans with the ambitious mission to breathe new life into the Veneto furniture craft region.  

The design duo has the vision to bring a youthful interpretation of Italian furniture-making and rare materials into every urban dwellers’ homes. Their struggle to find quality furniture collections in the market that would not break the bank led them to combine their design and furniture making specialities into creating a brand unparalleled to most - serving style, quality and affordability simultaneously.

As much as they are in touch with the new, Danu and Daniel do not see the past as obsolete. As philosopher and bibliophile Umberto Eco brilliantly observes, ‘imitations are done so no longer as mere reproductions; they are neither the representation nor the real remaining – just the hyperreal’. Never ones to be constrained by a single inspiration, they take the liberty to marry a multitude of inspirations - from minimalistic sculptures, naturally forming limestones to the iconic designs of Dino Gavina - which formed the core identity of the brand: future nostalgia. Future nostalgia is the hyperreal and KABINET is the keeper of these postmodern collectibles.

Rooted in contemporary art and design culture, pieces from KABINET carry playful forms and colours and daring combinations of materials, integrating unrivalled Italian craftsmanship with a fine contemporary sensibility. Even the smallest item from KABINET will become a treasured collectible in the connoisseur’s tastefully curated home.

Keepsakes - Capsule collection 2019

We move around with circumspection on a mental planet of circumvolutions, and from our excesses and passions we bring back the same transparent memories as we do from our travels.

Jean Baudrillard

Keepsakes is an anthology of handcrafted furniture pieces sought after by the ones who know. Inspired by the post-Instagram wanderlust, KABINET’s inaugural furniture collection celebrates the acquired sensibility of the cultured beau monde. Be it an archaeological remain discovered or precious jewels from the 60s sourced in faraway markets, the arbiters of taste are unmoved by trends that come and go but instead bring home one of a kind pieces that will resonate with them for a lifetime.

Through this capsule collection, Daniel and Danu are offering a vision to the future of furniture making. In their own words, it ‘connects aesthetics and the admiration of lost eras, but most importantly we are offering a way to enrich that lonely corner at your home.’ Being collectors of material nostalgia themselves, they collect and are inspired by naturally formed configurations such as fossils and stones untouched by human hand yet bear witness to millennia of human history. However, rather than romanticist archeological designs, pieces in Keepsakes are a refreshing and forward-looking appreciation of the old and the raw.

Unbound across art and design disciplines, they reimagine fashion aesthetics on an architectural scale and accentuate imperfections of elm burl and deformation of textiles to challenge the ideal of beauty. Comprised of elegant yet edgy unions of colours and materiality, every piece in Keepsakes will evoke an aura of future nostalgia in any space they inhabit. Expect to find collectible furniture of topflight Italian craftsmanship and unexplored materiality.