Bubble Family by Cuorecarpenito

When you are as old as I am and were a teenager in the Eighties and a young adult in the Nineties, then I guess congratulations are in order. Because let’s face it, those were some fabulous times aesthetically! Sure, we tend to forget about all the mediocre stuff from that era as it disappears in the rearview mirror of history. But all in all, the Eighties and Nineties are now a great source of inspiration for many designers and artists. Case in point: Cuorecarpenito and the Bubble Family collection of vases.

I hate nostalgia. In fact, I cannot tell you how quickly I run to the radio to change the station any time one of those cliché Eighties classic songs are on. Walk Like an Egyptian? Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go? Fun back in the day, but after hearing them literally thousands of times in my lifetime, I hope someone can stick a fork in me because I am DONE.

That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate designers who take the best from the Eighties and Nineties, and then turn it into something contemporary. With its quintessentially Eighties cylindrical and circular shapes, I think the Bubble Family by Italian ceramic artist Claudia Carpenito is instantly recognisable yet new and fresh. I’m also a sucker for well-thought-out combinations and as you can see, Carpenito definitely delivers the good in that respect as well.

Unsurprisingly, works by Cuorecarpenito do not come cheap, but then again, everything is hand-made right here in Europe. Besides, if you’re like me, and you’re a design aficionado in your Fifties, then chances are you have a little money to burn. So, what’s keeping you? Just whip out your credit card and order a vase or two right now. You only live once!