Santa & Cole’s Craft Lighting Showcases an Embracing Light

Product launches and holiday campaigns are fleeting by nature and unequivocally rooted in consumerism – but they don’t have to be hollow. Santa & Cole’s collection fills the void left by other marketing schemes with the work of relevant designers whose pieces reveal the way some objects, inseparable from the art of living, can foster a more sensitive material culture.

A series of tents staged with lighting and home accessories.

Santa & Cole’s “The embracing light” holiday campaign

Founded in 1985 on the ethos of editing, Santa & Cole has spent decades purveying design with merit to help customers consciously select artifacts for their home rather than accumulate items imbued with less meaning. This season sees a carefully curated mixture of their best-selling objects with fresh releases to serve as luminaries around which an architecture of textiles is constructed. “The embracing light” which guides them is an art direction developed in collaboration with Barcelona-based Clara Quintana Studio.

Básica Mínima Batería portable table lamps designed by Santiago Roqueta staged on the Peana Molina Jaume Sans

A tripod style table lamp staged on the floor

Trípode table lamp with shade by Júlia Esqué adjacent to the Oakland bookshelf

“Light is essential to every unfolding from the natural world to our interior spaces. It is the impetus for all creation and the beginning of physical, mental and emotional well-being, impacting mood, sleep cycles, and cognitive function,” Sarah Rigano, vibrational designer and founder of FORM + LIGHT, says. “Weaving complimentary illumination amid interior environs is essential. I am drawn to clean lines, natural materials, organic textures, and tones that gift a warming radiance. There is a beauty in light cast as it activates something primordial within our subconscious, sparking a remembrance, a connection to times past.”

“Interior de la casa Bofill y Fradera, Cadaqués” by Federico Correa

A series of lamps and home furnishings staged under a tent

Infused with the essence of hospitality, these installations evoke a warm embrace meant to create microcosms for respite in one’s own home through mindful celebrations at an intimate scale. Fixtures featured include iconic designs plucked from time like the ’60s classic TMM lamp by Miguel Milá and a swath of artwork by 20th-century Spanish architect Federico Correa taken from Santa & Cole’s new Neoseries – authorized reproductions certified by the artist who will receive royalties. Contemporary creations showcased include the Escribano page holder conceived of in-house – a sophisticated accessory specially tailored to the reader who writes. Also highlighted is the Librero Oakland bookcase by California-based brand Book/Shop.

Left: Cestita lantern style table lamp by Miguel Milá Right: Sylvestrina rechargeable candlestick-style table lamps by Enric Sòria and Jordi Garcés

A detail shot of a lantern style luminary

Cestita Alubat lantern style table lamp by Miguel Milá staged on the Peana Molina Jaume Sans

One demonstrative product made for conscious consumption, and exemplary of the brand’s re-editing approach, is the Sylvestrina table lamp originally designed in 1974 by Enric Sória and Jordi Garcés as an electrified oil lantern with a cable and switch. The iconic piece is contemporized with consideration for its entire life cycle to minimize environmental impact. Features like LED technology, serviceability, and an efficient rechargeable battery blend history with innovation and environmental responsibility.

TMM floor lamp by Miguel Milá

FAD table lamp by Miguel Milá

A chair staged with art and lighting under a tent

“Casa De Francisco Bofill y Santiago Fradera, Cadaqués” by Federico Correa; Cestita lantern style table lamp by Miguel Milá

“We have a theory that good design stands the test of time, and the objects selected for our campaign exemplifies this belief,” Santa & Cole says. “We embody a timeless approach. Unhurried and without pressure for novelty, we carefully convey memory while looking to the future.”

Lighting under tents

For more information, visit santacole.com.

With professional degrees in architecture and journalism, Joseph has a desire to make living beautifully accessible. His work seeks to enrich the lives of others with visual communication and storytelling through design. A regular contributor to titles under the SANDOW Design Group, including Luxe and Metropolis, Joseph serves the Design Milk team as their Managing Editor. When not practicing, he teaches visual communication, theory, and design. The New York-based writer has also contributed to exhibitions hosted by the AIA New York’s Center for Architecture and Architectural Digest, and recently published essays and collage illustrations with Proseterity, a literary publication.