Whatever designer Jessica Vedel creates, you can guarantee it will have been deeply influenced by her Danish heritage. From furniture, lighting and accessories, to handcrafted kitchens, bathrooms and wardrobes, every aspect of her work is a seamless blend of materiality, functionality and a refined sense of style.
Starting out in the fashion industry, before transferring to the world of interiors, Jessica first founded her design studio, J. Vedel in London back in 2012, before later relocating to New York and ultimately moving back to Copenhagen.
Committed to enhancing everyday spaces with timeless elements, this month sees the launch of her collaboration with leading Danish lighting brand Nuura. Called the Florii collection, it was this I recently chatted to her about.
Over to Jessica to tell us more:
Can we start with a little about you, what your background is, and how your collaboration with Nuura came about?
I have always drawn and painted a lot, as well as took pictures from a young age. I started shooting on film before moving on to digital, and I think working compositionally with colour, shape and pattern for so many years, although in different medias, made a strong starting point for moving into interiors.
I’ve known designer Sofie Refer and her business partners, and fellow founders of Nuura, Nadia Lassen and Peter Østerberg for many years, and after first drawing the concept of the Florii lamp for a client, we needed a bespoke lamp for a big hallway and staircase, I had an initial conversation with them and they too were excited about bringing the idea to life.
Why Nuura, what for you makes them the perfect brand to partner with?
Nuura´s design vision and inspiration is drawn from Nordic nature which is very similar to how I work and what I value when I design a room or a product, so when the opportunity to work together on the Florii collection came along, I knew it would be a perfect fit.
With the aim to create aesthetic lighting of the highest quality, all with the ability to transform a room, elevate a mood and enhance well-being, I fully believe in the team, the brand and the journey they are on.
Where did the inspiration for the Florii collection come from?
The original inspiration for Florii came when I was on a walk through the forest, and I saw a falling autumn leaf floating in the wind.
I was captivated by how the sunlight danced through the foliage overhead, and the graceful descent the leaves made from their branches to the ground. I knew immediately as I saw it that I wanted to create a collection that embodied this beautiful experience, the organic character of the leaves, as well as the soothing expression of the light.
How were these initial ideas then developed into the final products?
The final collection comprises of three lights: two wall lights and a linear chandelier. At first, I hand-drew my ideas and folded them in paper to achieve the desired expression, then during development the leaves shape went from a flatter open leaf to a more closed cone to direct the light in the right way.
Each leaf may look the same but is in fact slightly different in shape and size and randomly placed to give the final product a sense of movement and fluidity. Also, the opal glass diffuses the light beautifully while the powder coated metal seamlessly integrates the light within its setting, giving it the air of an installation.
When it comes to enhancing our everyday spaces with lighting, what would be your advice?
We all need light to thrive. Natural daylight is important, but also the indoor light we use has a huge effect on our health and wellbeing, as well as how we perceive a space.
People often underestimate just how many light sources it takes to properly illuminate a room throughout a day. Lighting needs to be layered, so place lights at different heights and at different locations depending on their purpose. By using a mixture of ambient, task specific lightning and accent lights, and by using dimmers on each for even more flexibility, you can create a cosy and pleasant atmosphere that not only looks good but makes your everyday happier and healthier too.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Thanks again to Jessica Vedel for chatting with me, it was fantastic to find out more about the Florii collection after first seeing it at this year’s 3 Days of Design. To find out more visit the Nuura website.
All images courtesy of Nuura.
Enjoyed my chat with Jessica Vedel? Then read my chat with Co-Founder and Creative Director of Nuura, Sofie Refer.
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