When we think of lighting that feels both structural and poetic, few designers manage the balance as gracefully as Cristina Celestino. Her work weaves architectural rigor, feminine delicacy, and a thoughtful approach to materiality - creating objects that feel like discoveries, not just fixtures.
A Glimpse into Her World
Cristina Celestino studied architecture at IUAV in Venice and early in her career she straddled architecture, interior design and object design. Today, under the label Attico Design, she pursues a transdisciplinary method: each project - whether it’s a bespoke interior, an installation or a product - responds to context, memory, and the sculptural potential of materials.
She often draws inspiration from fashion, jewellery, nature and geometry - these recurring threads animate her visual vocabulary across scales.
Among her collaborations, her lighting work for Il Fanale stands out as a poetic union of utility and lyricism.
Lighting as Jewellery: The Bon Ton Collection for Il Fanale
Concept & Inspiration
The Bon Ton collection (2016–2018) is perhaps her best-known lighting collaboration with Il Fanale. The name itself evokes “bonne ton,” implying elegance, manners - but also a nod to jewellery, “bon ton” as a pendant, a refined accent.
(Images courtesy of Cristina Celestino, https://www.cristinacelestino.com)
The idea is simple yet profound: treat a light source like an earring or pendant. Celestino reinterprets the suspended form as a “micro architecture” of volumes arranged along a cable, culminating in a delicate curl or “butterfly swirl” closure that echoes the clasp of fine jewellery.
She collapses the boundary between functional lighting and ornament - each lamp becomes a piece that wears the space gracefully. Bon Ton invites you to see lighting not as background but as a focal, almost personal piece.
