Growing up near the rolling green hills of Champagne, France, Valerie Legras traded the countryside for the city, relocating to Paris to attend École Camondo for her master’s degree in interior and product design. Then family life brought her to New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina nearly two decades ago. “People thought we were crazy to go there [during that time],” she says, but she was inspired by the city’s resilience and its strong creative community.
By Paris-based Céline Wright, the Envol Hanging pendant features suspended folds of washi paper stabilized by a polished marble weight
In 2011, she founded her eponymous atelier, designing a slew of residential and commercial spaces in the Crescent City, each characterized by her airy approach rooted in organic elements. In each of her projects, however, she found herself seeking out unique light fixtures that have great impact on a space, often proposing custom pieces for her clients. This affinity, in tandem with the French collaborators she often sought out, inspired her to found Swadoh (an anagram of shadow) in 2021 with a mission to highlight makers that bring a singular perspective to their designs. “There is a very thin line between a piece of art, a sculpture, and a light fixture,” she says. “That’s very special to us.”
Using this intersectionality as a foundation, Legras follows her intuition to identify designers. While some are lighting focused, others, like the Aix-en-Provence-based Morgane Baroghel-Crucq, specialize in textiles, which Legras helps transform into fixtures. The result is a collection of pieces that are aesthetically different but spiritually similar, such as the washi paper clouds of Nuage Perché by Céline Wright and Baptiste Lanne’s L’Embellie, a Chinese calligraphy ink-dyed oak piece.
Legras also spotlights makers with Maison S, a two-bedroom Airbnb she designed in New Orleans’ Warehouse District. Filled with artwork and Swadoh fixtures, the hybrid gallery-apartment is fully shoppable and provides another opportunity to introduce new artists to Legras’ discerning clientele. “I want to shine a light on these creators,” she says, “who have exceptional skills, exceptional material, and exceptional creativity.”
This article originally appeared in HD’s January 2023 issue.
