For his new furniture and lighting collection, Illuminations, Mathieu Lehanneur takes inspiration from the enigmatic symbols of ancient secret societies – signs such as the triangle, the knot and the chequerboard, which for centuries have conveyed mystery and intrigue.

‘This corpus of signs is a universal language: these are the first ideograms of civilisation. They do not belong to a specific era or location, they belong to humanity,’ said Lehanneur. In Illuminations the designer reinterprets these symbols, transforming them with a contemporary vision and applying them to a collection of furniture and objects that interact in a shared language of symbols.

Produced by some of the best craftsmen in France, key pieces from Illuminations include a set of generously proportioned free-form sofas that appear to ‘float’ above the floor; a coffee table clad entirely with straw marquetry; a chequerboard cabinet of mounted stone and metal; and a monumental chandelier made from blown-glass ‘bubbles’ and LEDs.

Using a wealth of materials, the new collection employs traditional manufacturing techniques coupled with advanced technologies. The designer added: ‘This collection is a re-interpretation of the long-established French savoir-faire such as stone cutting, marquetry, trimmings, and sheathing. I looked at them, I studied them but I wanted to do everything differently.’

For more information or to order from the new collection, visit mathieulehanneur.com.