GID

CRAFTSMANSHIP

BETWEEN
BETWEEN LIGHT AND SHADOW
BRAND VAN EGMOND CREATES EXCLUSIVE
HANDCRAFTED DECORATIVE LIGHTING.

OWNER/DESIGNER WILLIAM
BRANDS CREATIVITY IS LIMITED ONLY BY
HIS CLIENTS IMAGINATION.
BY SINDHU NAIR

LIGHT
AND
SHADOW
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GLAM INTERIORS + DESIGN

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CRAFTSMANSHIP

William Brand, the man behind Brand

Van Egmond, was here in Qatar while
working on one secret commission
and he tells us that his association
with the country began a few years
back, when a special Qatari client
personally requested me to create a
lighting sculpture for their London
residence, which turned out to be full
of fine art.
That association has initiated a
regular affair with Qatar, with Brand
coming to the region for some of his
special commissions. They had seen
some of our work over the dinner
table in a Dutch palace and decided

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My designs must
have integrity, and
an eternal value.
I do not design for
specific commercial
reasons, just as we
are also not an
organisation
primarily driven
by marketing.

contacting us. It was some time after

this project was completed that we also
were requested to craft the lighting
sculptures for their beautiful residence
right outside Doha, says Brand, who
founded a Dutch lighting design brand in
1989 with the intension of creating art
without restraints. Brands passion and
ethos run deep and he aims at providing
solutions to generations ahead.
My designs must have integrity, and
an eternal value. I do not design for
specific commercial reasons, just as we
are also not an organisation primarily
driven by marketing. We are primarily
driven to satisfy a client through an
extraordinarily good and lasting design,
and believe business will follow after
that. I do not just think of my current
clients when crafting new collections,
but also of their children, says Brand.
Brands association with the region
and its clientele goes back many years,
We have done more projects in the
region at large than there are days in the
year, says Brand. For over a quarter of
a century we have crafted our lighting
sculptures, and the Gulf was one of
the regions that embraced our designs
quickly.
We see growth in demand for highend design in all GCC countries, and also
strongly in Iran where we just opened
a new boutique with a local partner,
reveals Brand.
Brand goes back to the one reason he
concentrated on lighting after graduating

from an architecture college

He says, I did work on architectural
projects. The designing and crafting of
lighting sculptures, however, quickly
demanded more time. There was
apparently a real interest in sculptural
lighting. I still do the occasional
architectural project, as some clients ask
for advice on more than the lighting.
Taking us through stories of the
conceptualisation of one of their
products, the Hollywood collection,
Brand says, The Hollywood collection,
born out of a trip to Africa with my
family, was created years ago. Anyone
who has spent time on this amazing
continent will remember the vistas with
branches of wood being swept by the
wind. This stirred my imagination, and I
wanted to capture that natural aspect and
transform it into a collection.
Soon after, we were requested to
light up the Oscars, and the VIP Green
Room where all the stars assemble. So
even though we named the collection
Hollywood for this occasion, in fact it

Soon after, we were

requested to light up Oscars,
and the VIP Green Room
where all the stars assemble.
So even though we named
the collection Hollywood for
this occasion, in fact it was
named after finding many
beautiful trees and branches
in Africa.

was named after finding many beautiful

trees and branches in Africa.
Brand Van Egmond has had numerous
collaborations all born out of the
instinct for beauty and workmanship,
such as the installation in Istanbul that
is like a homage from the architect
to the city he loves. We are working
on a commissioned installation at the
moment, for the Museum of Modern
Art in Istanbul. It is something we have
worked on with the curator of this special
exhibition and it will be interesting. I
like to pay my homage to this city, which
has been at the crossroads for centuries

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between East and West, with a unique

installation.
According to the designer, the brand
is the only contemporary atelier with a
stand at Tefaf, the worlds most exclusive
art and antique fair. A unique setting,
showcasing the best art of the last 400
years currently on the market. We have
worked with them for many years, and
in fact last month had a meeting with
Tefaf and their architects regarding the
fair in spring 2017. Tefaf is popular with
Qataris and Brand recommends the place
for our readers. He says, it will be worth
the trip to Maastricht, one of the loveliest
cities in The Netherlands!
He has expanded his skills and worked
on a few furniture pieces, like the
sculpture he is currently working on.
This big sculpture is over 9 meters in
the form of a tree for a skyscraper. This
sculpture wont be raised to the ceiling,
but will be situated on the ground and
although its dressed in light, it is not
the primal focus. This piece is very
demanding, both in terms of creativity as
well as technical feasibility, but together
with my team I love working on it as it
again allows me to wonder into a new
world of artistic expression.
This intricate piece of work takes
Brand back to chandelier, the first
light form designed by his team. It is
quite some time ago, but I still literally
feel the curves of this piece in my hand.
It was picked up as a completely new
idea on what lighting could mean for a
space and the choice of material rusted
steel was unheard of. Also, it was
immediately clear that many people
wanted a tailor-made light perfectly
fitted for their specific space. This aspect
of customisation is still very much part of
our atelier today.
Brand van Egmond works only to order
basis with no mass production at his
atelier, which means that the brand does
not keep stock. A lot of our energy is

focused on training our craftsmen. At the

same time we are very good at translating
the wishes of our clients into handcrafted
reality; this means that within six weeks
we are ready to ship, shares Brand.
While indeed the brand offers lighting
solutions to some of the worlds most
renowned luxury brands (like Louis
Vuitton and Chopard), they have a few
exclusive and even more precious buys
when people invite them to give light
to their intimate home spaces. We
actually have a very eclectic clientele,
which includes people who actually save
money to purchase one of our lighting

Over the years we have lit

several beautiful houses of
worship. Centuries-old
churches are an example,
and we are currently
working on a temple in
India. I still did not have the
honour to create a lighting
sculpture for a mosque
though, but I would relish
the request to do so.

sculptures, he says.
Sustainability is the much talked-about
aspect and how does it figure in lighting
design? According to Brand, it is quite
simple: The most sustainable design is
simply a good design.
People purchase lighting from us,
which in many cases they will keep for
the rest of their lives. In fact, we see a
lot of our work being handed over to the
next generations, an aspect that I am
particularly proud of. Rather than design
items that are merely fashionable and
trendy, I want to design future heritage
pieces that last.

This, according to Brand, is one of the

more logical ways to act upon the idea of
sustainability.
Whats the next thing that a lighting
artist can come up with?
It depends what my next client comes
up with, he answers. Many of the new
collections and changes, are actually a
direct and literal result of a client who is
unsatisfied with what lighting he or she
till now has seen.
To give you a glimpse behind the
scenes, we currently have an older
couple who are leaving their country
estate to move back to their NYC
apartment. They have asked me to
create a lighting sculpture based on their
favourite tree which they will miss a
lot. Again, a challenge, but it gives me a
huge amount of creativity and energy to
make this couple happy, reflects Brand.
What about designing something
beyond lighting solutions?
I actually enjoy using archetypical
elements, forms that people at least
subconsciously recognise and can relate
to. The Floating Candles is an example
of a candle people used in many homes,
but also the Sultans of Swing has an
element that people in every corner of
our wide world can relate to. I am keen
to use better technologies especially
in relation to applying finishes like red
copper and gold.
Brand continues, Over the years
we have lit several beautiful houses of
worship. Centuries-old churches are an
example, and we are currently working
on a temple in India. I still did not have
the honour to create a lighting sculpture
for a mosque though, but I would relish
the request to do so.
Brand says he goes beyond the
conventional needs while designing: I
do not just think of my current clients
when crafting new collections, but
also of their children. Besides, I like to
surprise
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