Bai Chandelier III

Though based in Barcelona, Parachilna’s origins actually stretch all the way to its namesake, a desert ghost town in Australia. A random stop there years ago inspired Alfredo Valero and Roman Riera to eventually create a luxury lighting company dedicated to enduring craftsmanship, aided by European metalsmiths, glass blowers, ceramicists and other skilled artisans.

Collaborating with such notable modern designers as Jaime Hayon and Neri & Hu, partner Alfredo explains Parachilna’s purposeful process. “We don’t use industrial techniques,” he says. “Everything revolves craftsmanship, which means that there is a lot of work, from prototyping to finishing. When we say, ‘We don’t like it,’ we start all over again.”

“We believe in architecture and design as a powerful cultural force,” observes Rosanna Hu, who founded her eponymous and much-acclaimed practice with partner Lyndon Neri in 2004. Though based in a bustling Shanghai neighborhood, the Neri&Hu Design and Research Office is known for a global portfolio that spans architecture, interior design, furniture, products and exhibition design. To wit, the multi-cultural team speak more than 30 languages.

Neri&Hu initiate both their own design projects for a number of brands as well as oversee the entire creative direction of luxury furniture maker Stellar Works, also based in Shanghai. At A+R, their lighting for Barcelona’s Paranchilna and for Dutch house Moooi is also represented. “We are still too young to have a distinct language,” notes Rosanna, “so we flow in many directions depending on the specificity of the project.”

Both Rosanna and Lyndon’s worldview stems from their educational and professional trajectories. “We are both born in different parts of the world than that of our grandparents, grew up learning multiple dialects and then went to school in the West,” says Lyndon, who received a Master of Architecture at Harvard University after his undergraduate days at UC Berkeley. Rosanna received her Master of Architecture and Urban Planning at Princeton University after also studying at UC Berkeley. The duo subsequently worked for a number of noted American firms including Michael Graves and Skidmore.

Their prolific studio has earned a host of awards, including Dezeen’s Architecture Studio of the Year for 2021, induction into U.S. Interior Design Hall of Fame in 2013, UK Wallpaper Designer of The Year and I. D. Magazine’s I.D. Forty, to name just a few.