Dezeen Magazine

Patricia Urquiola creates stained-glass doors for Credenza cabinets

Milan 2016: Patricia Urquiola has added stained-glass panels to the front of these cabinets, becoming the latest in a series of designers to use the material for contemporary furniture.

Urquiola worked with graphic designer Federico Pepe to create the Credenza capsule collection of furniture, which includes cabinets, screens and a low table designed for Milan boutique Spazio Pontaccio.

Credenza by Patricia Urquiola and Federico Pepe

All of the pieces feature geometric panels of blue, red and yellow glass, with diagonal and triangular patterns housed in semi-circular frames.

The use of stained and coloured glass is emerging as one of the key trends at this year's Milan design week. The Campana brothers have used the material to fill blob-shaped gaps in a wooden cabinet, and Glas Italia is presenting a range of coloured glass furniture pieces.

Credenza by Patricia Urquiola and Federico Pepe

Among Urquiola and Pepe's references for the Credenza collection were the stained-glass windows that German artist Gerhard Richter installed at Cologne Cathedral in 2007.

To create the duo's designs, sections of coloured glass were cut by Italian artisans to match paper and card patterns, then laid out.

Narrow strips of metal – typically lead in traditional stained-glass windows – are melted between the gaps that fuse the panes together once cooled and solidified.

Credenza by Patricia Urquiola and Federico Pepe

"The meeting between an antique sacred inspiration and its reinterpretation in the form of design is as well reflected in the production process of the collection," said a statement from Spazio Pontaccio.

"Credenza – characterised by contemporary patterns, colours and materials – is produced in Italy by artisans skilled in the thousand-year-old manual technique of stained glass, generally used for the architecture and the decoration of churches."

The panels are installed in simple furniture pieces that rest on thin cylindrical legs. The curved forms of the cabinets taper back from the glass sections across the front.

Credenza by Patricia Urquiola and Federico Pepe

Urquiola overcame her hatred of glass last year when she designed a set of iridescent furniture and mirrors using the material. The designer has since created a range of grid-patterned architectural glass for Skyline Design.

The Crendenza collection is launching at Spazio Pontaccio, Via Pontaccio 18, in Milan's Brera district during the city's design week. Taking place from 12 to 17 April 2016, the event will also see that launch of a variety of designs for children.

Check out Dezeen's guide to the unmissable exhibitions and installations on show during Milan design week 2016 »