Marina Cighir is the Founder of Aina Kari, an artisanal, awarded, sustainable brand of luxury candles and objets d’art that are handcrafted in Italy using Murano Glass and Pallisandro marble. The designer discusses her inspiration and next collection.

Where are you from and where do you live now?  I was born in a small town in Romania, and now reside in Treviso, Italy.

When and why did you start making candles and objets d’art?  10 years ago I started working for an important brand of home fragrances. That experience mixed with the incredible luck of living in Italy, next to Venice, where everything breathes beauty and savoir-faire determined the creation of very niche decor candles and objets d’art.

What does Aina Kari mean? Aina Kari is a typically Persian mode of architectural decoration, the practice of covering surfaces with a mosaic of mirror glass. Venetian glassmakers produced small mirrors in the 15th century by cutting open blown glass cylinders; the fragile decorations were brought by Armenian silk traders who traveled by caravans, but parts were broken during the caravan transit to Persia. But even broken, their light-refracting and vision-diffusing qualities not to speak of their great intrinsic values- must have dictated their reuse as art decoration. AK is a hymn to the Italian crafting that continuously enhances art and beauty hundred years after.

Who or what inspires you? Stories, Italian past, and heritage trying to transmute into physical objects.

What are your favorite scents?  The fragrance of our Blooming Tulip Collection-  Mysterious incense, saffron, A little bit of sweet strawberry Elegant sandalwood, white leather, patchouli.

What was your first scent memory? Daffodils -the first flowers in the spring in my granda’ garden and in the summer peonies, she has had a huge gorgeous peonies garden in front of the country house. 

What are your favorite places (for design or otherwise in Venice)? The hidden “campo” in Murano, which means “plaza/square “ in Venetian dialect.  One just needs to distance oneself a bit from the main crowded Venetian streets “calle” and then enjoy the magical silence rhythm of people living here.

Dream travel destinations? I used to travel a lot, for holidays or work, I enjoy the desert nights and the 1000 nights’ perfumes as in the Middle East, the next stop I hope is Oman. 

Dream clients? Those that fall in love with our objects, ask firstly for the story behind them, and not the price. 

What do you have planned this year? Some events, such as Fuorisalone, Maison & Objet in September, and Dubai Design Week in November.

What is next for Aina Kari? Exploring new objects and subjects that remind us of the territory and the heritage. No rush to launch new collections, as it is not our aim to create something new for “newness ‘sake.” 

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE

The Proust Questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature. Here is the basic Proust Questionnaire.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? All family gatherings for bdays, Xmas, or Easter time.

What is your greatest fear? Old age and loneliness.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Lack of compassion.

What is the trait you most deplore in others? Lack of compassion.

Which living person do you most admire? My partner.

What is your greatest extravagance? Selected wine even for a basic lunch at home.

What is your current state of mind? Concentrated.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Honesty.

On what occasion do you lie? Skipping the truth.

What do you most dislike about your appearance? Thighs.

What is the quality you most like in a man? Reliable, gentlemanly behavior.

What is the quality you most like in a woman? Charisma, ironic personality.

What or who is the greatest love of your life? My sister.

What do you consider your greatest achievement? The greatest one is just a sum of dozens of little achievements.

Where would you most like to live?  Here, where I live now.

What is your most treasured possession? 1900’ s Japanese porcelain tea set.

What is your favorite occupation? Drawing the imaginary.

What do you most value in your friends? Availability.

Who are your favorite writers? Jane Austin.

What are your favorite names? Mattia.

How would you like to die? Heart attack. 

What is your motto? “Je suis jeaunne, il est vrai, mais la valeur n’attend pas le nombre des annees” - Le Cid, Pierre Corneille