Login
Registered users
Paris-based architect, designer, and set designer India Mahdavi has established a reputation for her diverse international projects spanning architecture, interiors, set design, furniture, and product design. Known for her joyful, cosmopolitan, and elegant aesthetic, Mahdavi creates unique environments distinguished by her bold use of color, earning her a prominent place in global design.
Among her latest product design projects are the Venetian Holiday collection for Acqua di Parma, which celebrates the traditional art of hand-blown glass, and the Palomas chocolate box, which marks the 25th anniversary of her iconic Bishop stool, a signature piece in her portfolio.
For Italian lifestyle and fashion company Acqua di Parma, Mahdavi has created the Venetian Holiday collection, a multisensory journey celebrating the excellence of Murano glassware by Salviati. A symphony of light and color, this limited-edition collection draws its inspiration from the iconic art deco designs of this historic glassworks founded in 1859.
Available in five colors and three patterns, the 180 ml perfume bottles are adorned with colored glass accents and crafted using Salviati’s traditional techniques. Each piece is therefore unique, shaped by light, and distinguished by subtle variations in color and materiality.
Besides the bottles, Acqua di Parma offers a series of individually numbered Murano glass vases, produced by master glassmakers who transform the vibrant colors of molten glass into genuine works of sculpted art.
A set of three Murano glass spheres completes the collection. Sunny tones of amber and yellow reflect the brand identity, symbolizing “golden fruits,” like lemons and oranges. Green evokes the aromatic notes of the collection, recalling herbs such as rosemary and bergamot. Finally, Mahdavi interprets the color lilac to create watercolor-like touches, reminiscent of water itself.
For the first time since its creation, India Mahdavi’s iconic Bishop stool has been transformed into a gastronomic experience in the form of a limited-edition product created in collaboration with Lyon-based chocolatier Palomas.
Mahdavi has redesigned the firm’s packaging with a colorful crisscross motif inspired by tartan, capturing her signature style. The stool’s distinctive shape is also echoed in the chocolates themselves.
With Iranian pistachio and Peruvian dark chocolate presented in a box with a lavender interior, both the packaging and its contents pay homage to the Teheran-born designer’s heritage and the richness of ancient Persia.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Bishop stool, India Mahdavi’s 17th Project Room is hosting the retrospective Bishop: 25 Years. Opened in 2020 and situated near her design studio in Rue Las Cases, the Project Room showcases the most emblematic variations of the celebrated stool. This retrospective highlights the stool’s playful engagement with space, reflecting its original personality.
Designed and crafted in France, the stool is available in various sizes and around 20 colors. It takes its name from the chess piece, which moves diagonally rather than straight. This versatile piece doubles as a pedestal table and a stool, and is suitable for both indoors and outdoors. Over the years, Mahdavi has continued to reinterpret its form by exploring new materials and sizes.
>>> Discover the work of Bologna artist, photographer, and designer Niccolò Morgan Gandolfi
Cover image © Thierry Depagne, courtesy of Acqua di Parma
