Colour: The perception of light

We have the pleasure to be designers and creators due to photoreceptors that react to certain energy photons. The human eye is a tool to interpret waves transporting energy in the visible spectrum. The advanced mechanism of our eyeball gives us a sense of seeing, but at the end point, all we spot are reflections.

Tafla C zdjęcie: Weronika Trojanowska

Colour is thus nothing but a chemical fingerprint of each material that reflects light—and lets us see. Our sensory processes constantly interpret all those reflections. Whether scientifically or artistically, they are the sum of experiences that we tend to define as colours, and as a result, emotions.

Tafla O zdjęcie: Weronika Trojanowska

chair made of inflated steel chippensteel zieta studio

Chippensteel Chair zdjęcie: Weronika Trojanowska

Individual experience

The perception of colour is a deeply personal and subjective experience, unique to every individual. The human eye is capable of distinguishing millions of different shades and hues, each imbued with its own emotional resonance and symbolic significance. For designers and artists, understanding the nuances of colour perception is essential for creating works that are visually compelling and emotionally evocative.

Rondo mirror helix nebula collection reflections

Rondo Lustro zdjęcie: Rafał Ciemny

Plopp zdjęcie: Marta Więcek & Aleksander Rokosz

In Zieta Studio’s designs, we use metal surfaces that reflect and refract light in a multitude of hues. From the soft, warm glow of copper to the cool, icy shimmer of steel, these materials offer a rich and diverse palette for designers to work with.

Bolid zdjęcie: Weronika Trojanowska

The colours of metal

One of the key factors in colour perception is how light interacts with different materials. When light hits a metal surface, it is reflected and refracted in a unique way that depends on the surface’s texture, finish, and colour. For example, a high-polished stainless-steel surface will reflect light in a way that creates a bright, shimmering effect, while a copper surface will diffuse the light, creating a softer, more muted effect.

Rondo Lustro zdjęcie: Rafał Ciemny

Plopp zdjęcie: HFDA / The Sparkle Content

These properties of metal surfaces can be manipulated and enhanced through various techniques of colouring, which results in Zieta Studio’s Collections. The beauty of our metal surfaces lies in their ability to capture and reflect light in a way that is both dynamic and alluring. As light plays across the surface, it creates a mesmerizing display of colour and movement, drawing the eye and stimulating the senses. Whether in the form of a sleek, modern mirror sculpture or elegant, decorative vases, these materials offer an infinite range of creative possibilities which we explore on a daily basis.

rondo mirror donut shaped red rubin finish

Rondo Lustro zdjęcie: Weronika Trojanowska

Rondo Lustro zdjęcie: Weronika Trojanowska

Evoked emotions

At the heart of it all is the power of colour perception, which has the ability to inspire and evoke emotion in a way that is both visceral and deeply personal. For Zieta Studio designers, this is a rich and fertile ground for exploration and experimentation, one that offers endless opportunities for creativity and expression. By understanding and harnessing the power of colour perception, we create objects that are truly captivating and emotionally resonant, works that speak to the very essence of what it means to be a perceptive human.

Plopp zdjęcie: Weronika Trojanowska

a chippensteel chair shining and reflecting light

Chippensteel Chair zdjęcie: Zasoby Studio

So let us invite you to explore this world of colour and light with us at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023, where we will showcase the limitless possibilities of metal surfaces in design.

Individual experience

The colours of metal

Evoked emotions

Nie przegap kolejnych eventów

Metalowe obiekty Zieta Studio w atelier HAWROT

Teatr, metal, ilustracje

Centrum Nauki Kopernik x Oskar Zięta 2025/26