The FINANCIAL — There are people in this world who think that contemporary computers are just not worthy of their royal lifestyles.
The FINANCIAL — There are people in this world who think that contemporary computers are just not worthy of their royal lifestyles.
For those people, who do not like modern computers spoiling their decor, George Chirita, owner of the company Chirita Paris, came up with the idea of making computers stylistically ‘fit for a king’. In the beginning it was about creating a computer, Chirita says, which would be stylish and in harmony with an elegant interior design. But in the end, he realized that the computer had become a pretext in which he could create a real decorative object to ennoble its surroundings.
“Today the general trend of computer manufacturers is to create the most modern computers. But nobody had thought of those who do not like modern computer plastic spoiling the decor of an otherwise elegant room,” said George Chirita. ”I thought therefore of those with classic home furnishings, who would wish to place on their Louis XV, Louis XVI or Empire desk a computer that is in keeping with and worthy of their interior, a computer that looks like a jewel but incorporates at the same time the latest technology. These products have inaugurated a luxury computer, allowing France to promote itself as a trendsetter in this area where high technology combines harmoniously with the extreme refinement of art furniture,” he added.
French computer designer George Chirita became famous in France by designing gold plated computers. His creations are inspired by royalty like French King Louis XVI and are decorated with expensive materials like gold, marble and lapis lazuli. Chirita’s workers assemble his expensive computers at his company’s workshop in Melun, France.
George Chirita started his career at the National Institute for Research in Computer ITC and recorded his first patent in Bucharest in 1982. “In Romania I also worked in various projects, such as magneto-resistive head similar to Mr. Albert Fret (Nobel Prize for Physics 2007). After arriving in France in 1990, I held various positions in engineering and management study. In 1990 I founded my own company, designing and producing interactive multimedia
systems. In 1998 I patented models of computers and flat-screen TVs with a classic design style of Louis XV, Louis XVI and Empire,” he said.
Chirita decorates his creations with valuable materials like marble, lapis lazuli, precious stones, and gold. His creations start with price tags from USD 21,000 making them affordable for few buyers. He has made some wonderful creations that the rich and the royal, including Queen Elisabeth II, have greatly loved. As his production is fit for royalty, Chirita even sent Britain’s Queen Elizabeth a specially designed USB stick as a gift in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee. “It was a great honour for me to receive a letter from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of England, in response to the gift I sent for the occasion of this exceptional event. The Queen thanked me for my letter and for the special USB key, decorated with the Fleur-de-Lys motif. The Queen was very touched by my kind gesture in sending her the item,” Chirita said.
Luxury computers and accessories for the world’s rich and famous by Georges Chirita has already become a label. The French company is appealing to an IT savvy royalty with history-inspired gold computers. Using timeless classic French style, a style which transcends time, has become a successful marketing decision for the company as the work of George Chirita is growing in popularity all over the globe. “The most in demand are the classic styles that cater to a class of customers previously ignored in this respect. The entire unit (all-in-one), is housed in five centimetres thick of what could become a new type of furniture, wrought in the finest materials. In addition, the keyboard, mouse and internet connection are free of lead and the system uses the best software of the moment. The designer is then free to compose for fans a taste of these unique designs by combining a variety of stones (marble, lapis lazuli, malachite or alabaster…) metal (bronze, golden leton) and various aspects of Louis XV, Louis XVI or Empire. The decorative motifs most characteristic of each of these periods summarized in the luxurious design of these devices, including the ornamental elements, are made according to the traditional know-how that France has experience in,” Chirita said.
The products of Chirita Paris Company are handcrafted; forged of the finest materials, brass, bronze, alabaster, malachite and lapis lazuli. The metal parts are gold coated. “This allows the computer to become a decorative piece for the office and give it a touch of elegance as well. To bring together all of these qualities, it is necessary to work with real care, very precisely, and with a time frame of about two to six months to create a computer. Our products surprisingly mange to seamlessly combine a decorative style of classic French tradition with modern technology,” Chirita added.
“I am fortunate to live between Vaux-le-Vicomte and Fontainebleau in one, where I discovered the wealth of the artistic glory days of the Kings and Emperors of France. This discovery led me to combine my knowledge of electronics with those of art furniture style.
I carefully studied the different styles and trends that have influenced the creators of antique furniture and I wanted the beauty of forms and noble materials back in this present world where plastic reigns supreme with its industrial forms, and cannot be combined with the sweetness of home furnishings and refined style. I have the privilege of choosing our decorations from unique treasures of the world through collaboration with a company specializing in the manufacturing of prints founded in 1840, which has an impressive collection, the oldest of which dates back to the early eighteenth century. Three to ten years are needed to train a worker to maintain these methods and techniques that are part of a centuries-old craft”.
Q. What are the advantages of your company’s computers compared to others?
A. When I started my career in the field of computers, computers were the size of cabinets and used punched cards and punched tape. Hence my experience allowed me to anticipate when the technical performance of PCs could no longer differentiate them from the competition, when the design would come into play as the main element.
Based on this observation, I combined my profession with my passion for art. I studied many styles of decorating from around the world and I noticed that the French classic styles remain timeless. After seven years of study and documentation, I managed to draw the first computers in the three main styles: Louis XV, Louis XVI and Empire.
Since 1999 when I created these models, they are the ones which came to this state of perfection and refinement of design. The perfection of finish guarantees a manufacture in the purest French tradition, with original working methods and tools passed from generation to generation, allowing Chirita Paris to issue a certificate of authenticity for each product.
Modern photo albums on luxury USB keys are guaranteed to preserve your digital photos for at least a century, plenty of time to pass on to future generations.
Q. Who are your customers, who like to buy your computers?
A. These technological jewels’ unique characters attract internationally elite clientele. We work mainly with architects, designers for wealthy people do not have the time to deal with such an aspect themselves. Sometimes we do not even know the end customer.
The most expensive computer was a computer with a base made of lapis lazuli, a stone of great and rare purity, a stone that is more expensive than gold in fact). Six months of work were needed for its manufacturing.
