OnOffice

Sisters Petra and Nicole Kapitza are on a mission to make the world a brighter place. They share the story behind their colour-drenched geometric aesthetic – and why design should be for everyone.

Step inside the newly built Sports Centre in Backnang in southern Germany and you might be surprised by what greets you. Gone is the uniform palette of grey concrete and neutrals. Now, walls are punctuated by oversized circles in vivid pink, turquoise, yellow and aqua – each strategically placed to guide visitors and elevate mood. The colour-drenched walls are the work of Kapitza, a London-based art and design studio founded by sisters Petra and Nicole Kapitza, who have made a career out of transforming everyday spaces into immersive environments of colour and pattern.

“Our clients often take a leap of faith when commissioning the use of colour in a big way – but colour creates identity,” says Petra. “The end result in Backnang was received so well that we have been asked to extend the scope throughout the building, which is exciting proof of the power of colour.”

Founded in 2004, Kapitza quickly alighted on a distinctive voice defined by bold geometry and saturated colour. It’s a shared aesthetic that the sisters say is simply a part of who they are. “I think our earliest influence is probably growing up in Germany,” notes Nicole, going on to reference the work of the Bauhaus movement and French-Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely.

Each project begins with a shape or a colour, and the sisters push each other to create completely new expressions using these geometric building blocks. “One of us might have a big idea, and the other one reels it in,” says Petra of the dynamic between the duo. “There’s a constant back and forth.”

While their work feels as if it is created with joyful abandon, it is actually the result of working within a strict set of self-imposed limitations. “We’ve always loved restrictions,” explains Nicole. “Geometric forms are very restricted and basic, and we are also influenced by explorations of early software. We always ask, ‘What can you do with a circle? What can you do with a square? How far can you push one shape to create all these different artworks?’”

They apply the same way of thinking to the way they work with colour, choosing unexpected palettes that challenge expectation and evoke surprising, memorable emotional reactions. This doesn’t just brighten previously neutral interiors, but actually helps people – especially children and the elderly – to navigate spaces with ease, creating wayfinding systems that don’t rely on reading or remembering numbers. At The Royal London Hospital, for example, Kapitza applied coloured patterns and wooden art blocks to help patients find their way through identical corridors. “You might be anxious or have difficulty reading,” says Nicole. “But with colour and shape, you don’t have to remember anything. It’s just intuitive.”

This emphasis on inclusivity is what Kapitza calls ‘democratic design’ – a term the pair first came across when collaborating with Ikea. It refers to design that’s thoughtful, accessible and empathetic. “We believe that good design should be for everyone,” explains Nicole. “That’s why we love creating public art. You don’t need to go to a gallery. It’s just there, part of the everyday.”

The sisters’ approach to colour is similarly democratic. They don’t have a particular favourite. Instead, they talk about creating a dialogue using colour, often employing monochrome backgrounds to increase the contrast and heighten the emotional impact of a particular tone. In doing so, they challenge preconceptions about the meaning and significance of certain colours – consider, for example, the increasingly outdated ideas around colour and gender.

It’s a philosophy that will be on display during London’s Clerkenwell Design Week, for which Kapitza was invited to design the auditorium at Charterhouse – a former Carthusian monastery rich in history (they have also crafted the cover of this issue of OnOffice). “We were inspired by the historic ceilings,” says Nicole. “Even though they are ornate, they are very geometric. We’ve put a contemporary spin on that history, bringing colour and energy into the space.”

The sisters’ work goes far beyond architecture, and their bold patterns have been applied to projects as diverse as packaging and make-up bags for Clinique, rugs for Ikea, playful watches for Swatch and sweaters for Comme des Garçons. Whatever the scale or format, however, Kapitza’s mission remains the same: to bring joy through colour and form. “Don’t be afraid of colour,” says Petra. “There’s too much beige in the world, and people react to colour. It lifts the spirits.”