Innovative, bold, and immensely striking, The Alchemist Collection of interior vintage lighting is a collaborative effort from Lancashire-based lighting company, The Light Yard, and Gwyn Carless Designs.
Jeff Fuller, founder of The Light Yard, and lighting designer Gwyn Carless are an interesting match. Both innately creative, with small independent companies, they share a passion for unique, hand-made lighting design with integrity.
Jeff, a former chef at some of London’s most prestigious venues, spent almost a decade living in France, during which time he created Adorable Eclairage – a company specialising in the supply of high-end outdoor and architectural luminaires.
He met Gwyn – a passionate track cyclist and talented lighting designer – in 2012 when he began supplying his lighting products, and began a formal partnership with him a year later when he returned to the UK and founded Lancashire-based lighting company, The Light Yard.
Observing the rapid rise in the number of hospitality interiors featuring highly decorative, warm Edison filament bulbs, the pair felt that there was nothing to distinguish the lighting between projects, and wanted to create a light fitting that framed and enhanced the natural beauty of the bulbs.
High quality LED Edison-style vintage light bulbs form the centrepiece of their designs, but the true heart of this collection lies in the use of hand-cut architectural glass for the lamp shades. When switched on, filament and glass interact to create a visually-arresting array of crisp reflections within the shade.
The quality of materials used is integral to achieving this effect, and Jeff and Gwyn pride themselves on using only the very best – from the glass to the antique bronze lamp holders and ceiling rose fittings. What is more, each product is individually cut and bonded by hand, ensuring that every item is finished to the pair’s exacting standards.
This level of quality, alongside the atmospheric glow and unique aesthetic of these designs, means that the collection is ideally suited to the hospitality design sector – an industry Jeff has had a great deal of experience of, and found a great deal of inspiration in, throughout his career.
“As a chef, I was always moved by the way that changes in natural daylight affected the London skyline, especially the stunning architecture on the walk to work at the Houses of Parliament at sunrise,” he explains.
“I spent several years working in the city, and was inspired by the way that artificial lighting is used to redefine the architecture and mood of its surroundings at night. My professional background has certainly given us an insight into how fundamental a role the aesthetics, design and texture of lighting play in the customer experience.”
Meeting the growing demand for lighting designs that challenge conventional material applications and production techniques, The Alchemist Collection would bring abundant theatre and vibrance to any hotel, bar and restaurant interior.
The collection will officially be launched at this year’s Interior Design Showcase Summit, which is to be held in the Grand Ballroom at the Hilton London Wembley hotel on March 11th.
