Hollis+Morris Unveils the Beaufort Collection: A Glacial-Inspired Exploration of Light, Wood, and Transparency

High above the Atlantic Ocean, somewhere on a flight returning from Copenhagen’s renowned 3daysofdesign festival, Mischa Couvrette found himself captivated by a subject far removed from the exhibition halls: glacial ice. As the founder and lead designer of the contemporary furniture and lighting studio Hollis+Morris gazed out the aircraft window, a casual discussion about climate change, ice depth, and natural transparency sparked an enduring design inquiry. Couvrette began to ponder how the ethereal qualities of ice—its layered gradients, shifting refractions, and the quiet, hidden mysteries concealed beneath its frozen surface—might be translated into architectural illumination.

That mid-air revelation ultimately germinated into the Beaufort collection, a versatile suite of modernist lighting fixtures that merge organic timber with sandblasted acrylic. Rather than relying on literal interpretations, the collection captures the essence of glacial formations through material tension, precise carving, and controlled luminescence. By balancing the warmth of solid oak and walnut with the diffuse properties of engineered acrylic, Hollis+Morris has engineered a modular system that reinterprets light distribution across various scales, from intimate wall sconces to expansive architectural pendants.

Materiality and the Craft of Glacial Formations

The design DNA of the Beaufort collection rests on an intricate dialogue between two contrasting mediums: wood and acrylic. Each fixture originates with sustainably sourced, rough-sawn solid white oak or American walnut. Artisans shape the timber into half-cylinders featuring softly rounded ends, meticulously hollowing out the interior to conceal modern LED technology while establishing a dedicated chamber that governs how light escapes.

Complementing the timber framework is sandblasted acrylic, molded with stepped shoulders and faceted surfaces. These geometric planes interface directly with the carved wood, creating deliberate shifts in visual depth even when the fixture remains unpowered. When illuminated, the acrylic transforms, diffusing light through soft, shifting gradients that evoke the fluctuating density of packed ice and snow.

This foundational pairing serves as the primary building block for the entire line. By repeating, mirroring, and rotating this core component, Hollis+Morris alters both the silhouette of each fixture and its photometric distribution. The result is a cohesive family of products that maintains a unified design vocabulary while offering distinct functional configurations for residential and commercial environments.

The Lineup: From Scones to Orbital Pendants

The Beaufort collection spans a comprehensive range of form factors, accommodating diverse spatial requirements through modular engineering.

At the most streamlined end of the spectrum sits the Beaufort Sconce. Designed for intimate architectural applications, the sconce utilizes a single foundational module to cast a warm, directional glow against vertical surfaces. Stepping up in scale, the M2 Horizontal Pendant mirrors two core components to cast illumination both upward and downward. Available in four distinct lengths ranging from 13 to 60 inches, the M2 serves as a striking linear element suitable for dining tables, boardrooms, and hospitality settings.

Further expanding the geometry, the R5 Horizontal Pendant employs a five-element composition arranged in a circular configuration. This radial layout can be suspended horizontally to produce an orbital, halo-like presence overhead, or oriented vertically to function as a contemporary lantern. Demonstrating the adaptability of the modular approach, this same five-petal arrangement can be removed from the ceiling entirely and mounted onto a base, giving rise to the Beaufort Table Lamp.

Across all iterations—from wall-mounted fixtures to suspended centerpieces—the collection preserves its core material tension, proving that rigorous geometric systems can yield organic, evocative results.

Background Context: The Evolution of Hollis+Morris

The debut of the Beaufort collection marks another milestone in the trajectory of Hollis+Morris, a studio recognized for bridging the gap between North American craft traditions and contemporary architectural design. Founded in Toronto, the studio has steadily built a reputation for creating furniture and lighting that honor natural materials while embracing cutting-edge manufacturing techniques.

The genesis of Beaufort during the return from the 3daysofdesign festival highlights the vital role that international design symposia play in shaping modern product development. Events such as 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen serve as critical incubators for industrial designers, exposing them to cross-disciplinary conversations about environmental sustainability, material science, and aesthetic minimalism. For Couvrette, the discourse surrounding glacial recession and climate volatility provided a sobering yet visually profound muse, grounding a high-end commercial product in the broader conversation about the natural world’s fragility.

Analytical Perspective: Architectural Lighting Trends and Market Implications

The launch of the Beaufort collection arrives at a time when the architectural lighting market is experiencing a pronounced shift toward biophilic design principles and tactile materiality. Designers and specifiers are increasingly moving away from cold, industrial minimalism, seeking instead products that introduce warmth, texture, and a narrative connection to nature into interior spaces.

By utilizing certified hardwoods and energy-efficient LED systems encased within diffused acrylic, Hollis+Morris addresses both aesthetic and ecological demands. The modular nature of the Beaufort line also offers tangible benefits for commercial specifiers and interior architects. By relying on a single repeating component across multiple form factors—sconces, linear pendants, circular chandeliers, and table lamps—designers can maintain visual continuity throughout a large-scale hospitality or corporate project without sacrificing spatial variety.

Furthermore, the emphasis on concealed illumination technology aligns with contemporary preferences for indirect, glare-free lighting. Rather than exposing blinding light sources, the Beaufort collection uses its wooden chambers and faceted acrylic planes to soften and sculpt light, enhancing the psychological comfort of interior environments.

Broader Impact and Future Outlook

As the architecture and design industries continue to grapple with environmental accountability and the demand for timeless, durable goods, collections like Beaufort signal a maturing market. By transforming an observation of glacial morphology into a functional lighting system, Hollis+Morris demonstrates how conceptual storytelling can be successfully integrated into industrial manufacturing.

The Beaufort collection is currently available for specification through the Hollis+Morris direct-to-consumer platform and global network of design showrooms. As the studio continues to scale its international footprint following its European exhibition circuit debuts, the Beaufort line stands as a testament to the power of cross-cultural inspiration, rigorous material exploration, and thoughtful architectural restraint.