We tend to think of lighting in definitive terms. Functional. Architectural. Something that clarifies a space. But spend a little time with the lamps of Vanity Boum and that logic would begin to shift.
The first time I pushed the door of Adélaïde Enlart’s small boutique in Paris’s 10th arrondissement, I immediately knew her universe and Maurèle’s would perfectly align. I know that area very well for having spent so much of my late afternoons sipping wine on the terrasse of Chez Prune, 5 minutes walking distance from Adélaïde’s boutique.
Adélaïde doesn’t design lamps in the conventional sense. Instead, she creates conditions, ways of shaping light so that it becomes softer, more ambient and poetic. Fabric can play an important role as well. It filters, diffuses, and subtly alters the character of light, while colour adds depth rather than just being decorative. What emerges from it is something more atmospheric than functional.
But don’t be fooled by this sense of ease. Behind each lamp is a process that is both intuitive and perfectly well thought-through. Adélaïde would often begin with humble materials, sometimes foraged from flea markets, textile remnants, offcuts, fragments that would otherwise be ungratefully disposed of. But now in Adélaïde’s hands, they get a new purpose as structured and considered objects. And just like that, she not only wields light and colours but spontaneity and control too.
Behind each lamp is a process that is both intuitive and perfectly well thought-through.
In a room, Vanity Boum lamps reveal themselves gradually. First what you notice is how the light changes throughout the day. How the colours deepen following the evening. How the overall atmosphere of the room becomes warmer. Mood is the main character here, and in this chapter. But the idea of mood leaves room for interpretation. And mood, is to me what defines a space, how it gradually makes you feel over time, taking over the surroundings.
This is exactly what I was looking for, for Maurèle. Objects with longevity, not just in terms of durability, but in their ability to hold interest. Pieces that don’t exhaust themselves on first impression.
