David Trubridge is returning to his roots, but with more environmentally conscious tools in tow. Known for championing biophilic design, the New Zealand lighting designer has recently reimagined two of his brand’s best-selling collections in ultra-sustainable materials.
In 2008, David Trubridge Design launched the Cloud collection, a series of plastic, biomorphic pendants inspired by clouds of fog Trubridge spotted floating above islands while sailing. Two years later, the practice introduced the Ebb collection, a series of lights wrapped in alternating helical bands of polycarbonate and plywood—a nod, again, to water. “I can sit for hours by a river, just watching the constant dancing of its movement,” Trubridge says of Ebb’s inspiration.
Though the thin plastics achieved their desired translucency, the materials didn’t align with Trubridge’s commitment to sustainability. “We decided last year, for environmental reasons, to pull all plastic lights from our collection,” Trubridge explains, a choice that meant removing popular products from the brand’s offerings. But especially since the pieces were inspired by nature, Trubridge felt a call to act—to do his part in a world increasingly consumed by waste.
The reimagined Cloud and Ebb collections are crafted in plywood, while maintaining their signature organic shapes. For Cloud, lead studio designer Marion Courtille devised a thin bamboo plywood with tiny slits, allowing light to pass through with a subtle glow. The new Cloud’s insides are even slicked with bright color—a feature that was previously unattainable in plastic. The Ebb family, meanwhile, is realized in a limber Birch plywood from the noted Finnish firm Koskisen. Clients can snap up shapes like Swell, Bounce, Roll, and Drop in a natural veneer finish. Both are available though the Austin-based wakaNINE, the exclusive North American distributor of David Trubridge designs.
