GRUE and L-E-D

The series Grue (crane) is the fruit of a collaboration with the ACE furniture company. The company’s philosophy is defined by a clear working guideline: ash is the sole wood used and it is crafted with traditional carpentry tools. This results in objects bearing a strong and radical aesthetic.

“A question rapidly arose: how can a new object be created from a material crafted by traditional techniques?” states Béatrice Durandard. “I then became interested in working with LEDs in order to create a lamp for them: to involve a technology which has rarely been employed with the traditional use of wood work, offers a novel, even contemporary aspect. The association of a light with a thin piece of wood is unusual.” The Grue lamps take advantage of their two constituent elements: the LEDs do not get hot and so do not mark the wood; whilst the wood provides, in a classical manner, a simple hinge mechanism with a distinct ease of use. The desk lamp is currently being produced by ACE.

With the L-E-D series, Béatrice Durandard wants to explore and investigate the LEDs domain. “Light may be treated differently, as it is no longer necessarily a question of the traditional isolated light source, as offered by a light bulb. LEDs allow for minimalism, simplicity, and an efficiency which is unattainable for traditional light sources,” explains the designer. “Within this context one thing surprises me greatly: even though LEDs allow for a lot of flexibility, their implementation remains technical (soldering, connecting to a transformer,...) and systems aimed at simplifying their use have not yet really been developed. The use of strips of LEDs should be as simple and as clear-cut as using a socket and a bulb. Here, a series of connectors, designed upon a similar principle, slide along standard aluminium rails, and a contact is made via a simple screw. All unnecessary intervention during the manufacturing process is therefore avoided”. Technology is thus forgotten in order to better perceive the discrete lines of lights which give off a powerful and uniform illumination. Lamps produced using this system are presented in various models, floor lamps, wall lamps, and suspended lamps.