The lighting workshop:
where the bright sparks
Illuminating the Maison’s crystal creations all over the world and supporting creative processes are only a few examples of the expertise that the pôle Lumières Saint-Louis can offer.
On the workbench of the lighting workshop, pieces of sculpted crystal, chrome-plated or gold-plated metal components, LED modules, light bulbs, and cables in all sorts of colors are waiting to be transformed into table lamps or chandeliers by the enchantment of screwdrivers and agile hands. On the shelves, a multitude of electrical components are stamped with international trademarks confirming and guaranteeing their proper functioning, and that they are up to accepted electrical and electrostatic compliances following global standards, such as ignition, currents, voltages, harmonics, fluttering, and photobiology. The innumerable standards and designs reflect not only the complexity but also the poetic side of today’s electrical world. With their magical fingertips, the adept lighting workshop team master the spells of the electrical world to amalgamate the thirty typologies of lighting creations registered in the catalog.
“Our job consists of creating interactions between crystal and light by bringing different know-hows together to strike the best balance between optics, mechanics, electronics, and eco-design regulations. To achieve the best result, we integrate the expertise of engineers, technicians, designers, preparers, and artisanal mounters together to dedicatedly bring Saint-Louis lighting creations to the market. There are around fifteen of us in total to create concrete solutions to all the inspirations of the creators and to implement them,” says Jean-François Lavaud, Head of pôle Lumières, a specialized department solely focused on actualizing lighting designs.
Sustainability has been a core focus from the initial design stage, complemented by a worldwide network of repairers who enable customers to enjoy their lighting for years to come. The "lustrerie," the French equivalent of the term "lighting workshop," was first coined in 1858 when Saint-Louis successfully launched its first "lustre," a ceiling-mounted chandelier. Originally fitted with candles, these chandeliers were subsequently powered by gas, and now by electricity. Saint-Louis even won a gold medal at the 1867 Paris World Fair for its impressive “large hanging chandelier in white and colored crystal, the large candelabras featuring mounts entirely made in its own workshop.”
Once blown or pressed, sculpted, and decorated, the crystal components are first scrupulously selected, then sent to the Manufacture’s lighting workshop to be assembled with the metal and electrical components.
“Crystal has exceptional optical properties, traditionally magnified by the faceted pendants of the hanging chandeliers that project a myriad of colors. However, about fifteen years ago, the introduction of more durable and more directional LED modules enabled exciting possibilities to create new lighting ambiances, as seen in our collections, such as Matrice, Vibration, and Apollo. By incorporating cutting-edge lighting technologies, Saint-Louis opens up new creative possibilities for our creators. The expansion of potential allows us to stretch our expertise over the necessary months of collaboration, striving to push the artistic limits of crystal through innovative lighting designs,” Jean-François Lavaud continues.
In just ten years, Saint-Louis has collaborated with globally renowned designers, such as Kiki van Eijk, Pierre Charpin, Godefroy de Virieu, and Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, to enrich its lighting collection. The last, but definitely not the least, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, introduced the Folia portable lamp, the first nomadic lamp of the Maison equipped with a rechargeable battery, which gained considerable success upon its release in 2019, to the extent that a dedicated assembly workshop is now in place. This year, the workshop will also assemble the new nomadic Mini Folia portable lamp, developed by the pôle Lumières. The new luminous piece offers two color temperatures and is dressed in a new refined material gleaming with a delicate luster, echoing the softness of wood and the glimmering sheen that Saint-Louis opts for.
“Cultivating partnerships with specialists in emerging light technologies and materials,” stressed the Head of pôle Lumières, “is also one of the key roles of our profession.” The Torsade collection, a brand-new design by Stéfania di Petrillo, serves as the perfect illustration of this idea. The technique of invisibly embedding thin LED strips inside branches is achieved through the uncompromising effort of a key collaborator and is luminous yet discreet as the designer envisioned.
In addition to these design and production know-hows, the agility of pôle Lumières is also involved to accommodate special customer requests to create both timeless and contemporary lighting creations, such as the chandelier reinterpreted and designed for the Comédie- Française, or the Folia wall-mounted modular system created solely for a monumental staircase on the other side of the world. These unique challenges give the team opportunities to expand the constellation of Saint-Louis' renowned luminous masterpieces.
GUIDED TOUROF THE WORKSHOP
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