Milan, Italy

During this year’s Milan Design Week, the Swiss lighting brand Schätti presented a new family of luminaires by renowned Swiss designer Jörg Boner and the result of its collaboration with the progressive Swiss University of Art and Design, ECAL.

With the installation at Gallery Assab One, titled Jörg Boner for Schätti, the Swiss lighting manufacturer presents B020, a new luminaire family.

The design, consisting of ceiling, wall, floor and table luminaires, is characterised by an innovative lighting concept that has been applied to different types of luminaires to create a harmonious set.

The family of LED luminaires is functional, versatile and generates a continuous aesthetic in the interior.

All four typologies of the BO20 collection have one thing in common—the light source is out of sight.

Jörg Boner, who has been designing luminaires for Schätti since the company was founded, was guided by the idea that the inner light should determine the outer form of the luminaires.

“With the new collection, we have set ourselves the goal that the circuit board and thus also the diffuser should never be visible. Nevertheless, both direct and indirect light should shine into the room via just one single circuit board,” says Jörg Boner.

Instead of a transparent body, for the BO20 luminaires sheet steel was bent into different shapes, which as an opaque white material ideally reflects the light and generates a distinctive aesthetic.

The end result is an elegantly reduced design, where, in addition to the brightness, only the white reflective surface of the luminaire is perceptible. 

The luminaires are manufactured in Schätti’s own production facility in the Glarus Alps from recyclable sheet steel or aluminium of long-lasting quality—a material that is characteristic of his brand.

The white lacquered surfaces, which also remain true to the materiality and aesthetics of Schätti Leuchten, direct and diffuse the light in a graceful way. 

Schätti has been working intensively with designer Jörg Boner for a long time.

Their collaboration was decisive for the metal manufacturer to launch its own luminaire production in 2013, for which Jörg Boner created designs from the very beginning.

“The positive collaboration, the open exchange of ideas, Jörg Boner’s interest in production technology and my interest in design are the basis for an ongoing productive and successful collaboration,” says Thomas Schätti, CEO of Schätti. 

Thanks to Jörg Boner’s design language and Schätti’s high-quality metal, each individual piece of the BO20 collection creates a unique atmosphere in the interior.

Although all luminaire typologies follow the same design concept, each individual piece has its own strengths depending on the area of application.

Thanks to the smart and minimalist design, the luminaires are suitable for interiors both as a coherent family and as individual pieces.

Under the title ECAL for Schätti, Schätti presents the impressive result of a collaboration with master students from the progressive art and design school ECAL.

The students from the product design department have worked intensively with Schätti’s internationally recognized manufacturing techniques to create a collection of five portable LED luminaires.

The inspiring collection was created under the joint direction of Camille Blin, Jörg Boner and Thomas Schätti with the motto: “The lighting industry is in a state of upheaval and LED technology is the focus of attention. A considerable amount of research and development is being devoted to this technology. Light is being redefined.” 

ECAL University is known for its progressiveness and the far-reaching success of its graduates.

This combination of expertise and enthusiasm for contemporary design promises unique luminaires representative of its Swiss partners.

In the popular premises of Gallery Assab One, a former printing house, the two exhibitions were showcased with a special installation, designed by Jörg Boner.

With his scenography, Boner refers to the history of the location and uses printed paper as a scenery for the luminaires. 

The luminaires are displayed in front of a generous area of 10 white chequered paper webs.

The white paper surface not only connects the exhibition with its historical location, but also reflects the sustainable, elegant design of the new luminaires.

The white surfaces of the BO20 luminaire family are visually picked up by the paper, referencing the lightness and low material input of the designs for Schätti. 

Project: BO20
Lead Designer: Jörg Boner
Manufacturer: Schätti Leuchten
ECAL for Schätti Direction: Alexis Georgacopoulos 
Tutoring: Camille Blin 
Assistance: Margo Clavier and Maxwell Ashford 
Students: Maxine Granzin, Paula Mühlena, Oscar Rainbird-Chill, Marcus Angerer, and Luca Vernieri 
Photographer Installation: Marvin Merkel
Images Courtesy of Schätti Leuchten