Interiors firm Re-a.d gets illustrious Montreal lighting brand Lambert & Fils situated in New York

Triangle Below Canal

Despite the onslaught of retail space closures throughout Manhattan in 2020, acclaimed Montreal lighting brand Lambert & Fils has moved forward with the opening of an expansive showroom in the heart of the highly-sought-after Tribeca neighborhood this month. The maverick producer, known for its material-centric and expressive designs that bypass hackneyed trends and integrate the latest technologies, was not going to let a deadly virus stand in the way of celebrating its meteoric rise and rapid expansion.

Opening an outpost in New York, a hotbed for lighting design development, was a long-time ambition for the boutique brand. The new Hudson & Duane showroom marks the company’s 10th anniversary and the launch of its new Atelier range of large scale fixtures.

The new showroom features an eclectic array of historic and contemporary design products from around the world. (Chris Mottalini)

(Chris Mottalini)

Lambert & Fils’ founder Samuel Lambert called on young Brooklyn-based firm Re-a.d to interpret and carry out his vision for this first outpost. Lead by principals Côme Ménage, the firm renovated and restored 1,500 square-feet of ground-floor storefront space in the historic 19th-century neo-Grec and Romanesque Revival Schepp Building to accommodate this concept.

The practice chose to accentuate existing arched window bays with simplified architectonic inserts and introduce a homogenized material palette to transform the space into a luminous box. Semi-translucent, floor to ceiling curtains helps delineate different zones throughout the open-plan, white cube scheme.

Laurent 05 (Arseni Khamzin)

Dorval Collection, developed with French studio SCMP DESIGN OFFICE (Arseni Khamzin)

Parc Collection, developed with Swiss designer Adrien Rovero (Arseni Khamzin)

Lambert and his sons then curated the blank canvas space with vintage furnishings, CC-Tapis rugs, and Bower Studios mirrors. The brand’s most recognized luminaries—such as Parc, Laurent, Hutchinson, and Dorval—are interspersed through this contextualized interior. The display serves to highlight these iconic pieces but also reveals the brand’s appreciation and mutual patronage of young independent designers and like-minded brands. The overall scheme is a veritable tableau of the international contemporary design scene as it stands today, even amidst a pandemic.

Header image: A custom Bower Studio mirror that mimics the showroom’s historic arched window bays pairs perfectly with a Hutchison Collection pendant. (Chris Mottalini)