Since founding the studio, Bill has championed the idea of designing through making as the principle way of developing an
object or product; as espoused by the legendary Japanese industrial designer, Sori Yanagi.
Our first exploration into lighting came back in 2015, when inspired by an exhibition at London’s Hayward Gallery, we began to look at the unusual effects created when integrating leather braiding around LED lighting tubes.
Using woven leather cord, which we braided and knotted by hand around high quality lighting tubes, we found we could affect a variety of shadows, with a delicate glow radiating through the leather. The first lamp prototypes with spun brass end caps, were developed for the Wallpaper* Handmade exhibition at that year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan.
Having continued to refine the idea in-house, we were commissioned by a long-standing client last year, to apply the concept to a series of 24 variable-length braided pendant lamps, suspended from a solid brass cruciform structure as a dining room chandelier.
Partnering with a leading lighting manufacturer who oversaw the electrical components and ensured the requisite safety standards, the finished chandelier used over 1.5 kilometres of natural leather cord and was delivered and installed at a private residence earlier this year.
The next step? Having developed, tuned and optimised the product, we are excited to be working on our first lighting range – encompassing a desk lamp, sconce, pendant lamp and more – for launch later this year.
We are so grateful to have clients who place their trust in us. It always creates the most interesting and exciting end results.
