Serbian-born Ana Kras embodies the definition of a “jack-of-all-trades”! The sometimes-model exhales creativity with each breath she takes. As a furniture designer, photographer and illustrator, Kras has dabbled successfully in many mediums; but it’s her Bonbon lamps that we’re especially drawn to.
Weaving yarn over the geometric-shaped wire frames, the intricacy of threading the surfaces has a cathartic feel to it. Watching Kras in motion is almost hypnotizing! An accident led to Kras coming up with these lamps… when a lamp that she ordered came in incorrectly, she took thread and started to outline the form. Having never previously worked with textiles, Kras’ wasn’t deterred and her creativity lead to a wonderfully whimsical lantern. Each Bonbon lamp, handmade by Kras, is elegant yet invokes the feeling of “handmade”. The unique color patterns usually aren’t selected beforehand, it’s just what Kras “feels like”. Luckily, that’s proven to be a successful inclination!
From Kras’ “Bonbon” light series. Unless a special request comes in, the color palates are derived from Kras’ instantaneous whim.
Image courtesy of: Pamono, photographed by: Giada Paoloni
Close up, it’s easy to see the intricacy involved in the thread weaving. Who would have thought this was Kras’ first try at textiles?
Image courtesy of: Pamono, photographed by: Giada Paoloni
A sampling of a “family of lanterns”. The series was made in 2012.
Image courtesy of: Ana Kras, photographed by Ana Kras
Ana Kras weaving a Bonbon lantern in her sun-drenched NYC studio. The thread Kras used was from a Serbian company, Ivko Knits. Gaining a bit of global recognition for a small company from her birthplace of Serbia is important for Kras!
Image courtesy of: Garance Dore