At L.A. based Ombia Studio, Cristina Moreno translates her cultural heritage into hand-built furniture that blurs the line between sculpture and function. It makes for design where texture and imperfection are the focus.
Cristina Moreno embedded her Colombian heritage into her practice at the very start. As the founder of Ombia Studio—which derives from the last syllables of her native country—she carves textural furniture pieces by hand, where form and proportion are often exaggerated.
“The name takes the last four letters of this word. I wanted to pay a homage to where I grew up, its craftsmanship and skilled artisanal work. This was a huge inspiration behind the brand and it was important to me that it held that weight in the name,” she shares.
Can you walk us through your creative process—from the initial concept to the final hand-built piece?
Cristina Moreno: It always looks a bit different. Sometimes I will see something in nature, or at a museum and think of an idea for a chair or table. Then create a maquette and produce it. Sometimes an idea will come to me while I’m falling asleep or still on vacation. Other times I will explore creating a whole collection, and this takes a lot more research. Once I find the specific theme I dive deep into it, going to the library, watching videos and reading about the topics. I really enjoy the non-linear approach to my creative process.
What role does material exploration play in your work?
Cristina Moreno: This is really important when it comes to my practice. I love being challenged and learning, so exploring new materials gives me a chance to expand with this. Making a table out of wood and recreating it then in stone brings the product into a whole different light. Sometimes when I am working with a new material I will think of a different design or a new product. Exploring materials and letting the process unfold really informs so much of my work.
How do you balance form and functionality? Do you consider your pieces more as sculptures or functional furniture, or both?
Cristina Moreno: I like to consider them both. I want my pieces to be highly functional and for people to enjoy them and use them and then pass them down through generations. The sculptural aspect of them is as important, as I want them to add something unique and special to the home. I want people to see them and feel that they are a handmade object that brings a different energy to the space.
Could you explain how you let the material guide the outcome—such as the visibility of thumbprints or organic edges?
Cristina Moreno: I remember watching a painter once pour buckets of paint into the canvas and letting the physics unfold, blending the paint, and letting it drip. The artist definitely has some control, but this is being informed by the natural process and what the paint naturally does when poured. A lot of the times when we are working on a table—passing a blob of clay through the slab roller, or cutting a wooden leg—something beautiful will happen in that process.
The raw organic edges will appear in the slab of clay, or the saw marks in the wooden leg will appear. Instead of polishing this to make it look “perfect” I like letting it be just like that. All of my designs have some of this. Something that happened in the process that informed the outcome.
Texture is a signature to Ombia’s aesthetic, what inspires this?
Cristina Moreno: Texture is something I have been drawn to for as long as I can remember. I simply see the world in this way, so bringing this into my design process was only natural. I like that my furniture never feels flat. Texture gives it a certain depth, that I think us humans are attracted to.
How has your cultural heritage influenced your design perspective?
Cristina Moreno: Growing up in Colombia I was surrounded by a lot of artisanal work. The bags women wore, the decoration in people’s homes, the jewellery. It was all handmade with natural materials by local artisans. There were always markets, and street vendors I would visit. It made me really fall in love with the handmade. For me these objects have a different energy. I love when you can see the slight “imperfections” that make a piece be handmade.
How do you select which objects to produce, is there a guiding thematic or conceptual thread?
Cristina Moreno: Not really, but I will say I am mostly drawn to tables. There is something about the way we gather and share around them, and their functionality that really draws me in.
Where do you see as the role of Collectable Design, and do you see your work within it?
Cristina Moreno: I would consider my work collectable design, as they are pieces that are very carefully handcrafted. A lot of the times they are limited editions, or specific custom pieces for the client. Just like art and the way we collect it, I like to think about furniture the same way. They are sculptures that live in a home, that are carefully curated to coexist.
