Life & soul

Design predating the 20th century is never without an element of artistic expression. Whether it be the shape of a component or the thoughtfully chosen material, even the most basic utilitarian design displays a human touch. I’ve bought machine bases from factories with lion paw feet, park benches flanked by serpents and swans, and gas pipes terminating in crowns.

Our reverence and understanding of natural materials and our physical proximity to production, always ensured an emotional connection to everything we created. Though we’re no longer aligned with nature in the same way, we still have a deep emotional response to design approached in this way, antique or contemporary.

As with everything from our workshop, the vesper light is a case in point. We made our first vesper lights from a length of 19th century brass handrail, supported by elegantly contoured and finely cast brass brackets, attached by small classical finials. The makers could more easily have made a forgettable handrail, and we a forgettable wall light, but where would be the life, or soul in that?