Gabriela Chicherio Product Design

The product designs by Gabriela Chicherio (*1980) are functional, elegant and always have an appealing little catch. A funnel, a modular cabinet, a valet stand, as well as several chairs, stools and lamps show her stylish design. The funnel YPSI, a cylinder turned upside-down, does not fall off the bottle. The modular cabinet BABEL consists of stackable, rotating segments with different materials. And the valet stand TANGO is something like a grown-up hanger.

Already during her studies at ECAL Lausanne, Gabriela designed the funnel YPSI, which was subsequently produced by Ligne Roset in 2004, the year of her graduation. This was the beginning of a successful collaboration with the renowned manufacturer: both the modular cabinet BABEL (2006) and the lamp AMIS DE JEAN (2012) have been incorporated in Ligne Roset’s product range.

After graduation, she joined the industrial design team of Beat Karrer to hone her talent to experiment with design ideas, materials and shapes. In the following six years, Gabriela developed projects with and for the designer. In parallel, she was teaching as an assistant in industrial design at the ZHdK. Gabriela Chicherio opened her own design studio in 2011.

Combining established principles and almost-forgotten solutions in a new and different way: this best describes the formula for Gabriela’s success. She boils it down to: “I interpret existing things, change their context, give them new meanings – that’s the essence of my designs”. She perfects her method through extensive studies, which may lead her to thrift shops and flea markets. With good luck, Gabriela finds here old-time objects to inspire her for her contemporary design.