« Asked to restore a 18th Century historical room inside the Conseil d’Etat (State Council), the lead Architect of the French Historical Monuments asked me to imagine a non-intrusive light set-up for the space. From the start, I thought that no opening, or transformation of the actual lighting system could come and modify, disrupt the actual balance within the space.

Facing high windows opening on the rue de Valois, elegantly painted walls and ceilings, chimneys, mirrors and electrified bronze chandeliers dating back from the 18th Century, I had to imagine an invisible ‘object of light’. I would have to fade away inside the space : using transparent glass wouldn’t suffice to hide it away, yet concealing it through the use of reflective surfaces and mirrors would work.

I therefore created a monolith in polished stainless steel that would blend in the space with a base that recalled the 18th Century historical columns. Mirroring itself inside the monolith, the elegant room was brought back to life.
Built inside the back of the monolith, a lighting system creates a halo of daylight while a powerful beam – directed towards the ceiling to avoid blinding visitors – lights up the ceiling in a natural way. »