Turn your windows into a design-led opportunity for shadow play.
In association with Luxaflex.
The Japanese are masters of curating light. They see it as something to be sifted and reflected, treating it as an essential component of the architectural remit. They even have a word for it — in’ei, which refers to the aesthetics of faint shadow.
Since our contemporary architecture in Aotearoa leans into a generous connection with the outdoors, meaning substantial glazing is a key component, today’s designers need to work even harder to craft the subtle effects that in traditional Japanese architecture are achieved more indirectly, using shoji screens and recessed tokonoma alcoves, for instance.
The Softshade collection of window coverings by Luxaflex offers a versatile, dynamic solution for environments where diffused light punches up the comfort levels and enhances style. Tailor-made to suit the situation — across every room in the home — these blinds have the power to shape daylight, improve temperature control and layer up an interior, beautifully.
Duette Shades, with their unique honeycomb structure, filter light for a subtle, balanced glow, while helping to regulate the sun in summer and trap the heat during colder months. Paired up as a duo across an expanse of glazing in a living room, they are an elegant response. Fitted to a skylight in an attic bedroom, they keep it cosier and darker to extend sleep ins. Duette are the original honeycomb blind, and they just work on a cellular level.
Komorebi translates from Japanese as “sunlight leaking through the trees” and is most often achieved by using slatted screens. Design-led Silhouette Shades mimic this effect. With fabric vanes suspended between sheer panels, they reduce glare to craft a dappled, gentle light that spills in across the floors and walls. Akin to a washi-paper lantern, when seen from the exterior at night Silhouette shades allow a luminous outline of what’s within — a view that maintains privacy yet becomes a warm, welcoming beacon.
With contoured fabric vanes that appear to float, Pirouette Shades can twist and turn to respond to the pathway of the sun, bringing a sense of movement. They readily alter from softly filtered light to full privacy, and their strong horizontal geometry lends a contemporary sophistication to spaces from open-plan living and dining rooms to bedroom suites.
Linear shadows that shift with the sun become integral to the experience — a striking dynamic element of the interior architecture.
Combining locally made technology of the moment, with faraway ideas about light and shadow that have existed for centuries, the Softshades collection is a bespoke solution that brings a mindful element of design discipline home.
luxaflex.co.nz