Dear Amigos,
There are projects that make you completely rethink how we consume and interact with everyday objects. Based in the heart of Paris and founded by designers Emma Lohner and Philippe Gaud, Baguette Studio is a creative practice is driven by a deep commitment to craftsmanship and material exploration. They strive to question industrial systems by creating accessible and responsible solutions, building a more optimistic future through highly tangible design.
Redefining Lighting with Biodegradable Wax
When A Type of Amigo’s founder, Camila Curiel, caught up with Emma and Philippe at Milan Design Week, they shared the fascinating process behind their flagship project, Le Labo 1.0. This self-initiated lighting system is composed of a 100% natural, biodegradable wax blend seated on modular stainless steel bases. Instead of simply buying a lamp, you are essentially purchasing a specific weight of material (such as 800 grams of wax) that can be melted down and reshaped without any waste using a clever rotational moulding technique. After a year and a half of testing, they perfected a recipe of beeswax and plant-based waxes that withstands up to 80°C, ensuring the translucent color of the wax can radiate safely.
“We developed this project based around natural wax. So, it’s a blend we are melting here of beeswax and plant-based wax.
First we have the melted wax, then we have the molds. We carefully weigh out the wax—so this mold takes 800 grams. Then it will go spinning in the machine, for 20 to 25 minutes. And then after this, we do some simple cutting and cleaning up.
We did one year and a half of samples and tests, and we found this recipe, which is made of a bit of beeswax and different kinds of plant-based waxes. And now, our material starts deforming around 80°C, and it’s melting at 100°C. And so, we can do these kinds of things, too.
So, this is a larger, like a big scale. It’s one meter, and so we can do like a light box, but in wax. It’s not plastic behind, it’s wax. And so, the warm color of the wax can go out.”
The Baked Typography of César Potel
This tactile approach to volume extends into their visual identity. They collaborated with graphic designer César Potel to craft their custom typography. Growing up as the son of a carpenter, César has always had a natural affinity for high-volume work, bringing a dimensional mindset to the brand. True to the studio’s name, the inspiration for the letters came from the process of baking bread. The characters were designed to look as though they had just been cooked in an oven, with their bowls and counters swelling and getting delightfully puffy, much like rising dough. It is a brilliant typographic translation of their physical craft.
Explorations Beyond Lighting
Their material ingenuity adapts effortlessly across various scales and applications. For the Victoria Beaune jewellery display cabinet, they created a stunning presentation unit featuring organic, controlled waves on a large, backlit wax sheet to highlight the brand’s pieces. With the Minilamp XXO project, they scaled down their process to produce 150 accessible, 400-gram custom wax lamps for client gifts, maintaining their circular manufacturing system without compromising the aesthetic. They even pushed the boundaries of their medium for the Basket Club, experimentally forming baskets and plates by repeatedly dipping a cut steel grid into a bath of melted wax until a solid outer shell blossomed around the metal structure.
About Baguette Studio
Baguette Studio proves that sustainable design can be incredibly poetic, shifting our relationship with objects from passive consumption to an active, evolving material journey. You can dive deeper into their philosophy and discover more of their brilliant work on their website. And if you are ready to bring one of these adaptable, glowing pieces into your own home, be sure to explore their lighting collection over at their shop.
Signed,
A type of Ari.
