Technical textiles from Ettlin for radiant lighting design projects

One of my favourite books is entitled “Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things”. It was written by the American physics professor Charles Panati. He explains how certain developments and inventions came about that we use today as a matter of course – without realising how they were originally conceived.

For years, I have been recommending this book to friends interested in design and architecture. Simply because these stories perfectly illustrate the many different ways in which design concepts can take shape and become reality. Sometimes chance plays a role, but most of the time you need a brilliant idea first.

And of course the courage to envision bringing things, phenomena, functions and materials together that have perhaps not yet been combined in this way. Then something like the Ettlin Lux product range can emerge. The company is based south of Karlsruhe, in Ettlingen to be precise, from which its name also derives.

Ettlin has made a name for itself among architects and interior designers when it comes to unusual combinations of textiles and light: fabrics in very different textures and colours are combined with LED technology at Ettlin Lux , for example, to create wall and ceiling modules imbuing restaurants and cafés, offices, shops and hotels or wellness areas with a very special atmosphere and lighting ambience.

A fascinating project example: at Amazon’s London headquarters, Michael Grubb’s British light design studio created a permanent lighting installation in a through-way corridor where Ettlin Lux wall elements emit subtle light while animating the controlled LEDs to give the impression of movement.

The word animation has Latin roots and means being enlivened or ensouled. A fixed room with its static boundaries of walls, floor and ceiling can experience a surprising, atmospheric transformation with light. But here, as an architect or interior designer, it is important to proceed with sensitivity in order to find the right aesthetic concept for the respective space and its particular purpose.

Another example of the use of lighting textiles from Ettlin Lux can be found at Brussels Airport. Here, ceilings in the building were clad with black Decolux textiles, which take on the appearance of a colourfully luminous, dynamic light track. The installation serves as an eye-catcher for air travellers that attracts attention, but also radiates calm and elegance.

The fact that Decolux can also brilliantly complement a musical production was demonstrated during a performance of Gustav Mahler’s “Symphony of a Thousand” at the Elbphilharmonie: here, a twelve-metre-high frame system designed by the Stuttgart light artist Rosalie was suspended from the ceiling, transforming the illuminated textile into a dynamic stage set.

In addition to the versatile interior textiles, Ettlin Lux has recently developed a whole range of object-like products for architects and interior designers, which benefit from the company’s experience with lighting technology. These sometimes consist of floor and pendant lamps, while other times taking the form of subtly illuminated mirrors. But one thing after the next.

Visitors to the website www.ettlinlux.com can get a good overview of the different luminaires under the heading “Products”, which mostly feature a round shape but differ in size, proportion, lighting characteristics and controllability and can be individually adapted. Ettlin Lux advises lighting planners on the various possibilities so that a suitable lighting solution can be found for every setting.

The innovations include a subtle mirror series called Ambiloom , which uses backlit spy mirror glass. How exactly? Here again, two separate products have been reconceived in a combined form: a light box and a mirror. The spatial depth of Ambiloom is exploited for a special visual effect, giving the textile-clad LEDs inside an almost magical look.

In parallel rows of curved arcs, LED strips shimmer through the textile, which mysteriously emits its light from the depths and lets it shine through the mirrored glass. The result is a wall object that is much more than a classic mirror – but can be transformed back into that function at the touch of a button. Ambiloom will soon also be available in round and square shapes, depending on requirements and available space.

The Mirrorglass from Ettlin Lux used here can also be employed as wall cladding in shops, bars or hotel lobbies, for example. The space becomes visually enlarged and shines in a completely new light. By the way: we can look forward to a new pendant luminaire called Ambiloom Pendant 250, which will celebrate its premiere at the Cologne Furniture Fair in January.

This in-house development by Ettlin Lux uses the Decolux 2508 textile in black for the lampshade, through which the light is emitted indirectly. It projects light directly downwards, while the body of the luminaire shimmers with the same intriguing depth effect seen in the Ambiloom mirror version. Without a doubt: this luminaire, too, is sure to open up new dimensions.

© Architonic