After learning the secrets of a craftsman with a unique formula for iridescent resin, design studio Objects of Common Interest has used it to produce 13 ethereal objects.

Presented at Nilafur Depot for Milan design week, Poikilos is a series of furniture and homeware designs that showcase the distinct qualities of this particular resin.

The works, which range from small bowls to a large dining table, feature unexpected and highly nuanced qualities of colour and translucency.

"In every piece, you discover another characteristic of the material," said Eleni Petaloti, who co-founded New York- and Athens-based Objects of Common Interest with partner Leonidas Trampoukis.

"The solid pieces are more milky, while the thinner pieces become almost transparent," she told Dezeen.

Petaloti and Trampoukis learned how to produce this resin from Romanian-born Ovidiu Colea, 85, who became a maker after moving to New York in the 1970s.

Over the decades, Colea had developed a unique resin craft using techniques and recipes he formulated himself.

"He was casting resin for 40 years and discovered so many different ways of doing it," said Petaloti. "He developed secret recipes and ways of doing crazy stuff."

Colea's studio worked on all kinds of projects. There were behind-the-scenes collaborations with artists, which was how he first met Petaloti, but he also mass-produced souvenier replicas of the Statue of Liberty.

When he decided to retire, Petaloti tried unsuccessfully to find him a partner to carry on his craft.

"To me, he was a scientist," she explained. "But nobody understood his value, because he was so modest."

Instead, Colea decided to entrust Objects of Common Interest with his machinery and recipes.

His entire workshop was shipped to Athens, where Petaloti and Trampoukis set up a new production facility, and he travelled over to help train staff.

"It was an extreme challenge," said Petaloti. "He has a very particular way of making resin – it's like a secret recipe locked inside another secret recipe."

"He came over for two weeks, and he worked day and night on the training."

Poikilos is the first result of this enterprise. The exhibition, curated by Valentina Ciuffi of Studio Vedèt, explores how this iridescent resin can be used to produce highly sculptural furniture and homeware.

The designs build on the contemporary aesthetic seen in other Objects of Common Interest projects, which include the tubular Formation seats and the inflatable fountain at this year's Alcova exhibition.

Highlights include the three-legged Klisis chair, the concave Afairesi console and the whale-like Stala coffee table.

"Valentina didn't want us to go to a territory that had been explored already," said Petaloti. "We had to come up with something that was an evolution of our work but that also reflected the particularities of the material."

The name, Poikilos, is a word used in Ancient Greece to describe "the mottled fur of a running leopard or the iridescent skin of a snake".

This is believed to be the earliest reference to the concept of iridescence, making a clear connection with the studio's new location in Athens.

One of the most important outcomes of the project, according to Petaloti, is the economic value that this production facility can bring to Athens. The studio is supported by EU funding and now employs 13 people.

"It has been fascinating to activate a making moment in Athens," said Petaloti. "That makes me really proud."

Poikilos was on show at Nilufar Depot from 17 to 23 April as part of Milan design week. See our Milan design week 2023 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks that took place throughout the week.