Let there be light!

Alexander Girard’s celebration of light in all its forms is as much a hallmark of his career as his legendary bold colour palettes and graphics. From the way he thought about natural light entering a room, to the lighting solutions he designed for interiors (down to the actual bulbs in some cases!), the many candle holders he fabricated for his own home and clients and of course the sun as a central theme in his long career of graphic design: light, both literal and metaphorical, was something he engaged with deeply.

There were so many parts of our grandparents’ home where light played a key role; the sun-filled entrance with rainbows dancing on the smooth stucco walls from the collection of prisms that sat in neat rows, next to the African violets and plump jade plants; the many switches we could reach as children when exploring the house to illuminate miniature worlds: a cast iron doll house on a low surface, a Russian church diorama built into the wall of the living room, the long hallway of bare light bulbs that led to a room overlooking the garden with a giant window perfectly framing our grandmother’s pear-shaped pear tree. Candles were everywhere with tiny flames flickering through glass in shades of amber, navy, ochre and plum, as well as translucent panels, and reflective ornaments scattered throughout, adding a sparkling charm to the scene.

Our grandfather was himself a beacon in many ways. He was light-hearted, full of whimsy, humour and curiosity. While he was not explicit in the lessons he conveyed to us, his very essence and being was that of a guide and mentor; he listened closely, spoke deliberately, always had a riddle at the ready and employed his creativity as a bridge to better connect to others around him. It is his generous spirit, interest in collaboration and mission to bring light to the world through good design that we celebrate and honour in our work with Vitra today.