maison cédrat’s new lamps filter light through clay and handcrafted washi paper

CLAY AND PAPER MEET MEDITERRANEAN LIGHT

Rooted in southern France, Maison Cédrat draws on the landscapes, architecture and material culture of the Mediterranean for Aura, a lighting collection designed by Pierre Samouilla and Alix Lalucaa. Rather than treating illumination as the final task of an object, the duo approaches light almost as another material — one capable of altering texture, volume and atmosphere as the day shifts around it.

The collection brings together three luminaires — Lumia, Écla and Nova — through a dialogue between the mineral weight of clay and the near-weightlessness of handcrafted washi paper. By day, their simple geometries foreground texture and proportion; switched on, the paper filters the light into a warm golden glow that Maison Cédrat links to Mediterranean sunsets. A little less light bulb, a little more late afternoon.

Lumia Terracotta mixes a handcrafted washi paper shade with a terracotta base | images courtesy of Maison Cédrat

HANDCRAFTED MATERIALS SET THE TEMPO

Each piece is made in France using natural materials and traditional craft techniques. The clay components are shaped and finished by hand and offered in raw clay, terracotta and black-painted versions, giving the luminaires a grounded, tactile presence. Their bases and structural elements deliberately retain the sense of matter from which they were formed rather than polishing it out of sight.

Against this density, handcrafted washi paper introduces softness and translucency. Made from natural fibers, its irregular surface remains visible when illuminated, turning what might otherwise be a simple shade into part of the visual character of the lamp. Adjustable paper elements allow users to redirect the light and subtly change the atmosphere, making each object less static than its sculptural silhouette initially suggests.

photographed at Maison Makeba, Lumia is shown in three clay finishes: raw clay, terracotta and black

THREE LAMPS, ONE SLOWER KIND OF LIGHT

Within the family, Lumia takes the form of a large table lamp, Écla scales the composition down, while pendant light Nova suspends a cloud-like paper shade around an extruded terracotta core. Despite their different formats, the three pieces share an emphasis on balanced proportions and quiet material contrasts, allowing them to structure a room without necessarily demanding its full attention.

For Samouilla and Lalucaa, both raised in Occitanie and trained across product, textile and applied arts, Aura extends a broader interest in observing what already exists before designing something new. Clay, paper and light do most of the talking here. The result is a collection that changes character between daylight and night, inviting a slower reading of both the objects themselves and the spaces around them.

set within an intimate interior, Écla Noir creates a warm atmosphere

the sculptural curve of Écla evokes the arc of a setting sun

the warm glow of Lumia Terracotta reveals the translucent depth of handcrafted washi paper

Nova combines a terracotta body with an adjustable handcrafted washi paper shade

the natural tones of the raw clay resonate with the warm interior

at the heart of Nova, terracotta, handcrafted washi paper and light come together to create a warm glow

Lumia Black reveals a more graphic interpretation of the collection

Nova combines a terracotta body with a handcrafted washi paper shade

Nova evokes a celestial body in suspension

close-up of the handcrafted washi paper, revealing the natural fibres that softly filter the light

project info:

name: Aura Collection

studio: Maison Cédrat | @maisoncedrat

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. See more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: Iñaki Laguardia | designboom

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