Kismas is an independent design studio based in Vilnius, Lithuania, creating lighting, furniture and objects for the home. We are not defined by a single category, but by a shared approach to design: quality, affordability and a subtle sense of playfulness.
A Story of Change
The story of Kismas began in Vilnius, Lithuania, in 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic was reshaping the world, Kismas founder Ramūnas Minkevičius began designing a table lamp using a vintage glass block. The changes unfolding both globally and in his personal life inspired him to name the project after the Lithuanian word kismas. The word refers to the process of change - when an object or phenomenon is transformed, changes substantially, or acquires new characteristics. It can be considered an equivalent of the English word flux, meaning "constant change." The glass block underwent a transformation of its own, becoming the first Kismas lamp, launched in June 2021.
Quality Within Reach
Developing our first lamp was a gradual and deliberate process. We tested numerous iterations of the lamp base, different colours and a range of LED modules. From the beginning, that same care has extended beyond the objects themselves to the wider visual language of Kismas. That process shaped the approach we have followed ever since: creating objects we genuinely want to own and refining them to the standard we expect in our own homes.
At the same time, we want our products to remain affordable to as many people as possible. We do not believe that design objects always have to be expensive, or that affordability has to depend on mass production or compromises in material quality. We strive to balance quality and affordability, giving equal attention to both.
Another Essential Ingredient
Our glass-block lamps and the Neowise collection are industrial and architectural-sculptural, distinctive and subtly playful.
This playfulness often comes through adaptability. Professional lighting filters used in the film and theatre industries allow our lamps to produce seven shades of light and create a cinematic atmosphere in the home. The minimalist Neowise Side Table can also become a large illuminated object, while coloured O-rings allow its character to change. The Rythmo Shelf can be mounted vertically or horizontally, and the Aero Coffee Table takes on a new identity with every record sleeve or magazine cover placed inside it.
The Nothing Really Mattress needs little explanation - its playfulness is immediately visible. Whether subtle or bold, playfulness remains an essential part of what we create.
A New Chapter
Lithuania's product design story developed differently from that of nearby Scandinavia. Much of that development was interrupted during the Soviet occupation, when private businesses disappeared and design could not develop organically.
After Lithuania restored its independence in 1990, the country's priorities were understandably different. The economy had to be rebuilt, and for many years design simply was not a priority. Design culture tends to flourish where there is enough economic stability and freedom to invest in quality, aesthetics and culture.
Today, Lithuania is in a very different place, and we believe the conditions are finally right for a strong product design culture to emerge. A new generation of Lithuanian designers and entrepreneurs is beginning to shape a design culture of its own. Without a long-established commercial tradition to follow, there is also the freedom to take a different path.
One of the ambitions behind Kismas is to show that original contemporary design can emerge from Lithuania and resonate with people around the world. We hope to contribute, in our own way, to this new chapter of Lithuanian design.
— Ramūnas Minkevičius, Founder of Kismas