pronounced chee-tah

Our summer 08 range is about to hit the shops, so I thought I would post a small seek peek especially for you.

What is the brand you ask? Citta Design New Zealand. How do I pronounce that you ask?! It tells you in the title yo!

No one ever knows how to pronounce Citta. The word is constantly butchered & hearing all the feeble attempts continuously makes us laugh!

The images Ive posted below are cushions from our two theme - Art Deco & the Far North - & a smidgeon of what inspired us...

Napier city Art Deco features inspiring Collage, Ziggurat & Breezeblock printed cushions

These Art deco cushions, by Imogen Tunnicliffe, are a personal fav. I love the bold graphic prints inspired by the eclectic nature & diverse aesthetic of the Art Deco era. 

"Amid two world wars, an industrial revolution, & in Napier a devastating earthquake, Art Deco art & design was experimental, expressive & new. This was a time when people were concerned with pleasure, escape & luxury."

The above attitudes piqued Imogens imagination when designing for this new summer range. She found the uninhibited ideas of Art Deco exciting & thus created a diverse range of products that reflect the freedom of expression that dominated this particular era.

Karikari beach inspiring Plume, Flax & Kina embroidered cushions

Above are the cushions that I designed. When creating this seasons range I was particularly drawn to the muted tones & intricate textures found on New Zealand's Far North coastal areas.

Inspired by fragments collected from Karikari beach I decided to step away from a literal interpretation of each piece & instead focused on texture & colour, reworking them into simple, modern designs. The colour palette, taken directly off the beach, was used to create a feeling of relaxation, lazy summer days & the casualness of far north holidays.

To be honest, I initially struggled with the Far North range. Although I was completely inspired by the colour palette I found the imagery surrounding a beach inspired theme slightly cliche. After numerous explorations I ended up back at square one & developed my original ideas focussing on texture & colour - they say your first idea is always the best idea, & in this case it was true! Our not-yet-started summer 09 range will also be centered around a beach theme, so I have my thinking cap on already & am keeping an eye out for something that sparks a different take to the usual shell imagery. Fingers crossed its a success!