Back to Journal

Giopato & Coombes on light, air, and presence

Giopato & Coombes on light, air, and presence

For Giopato & Coombes, light isn’t just a utility. It’s a feeling. In the Bruma collection, they explore light as atmosphere, not object. A kind of softness that doesn’t seek attention but changes the room all the same.

“The Bruma collection is an expression of light,” says Cristina Coombes. “But more than light as an object, it’s about the emotional atmosphere it creates in a space.”

Inspired by haze, by those in-between states where form and light blur, Bruma is built on the idea of presence without weight. A quiet clarity.

“We started thinking about Bruma from the idea of haze,” adds Cristiano Giopato. “Of something that’s present, but not solid. That moment when light passes through fog and becomes something else.”

The form is minimal. The glass, handblown and layered, is treated to diffuse light gently. A soft-focus lens in three dimensions. The detail is in the restraint.

“We wanted it to feel like something between material and air,” Cristina says. “Something you notice without it asking to be noticed.”

Technically, it’s complex. But the process is invisible in the final effect. And that’s the point.

“Each piece is handblown, and the finish is created with layers that diffuse the light in a very specific way,” Cristiano explains. “But we don’t want the complexity to be the point. The feeling is the point.”

And the feeling is calm. Subtle. Complete.

“It’s about presence, not performance,” Cristina adds. “You see it, you feel it, and maybe it changes the way the space moves or breathes. That’s the goal.”

  • Mini Maxi

    Mini Maxi

    14 January – 5 April, 2026Giopato & Coombes Gallery, 4 Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris From 14 January to 5 April, 2026, Giopato & Coombes presents Mini Maxi at its...

    • View Project

    Mini Maxi

    14 January – 5 April, 2026Giopato & Coombes Gallery, 4 Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris From 14 January to 5 April, 2026, Giopato & Coombes presents Mini Maxi at its...

    • View Project

  • Building BLOQS: The Future Workplace

    Building BLOQS: The Future Workplace

    Perth Design Week: Local + Local Presented by District & Elements District and Elements are proud to take part in Perth Design Week as contributors to Local + Local, presented...

    • View Project

    Building BLOQS: The Future Workplace

    Perth Design Week: Local + Local Presented by District & Elements District and Elements are proud to take part in Perth Design Week as contributors to Local + Local, presented...

    • View Project

  • Design Dialogues: Falke Svatun

    Design Dialogues: Falke Svatun

    Oslo forms the backdrop for designer Falke Svatun’s work, where sketches on paper evolve into objects that sit between the functional and the reflective. Trained in Sydney, seasoned in Copenhagen,...

    • View Project

    Design Dialogues: Falke Svatun

    Oslo forms the backdrop for designer Falke Svatun’s work, where sketches on paper evolve into objects that sit between the functional and the reflective. Trained in Sydney, seasoned in Copenhagen,...

    • View Project