Having graduated from the School of Architecture of the National Technical University of Athens, Anna Moraitou takes inspiration from her studies and from industrial design, using sturdy materials commonly found in construction (mostly wood) to make jewelry, bags, furniture pieces, and even clothes.

Geometry is an inevitable and fundamental part of architecture as the ancient Greeks well knew; the importance they placed in simple geometric shapes is evident in the structures of temples, stadiums, and theatres. In Moraitou’s designs you’ll notice those same simple shapes.

Sometimes they are simply a stylistic choice, but for some pieces they offer practical benefits, such as with the purses which keep their shape forever, rather than deform as they’re weighed down by their contents. The use of hard of materials helps maintain clean and crisp lines.

They are certainly eye-catching. The “c” is a circular wooden purse consisting of a wooden disk with a round hole for a handle, and faux leather pockets attached to hold your belongings. The award-winning “0” design and the two triangle bags feature leather pouches sandwiched between two pieces of wood. The pouches are sewn to the wood using thick string, and there is no glue.

“I want their construction to be obvious; you should be able to see how they are put together,” Moraitou explains, “That’s a trait that’s prominent in industrial design”. The wooden surfaces can be pressed with different color veneers on each side, to get two looks in one.

Her jewelry is made out of humble plexiglass and more wood, and the large statement necklaces can dress up the simplest of outfits. She also makes a few home design items, like triangle ceramic plates and the “The Pulse” – a light fixture whose zigzag shape resembles heartbeats on an ECG monitor.

Perhaps the most eye-catching of Moraitou’s designs, however, is the top made out of geometrically shaped pieces of plywood held together with metal clasps. “The triangle is of uttermost importance in architecture,” she says, and she comes back to it again and again. The study of geometry might have been born in ancient Greece, but today it is universal, and so are all of her designs. Her inspiration for the wooden top is the works of I.M. Pei, and the Louvre Pyramid in particular.

You can purchase Anna Moraitou’s designs through various online shops.