February 14, 2026 | vol 17
CHROMATIC NARRATIVES
words Maria Chiara Antonini
photos Courtesy of Tekla Evelina Severin
Tekla & Auping: Oliver Knauer/The LAB
Newstalgia - Equip Hotel Paris: Maria Teresa Furnari
Her collections are a celebration of colour, explored and discovered in countless ways—from art exhibitions to food to travel. From studying arts, crafts and design to opening her own studio, where she collaborates with interior design brands, Tekla Evelina Severin is all this and more.
THE BEGINNINGS OF A COLOUR OBSESSION
Tell me a bit about your journey as a creative: from your studies to opening your own studio.
In 2015 I founded my studio, a multidisciplinary practice built around the language of colour. My initial inspiration for becoming a spatial designer came from the desire to create new immersive experiences and meaningful environments that would stand the test of time—as all good design should.
Today you’re known as a colour expert. How did this passion begin, and how did it evolve into a profession?
Did it start in my childhood, when the powder pink wall-to-wall rug in my room was—against my will—ripped out, and I somehow understood what colour and texture could do for a space? Or was it when my eyesight worsened at the age of nine, making me obsess over everything visually appealing because it suddenly felt so precious? I’m not sure, but I think both moments played a part. In any case, I’ve always believed in learning by doing—it’s the only way I know how to work. And I’ve also been lucky, beginning to work with colour just as a new era for it was unfolding, and getting the right attention at the right time.
INSPIRATION EVERYWHERE
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
Everywhere. It could be a painting in a museum, or the way sunlight moves across a random suburban façade. And traveling—there’s nothing I love more than wandering through a new neighborhood, discovering different ways of living, new cities, landscapes, and houses. Food also inspires me: it blends history, culture, community, and a sensory experience for both eye and palate. For me, inspiration is a state of mind—it’s not just about what you see, but how you process it.
What new projects are you working on now? Where will we see you in the coming months?
My new collection for Layered launched in October. In November, my Elmo project with Sancal will officially debut in Madrid, and another project will be shown in New York. I’m also starting a new collaboration with an American company, working again with Ikea and Johanson Design for 2026—among many other things.
As a colour expert, we have to ask: what colour is your home?
I live with my boyfriend and our cat in a small rental apartment. The living room is pink, the bedroom is pistachio green (with a powder pink wall-to-wall carpet), and the kitchen has a butter yellow wall with checkered flooring in olive green, butter yellow, and violet.
FAVOURITES AND SIGNATURES
Is there a colour you’re especially drawn to right now—and why?
Lately I’ve been very into a yellow-olive green tone, which you can also see in the “Fregio” rug from my latest Layered collection. But the colour I return to again and again is a version of peach. I love its delicate warmth and friendliness—less “childish” than pink, which makes it perfect for my work.
Will you ever design a monochromatic collection?
You mean only black and white? No, I don’t think so. But I’m happy to weave in neutrals alongside colours.
Do you think it makes sense to announce a new colour trend every year?
I do think trends are worth talking about, because they reflect the moment we’re living in and the culture we’re part of. But what I find more interesting is talking about colour combinations. A colour is always relative, never absolute, and it’s defined by its context.
On social media and in your project photos, your outfits always harmonize carefully with the colours of the spaces. How much research goes into this?
Hahha, yes—someone once asked me if the outfit or the design came first. Finding the right outfit for each project or setting actually takes a lot of research. It’s a bit complex—what started as a “scale figure” concept in my spaces has now become one of my signatures: the faceless female creator, appearing in matching outfits that both blend in and stand out at the same time.
- The full story is featured in Vol.17 -
