The Collector's Eye: Elsa Foulon
The Collector’s Eye: Illuminating With Elsa Foulon
There are certain artists who blur the line between utility and poetry, who transform something as essential as light into an art form that stirs the soul. Elsa Foulon is one of those rare designers whose work feels less like product and more like presence. Every piece she creates is a study in balance between restraint and exuberance, delicacy and bold gesture.
Elsa Foulon’s luminous work has a story and it’s as compelling as the pieces themselves. Rooted in the heart of Paris, Elsa’s beginnings were shaped by her childhood among antiques and 20th-century decorative arts. Her parents were antique dealers, and later she herself traded in mid-century treasures, absorbing endless images and design knowledge. She is entirely self-taught, guided by an intuitive curiosity and visual memory. One day, simply sketching in her notebook, she offered a lamp to a friend’s gallery and it sold in a heartbeat. That moment was the spark that launched her studio. Since then, she has cultivated her voice in clay, drawing from a deep well of the craftsmanship and materiality she came to know through handling the past.
What I love about Elsa is that her lighting is never just about illumination — it’s about emotion. Her work inhabits a room with a quiet kind of drama, a rhythm of curves and edges that feels both timeless and new. Each piece is as sculptural as it is functional, like jewelry for a space. It’s design that makes you feel something.
We just installed two of her pieces: the Achille wall sconces, and the Antigone pendant for one of my client’s in Greenwich, CT. The Achille sconce is all about restraint and tension, like a piece of modernist sculpture pressed elegantly against the wall. And then the Antigone pendant, with its sweeping lines and grace, feels almost mythological — an object that could have been unearthed in some ancient world.
Elsa’s new Demoiselle pendant lamps have me captivated. They’re airy with a lyrical movement that feels alive — like light caught mid-flight. And then there is the Double Selene pendant, my dream piece. It’s commanding yet impossibly graceful, with a celestial energy that feels like it belongs in a world of its own. One day, I will find the perfect home for it — maybe even my own.
Why is Elsa Foulon a must-have? Because her work isn’t just about lighting a room — it’s about creating atmosphere, mood, memory. It’s about surrounding ourselves with objects that hold meaning, that feel both essential and artful. Her pieces don’t whisper; they linger. They stay with you. For me, that’s the magic of Elsa Foulon: she doesn’t just design lamps — she sculpts stories.
— Michelle Waugh
Images Taken From Galerie Philia and Elsa Foulon Studio Website & Instagram