Lighting design studio Trueing combines the utilitarian and the decorative

Blurring the lines between the utilitarian and the decorative is the design signature for lighting studio Trueing. The New York-based studio, helmed by self-taught designers Aiden Bowman and Josh Metersky, has steadily grown and evolved since its founding in 2017, and even achieved viral status on Tiktok with its recognisable Cerine light fixtures, an homage to the ubiquitous chain link. 

Rather than jump into the rigorous global design circuit, Bowman and Metersky have intentionally worked at their own pace. Their latest release, a 12-strong collection developed around a floral motif named Lilia, comes two years after Cerine, and was independently released, without a trade show or exhibition in sight.

Lilia lighting collection by Trueing

‘For this collection, we were really influenced by seeing the Blaschka glass flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. These glass flower specimens date back to the 19th century and were used for scientific study,’ recounts Bowman. ‘They got us thinking about facsimiles of nature. We bring aspects of nature into homes all the time, from fresh bouquets to floral prints. It seems slightly banal, but we were really curious about how we could preserve the feeling of having something alive and even pretty, yet take a completely different point of view.’

Fashioned from sprays of flower buds featuring hand blown glass petals that emerge from a gently serpentine silhouette, Trueing’s new design is as beautiful as it is technical. Featuring a sandblasted exterior, reflective interior and mirror polished edges that create a multiplying effect when viewed in person, the highly technical design is a captivating balance between the futuristic and the literal.

‘Over the years, we have hit on this manipulation of glass as our material of choice and want to find new ways to interpret it that are technically proficient, but also aesthetically pleasing,’ says Bowman. ‘There’s an element of precision here that’s not typically seen in the category of hand blown glass. We’ve created these mondo-size glass panels, each of which are technically difficult to make. There’s also this intricate metal armature inside each bud that almost resembles a mediaeval flying buttress on the interior.’

A testament to Bowman’s background in art history and Metersky’s training as an engineer, Lilia is an exquisite next step for the design studio. Available in eight muted shades named after foods like apricot, melon and aubergine, the collection exudes a much-needed sense of calm and wonder on both the surface level and the deeper narrative one.

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A version of this story appears in January 2023 Wallpaper*, The Future Issue, available now in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today (opens in new tab)