VDF studio profile: Andreea Cornila is a Bucharest-based product and interior designer, as well as the founder of a self-titled studio that hopes to transcend purely visual and practical designs in favour of creating a more multi-sensory experience.

Cornila founded her practice in 2019 after graduating from the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism with a degree in interior architecture.

She describes her approach as one that "oversteps design's functional, essential role and finds a deeper, emotional value" in objects and spaces.

"Nowadays, we have complex resources at our disposal to create designs that trigger more than the visual sense," she said. "I enjoy focusing on the kinaesthetic characteristics of a product, making it flexible through a well-balanced fusion of colour, material and form."

The studio's first product release is Slinky – a plant stand shaped like a vertical coil spring, with a hemisphere-shaped plant pot nestled into its opening.

The bouncy design pays homage to Richard James's iconic 1940s toy of the same name, with the planter made from a single sheet of aluminium and the coil from an elastic kind of steel.

"The shape and motion of the Slinky toy fascinate me, as it offers a multitude of expressive silhouettes that I wish to explore and capture further in my upcoming collections," said Cornila.

Various spring heights allow the design to be adapted to different spaces, while adding a circular top can turn it into a small side table.

Slinky is available in a range of colours from grey to coral orange and dark petrol green, and its individual components can be mixed and matched to customise its appearance.

The gradient finish and tactile, soft matte coating is weather resistant and can withstand both indoor and outdoor use.

"I value having the chance to enhance people's lives in my role as a designer, by creating unique objects and spaces, which follow two essential principles – simplicity and balance," explained Cornila.

Photography is by Razvan Tun.

Studio: Andreea Cornila
Instagram: @andreea_cornila
Website: andreeacornila.ro
Contact address: [email protected]