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Parisian Designers Garnier & Linker Introduce New Lighting Collection
Roxanne Robinson
Guillaume Garnier and Florent Linker are renowned for their small-batch collections produced by French master craftsmen. (The pieces in their Kitayama wood series, for example, are made from a specially grown cedar from Japan that grooms tree trunks to be knot-free.) Their new Hemera collection is a series of light fixtures hand-carved from lost wax technique molds and plaster casting. The collection consists of wall sconces, floor and standing lamps, and ceiling “pendant” fixtures. The 11-style group furthers the Greek convention with names such as Eos, Thala, and Phoria. Prices range from $4,000 to $6,000.
The designers prefer to work in simple geometric shapes that lean toward the cylindrical, save for the Nebula, which is a lone cube. But the pair avows that form is not the starting point of creation but rather the research of the materials and handcrafting. “By designing simple shapes, we put the materials front and center,” says Garnier. Popular materials include bronze, plaster, alabaster, and cast glass. Of course, clients also direct the design: The Nebula ceiling fixture, for example, was created in tandem with the Plegat Joubin atelier. Once the project was complete, it was added to their permanent collection.
With Hemera finished and ready to show, Garnier and Linker then had to devise the best way to present their new collection with the typical seasonal trade shows in Paris all but closed to nonlocal traffic. Milan and London trade shows were also out of the question due to coronavirus-related restrictions. The designers took a dramatically altered approach to show the collection online. Rather than set them back, the designers chose to highlight the craftsmanship and savoir-faire going into each product. They decided on a close-to-home venue — their own workshop — and created a set to film the artisans creating the works. “In the end it turned out to be a good space to film, as our designs appear among the mockups, molds, and samples that led to their creation,” says Garnier. The duo was so pleased with the results that it’s considering showing its next collection this way.
