Alexander Lamont is excited to be launching the Fall 2015 collection of Le Mur wall panels this month. Building on the 2014 Le Mur collection, we have added two elegant patterns in straw marquetry – Forêt and Havana – and also a new Mercury Gold leaf finish that creates a wonderful metallic finish to our Ligne and Étoile straw marquetry designs. The new surfaces are subtly reflective and change as light moves over them – or you move around them, also changing their character as the light itself changes from bright mornings to silvery overcast skies to rich evening shadows. They exude the refined style, exquisite quality and dazzling craftsmanship that Alexander Lamont is famous for. The Le Mur plains of straw marquetry, shagreen and gold leaf were conceived from a painterly perspective; catching and playing with lines and light textures, but Alex adds, “the process is also about editing and reducing landscapes; looking for the point where subtlety retains a rich energy that carries beautifully across a surface.”
Searching for ways to bring greater dimensionality and movement to the flat surface, we played with each material’s virtues and versatility. Straw marquetry’s inherent ability to reflect light was captured and is vividly expressed in the Forêt design. The overlapping and overarching bands of straw, with their graphic directionality, create an exquisite forest, drawing the admirer into an intriguing beauty. These are made in Beechwood, Bronze and Ebony tones and as 2′ x 2′ (61cm x 61cm) panels.
The application of hand-applied Mercury Gold leaf onto the surface of the straw draws from the gloss and texture of the straw itself. Gold leaf is almost transparent so one sees the straw and the gold in perfect harmony bringing a soft irridescence and contemporary gold tone. This new finish is available on our Ligne and Étoile finishes in 1′ x 1′ and 2′ x 2′ panels.
Ebony Étoile panels have a powerful depth of tone that is strikingly animated by light and movement. There is a kaleidoscopic aspect to the patterns that are hand made from tiny slivers of straw after lengthy controlled dyeing and selection.
The Havana panels present a meticulous geometric and totally handmade surface that combines Bronze and Ebony dyed straw and results in a shimmering surface of movement and elegance. Havana wall panels can be placed either vertically or horizontally onto wall surfaces and are made in 2′ x 2′ (61cm x 61cm) panels only.
Mercury Gold leaf is also now available as a finish on our classic Ligne pattern – seen first in our 2014 collection – read more here.
Alexander emphasizes how these hand-crafted natural wall panels “cocoon a space and give a room soul”. They bring a texture and ‘quiet’ that provides endless fascination and character. These materials have been loved for centuries in Asia and Europe, but they have never before been available in such practical panels or in such contemporary designs and finishes.
