Renowned Italian design studio Bernhardt & Vella has launched its first independent furniture collection, No More Private, during Milan Design Week 2025. The debut marks a significant shift for co-founders Ellen Bernhardt and Paola Vella, who have spent more than 15 years shaping industrial design for major Italian brands. With this new project, the duo reclaims creative autonomy and proposes a more personal, lived-in vision of contemporary furniture.
Rooted in the spatial intimacy of their home-studio on Via Popoli Uniti, the collection comprises three pieces—a coffee table and two armchairs—that reflect a refined interplay between structure and softness. The work is as much about sensory experience as it is about spatial integration, offering furniture that adapts to its environment rather than dominating it.
Milanese Modernism Meets Intuitive Craft
Set against the backdrop of their 150-square-metre live-work space, the No More Private collection evolves from the architecture around it. The interiors, which retain the original apartment layout, serve as both inspiration and stage for the new designs.
The ROCK STEADY coffee table anchors the collection. It juxtaposes a solid travertine base with a lightweight polished steel frame, allowing the piece to appear both grounded and ethereal. Reflections from the metal create an ever-shifting visual dialogue, offering a nuanced take on material contrast.
Meanwhile, the SOFT BLOCK armchair begins as a geometric cube. Through a process of subtraction, it transforms into an inviting seat that balances minimalist rigor with ergonomic intent. The clean contours suggest restraint, while the structure invites comfort.
Adaptable Forms, Elevated Materials
The third piece, the ONE PLUS armchair, embraces geometric clarity while adding playful dimensionality. Its two-tone, striped upholstery in soft mohair lends both visual rhythm and tactile richness. The result is a chair that is both sculptural and practical—a signature of Bernhardt & Vella’s design language.
What unifies the trio of pieces is their capacity for adaptation. These designs are not static objects but responsive elements meant to evolve within different contexts. Whether placed in minimalist lofts or layered residential interiors, each piece from No More Private is conceived as a companion to daily life, not a showroom artefact.
A Philosophy of Living Through Design
For Bernhardt & Vella, No More Private represents more than a product line. It is a design philosophy—a statement against ephemeral trends and toward deeper, more emotional connections with space. As Ellen Bernhardt puts it, the collection “is about creating pieces that resonate with how we really live—imperfectly, intuitively, and beautifully.”
This pivot from commercial constraints to personal experimentation signals a broader shift in the design world. At Milan Design Week, No More Private stood out not for spectacle, but for its authenticity—a quiet manifesto written in travertine, mohair, and steel.