Compagnie de Saint Gobain : "Illusions", the new Saint-Gobain Adfors collection of lighting fabrics

Saint-Gobain Adfors presents a new collection of lighting fabrics from the ONIRYS range to be unveiled at the Architect@work trade fair in Paris.

'Illusions' is born from the collaboration with young designers at ENSCI, the French national school for advanced studies in design.

Inspired by the spatial and mineral world, the patterns in this collection designed for interiors are enchanting. 'These fabrics offer the warm qualities of a textile combined with the magic created by glimpses of light', says Jean-Baptiste Gotteland, Decoration and Design Sales Manager for Saint-Gobain Adfors. 'The resulting luminous ambiance leaves one spellbound.'

More than two years ago, the teams of Saint-Gobain Adfors and Saint-Gobain Research began a collaboration with ENSCI-the Workshops - textile design - to explore the enhancement possibilities of lighting textiles related to habitat. Two years on, Saint-Gobain bought three of the school's twelve patterns and had them woven. These three fabrics produced by the students are the ones chosen by Saint-Gobain Adfors to be launched through its 'Illusions' collection.

Danaé Bocabarteille's 'Mineral' fabric is inspired by the depths of the oceans, the fauna and the flora. It refers notably to the glowing seaweed coming to settle at the foot of glass sponges conducting their light. The outcome is an ornamental three-dimensional pattern.

'Sky', by Sidonie Postel-Vinay, evokes Japanese screens - shojis. This luminous surface is composed of shades of patterns designed by jacquard. The fiber optics scroll through the face and back of the fabric and form refined changes of light intensity. The jacquard pattern is inspired by a painting by William Turner, The red Rigi.

Finally, 'Lines', by Emilie Cabello, opts for a minimalist action by treating light through lines and patterns of stripes. She drew her main sources of inspiration from the optical work of Bridget Riley or the paintings of Barnett Newman. The result is a timeless textile material that can easily be staged by architects for community spaces for example.

'Working with the students from ENSCI and their teaching staff was a rich and exciting experience. Beyond the style and the emotion, the eye of these young designers led us from day one to imagine the luminous fabric's material, color and pattern in a context of use. This enabled us to develop a consistent range for interiors that particularly meet the expectations of the architects', adds Catherine Jacquiod, Project leader, Saint-Gobain Adfors. A blend of flexibility, lightness and ease of installation, the 'Illusions' fabrics will clad furniture, walls and lamps.

Join us from September 22 to 23 at the Architect@work trade fair in Paris (booth 234 hall A) and discover this new creative world.