Ay Illuminate

Ay Illuminate is a Dutch design studio creating light, authentic lighting inspired by nature and by the craft skills of cultures around the world. They believe craft carries the genes of our cultural identity, and they work with makers to develop their designs as close as possible to artisan traditions.

Their latest collection includes pendant lights made of sisal nets woven in Swaziland by the Gone Rural fair-trade project, which lets women earn an income in the best conditions while preserving craft skills. It also uses silk and cashmere veils woven by the Azezana project in Afghanistan, handwoven cotton from Ethiopia, and a lot of bamboo, an attractive renewable material that grows 2 to 3 times faster than an ordinary tree and gives off 30% more oxygen.

The talented design team led by Ay Lin Heinen includes Mark Eden Schooley, an American photographer and designer whose photos appear in leading design and interiors magazines; Nelson Sepulveda, a Chilean designer and colorful, genuine character who works with master artisans around the world; and Casper Heinen, who founded Ay Illuminate with Ay Lin.

This brilliant team has designed a rich, authentic range of lighting inspired by natural shapes and materials and by traditional craft techniques, to discover at Storie.

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