Sára Kele (sarakele studio) X Nezozen Kft.
PROJECT NAME: Sára Kele (sarakele studio) X Nezozen Kft.
DESIGNER NAME: Sára Kele (sarakele studio)
MANUFACTURER NAME: Nezozen Kft.
DESIGNER DESCRIPTION:
Objects with soul. Exploring the potential of sustainable materials, crafts and conscious design in contemporary furniture and interiors.
The sarakele studio creates objects with soul: exciting, yet simple and timeless furnitures and interiors - always keeping sustainability in focus.
Sára Kele’s experimental, forward-thinking approach goes beyond the visual, exploring new materials and production methods. Localism is a priority, whenever it’s possible she intertwines traditional craftsmanship with state-of-the-art, innovative techniques. She urges factories to focus on sustainability, and awareness on environmental- and societal effects of production.
Sára Kele is the founder of the brand. She designs furniture and utility objects, creates graphics, participates in interior design projects, she is teaching and holds design workshops, and is committed to sustainable development. She produced her first product under the sarakele brand almost 10 years ago and has continued to work with unbroken creativity ever since. Over the years, she has managed projects in various team structures, which have attracted the attention of international exhibitions, and has received many prestigious national and international awards and recognitions, including Red Dot Design Award, Good Design Award, Architizer A+ Design Award, A’ Design Award, Dezeen Award longlist and Edida Award nominations.
PRODUCT/SERVICE
The brand’s main profile is sustainable design, whether it’s furniture or interior design. The visual character distinguishes the company from its competitors: all branding decisions are guided by a sustainability strategy, all products reflect the challenges of our time, and build a sustainable future through their durability. From the very beginning, the company has paid great attention to building international relationships and expanding its customer base beyond its borders.
The main profile of the company is furniture and object design, interior design. This includes the design of freestanding furniture, furnishings and related graphic materials. In addition to individual orders, the launch of annual self-initiated collections is justified for portfolio building and sales promotion. Orders are placed at the request of private individuals, as part of an interior design project or to meet a manufacturer’s needs. The furniture is manufactured in collaboration with professionals and partners to ensure the highest quality end product. The finished products are also exhibited internationally.
TEAM
The sarakele brand is the brainchild of Sara Kele. She received a Master’s degree in Industrial Product and Design Engineering from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics in 2009. She gained her international work experience in Italy and Spain. Founder, chief designer and maintainer of the brand. The team has recently expanded with Anna Szilágyi. Anna got her first degree at Eötvös Loránd University and recently her second degree at at Moholy-Nagy University, she is responsible for the communication of the studio, mainly social media and press.
TARGET
Industry experience suggests that the target group is urban, with top 15% income level, typically educated, parents aged 35-55, single people and couples, conscious people with an open mindset. They also target larger public entities such as museums, offices, educational institutions and hospitality outlets with their interior design services and certain products.
CORE BRAND VALUES
- Sustainability
- Cooperation
- Tradition
- Education
- Experiment
GOALS
Environmental awareness and planning for a sustainable future guide all branding decisions. Promoting and passing on this approach is the company's ethos. Furthermore, they aim to engage in design projects that treat sustainability as a core value, and, at the same time, to achieve a high quality of art. Their ambition is to create value as a market player internationally.
PRODUCT NAME: Pontum
PRODUCT DESRIPTION:
The PONTUM collection translates the power of bridges into the language of things. The designs drew inspiration from the remarkable structure of Budapest's Elisabeth Bridge.
The PONTUM furniture range consists of tables and seating that embody the natural, raw beauty of solid wood. The clean lines and minimalist aesthetic of the collection reflect the architectural purity of the bridge. Bridges connect people. The goal of the PONTUM collection is to create objects that not only fulfill their function but also touch on a deeper level, as a reminder of the power of relationships. Since childhood, the designer has been very touched by crossing this bridge. There is something mystical about it when space opens up, and she floats between two worlds for a short time.
The Pontum project draws inspiration from Budapest's Elisabeth Bridge, which has a rich historical background. The original bridge was built at the turn of the previous century, in 1903, according to the plans of Albert Czekelius and Antal Kherndl. It was a decorative chain bridge with an opening distance of 290 meters, which was considered the longest chain bridge in the world for two decades. During World War II, in 1945, the bridge was demolished. The clean, modern, white cable bridge currently standing was built between 1961 and 1964 in the same place, according to the plans of Pál Sávoly. This is the only bridge in Budapest that has not been rebuilt in its original form.
Each object was inspired by various features of the Elizabeth Bridge, including its shapes and structure. Each object is made of solid wood. The colours of the collection also stem from the history of the bridge. Since there are two defining periods in the history of the bridge - the original chain bridge, which was demolished in World War II, and the modern white suspension bridge built in its place - Pontum furniture is available in two color versions: white natural ash and black. In the white collection, the light colour of the chosen ash wood refers to the immaculately white colour of the modern cable bridge and its floating state over the Danube. For the black collection, the pieces bring to life yakisugi, a special ancient Japanese burning technique, referring to the chain bridge blown up in the war. The final stage of surface treatment in all cases is carried out with natural oils.
The unique hanging solution of the lounge chair drew inspiration from the remarkable cable structure of the Elisabeth Bridge. The backrest frames the chair while also providing a surface for the suspension of the seat surface, referring to the structural element of the suspension bridge pylons.
The design of the seat and small table is reminiscent of the pillars of the bridge.
The geometric shape of the table and its special leg structure derive from the shape of the bridge and its clear and simple design.
In the middle of the bench runs the route of the Budapest section of the Danube. The bench consists of two pieces, which can be arranged in several ways. This articulation refers to Pest and Buda on both sides of Elisabeth Bridge.
SARAKELE STUDIO
NEZOZEN KFT
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