Domna Armchair
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To bring Domna Armchair to life, the Ukrainian design brand Faina committed to the study of the ancient ceramic sculptures of goddesses, drawing the necessary inspiration from them. Join My Design Agenda and discover how

Made by the Cucuteni-Trypillia culture around approximately 5,400 to 2,700 BC, the sculpture depicted the bodily form of a goddess. It was believed that four of these feminine forms facing inwards in an interlinked circle represented a hora, a ritualistic dance. According to the designer, these figures of the female goddess’ body served as talismans, to bring good luck to families and particularly farming culture.
Yakusha wanted to achieve a “mild feminine form” with the Domna armchair, which she describes as having warmth and “cloud-like softness“. On this same thread, she named the chair after the Ukrainian word Domna, which translates as stove, but is also a rare female name meaning priestess.
As Yakusha explained, her work is intended as a celebration of modern Ukrainian design and is typically rooted in the country’s cultural heritage. She hopes each of her pieces will become like “family members” for their owners.
The armchair was debuted at this year’s Collectible design fair in Brussels, which took place from 5-8 March. Here it was presented alongside other bespoke design pieces by Faina, including the Ztista dining table and chair, the Solod sideboard with a ceramic facade and the Kumanec and Hata ceramic vases.
Yakusha looked to traditional, local materials for these furniture items, which are made from clay, wood, willow, and flax, with some being covered with a special biopolymer coating.
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