The editors of Interiors + Sources chose the Ay Illuminate Z1 Black Bamboo PC pendant, distributed in North America by Global Lighting, a Bella Figura Communications client, as the cover image for “The Makers Issue.” The fixture “has a handcrafted black bamboo frame sheathed in black, gray, or natural handmade paper,” they add. “The upper and lower portions of the fixture are uncovered for a luminous effect while the woven shade reflects a textural glow.”
A Bit More About Ay Illuminate
Ay Illuminate is available through Global Lighting in North America, the Dutch company’s fixtures included in the company’s Ethos Collection. Casper and Ay Lin Heinen are the co-owners of Ay Illuminate, a company with serious soul. The principal designers, Ay Lin and Nelson Sepulveda, work with artisans, many in challenged or developing countries, to create products unique to their brand. The character, heart and passion they have for authenticity is evident in their designs. Casper and Ay Lin compare the process of bringing cohesion to their lighting collections to “weeding a garden to create room for the flowers to blossom.”
The Heinens take great pride in working with artisans whose lives are benefitted. They bring the varied parts of each light fixture that are made in disparate places to the Netherlands where they are assembled and shipped—the electrical parts are made in a Dutch cooperative where disabled people are given tasks that help them earn a living. Though they have hit upon designs that are gaining them a great deal of attention with the Z series, they are not prone to resting on their laurels. Casper notes that Ay Lin has recently returned from Indonesia where she is working with artisans skilled in basket weaving techniques to create a line of baskets. She worked with them for weeks to refine the products and now, he notes, “They were surprised they could make such beautiful things and the workers are very proud.”