Meet Meaghan and Roberto Rodriguez, the talented couple behind Reduxr, designing and producing a stunning array of lighting that can be described as elegant, evocative and sensual. Rebecca Gross reports.

Meaghan and Roberto Rodriguez are the talented couple behind Reduxr, designing and producing a range of lighting and other objects they describe as elegant, evocative and sensual. Partners in life for 25 years, and in Reduxr for three years, their “intuition,” “familiar intensity,” and “constant dialogue” spills into their work. “We believe there is an inherent tension common to all great things,” the pair says.

Meaghan and Roberto have a background in photography, film and television and met while working for different companies that shared a kitchen. However, their interest in designing lighting began with Jo Hammerborg’s Ultra pendant. “This was the first light in our personal collection, which grew with Robbie’s interest in photographing mid-century lights,” Meaghan explains. “We became enamoured with the principles of subdued ambient lighting so passionately advocated by the likes of Poul Henningsen.” As Roberto turned his hand to restoring mid-century lights in poor condition, the process, they say, “deepened our respect for their design and the quality of the craftsmanship… we were inspired to create our own.”

Using brass, copper, bronze, and stainless steel, as well as resins mixed with a variety of minerals, and recently ostrich eggshell, the couple favour handmade work “out of respect for time, patience and skill.” And, they say, “because we’re very tactile we like things to feel beautiful.” Certainly this contributes to their design philosophy, which questions: “Is it beautiful? Do you want to touch it, stare at it, linger with it a while?”

This fascination with ambience and great sensitivity to feeling and mood guides their design conversations and inspiration process. “We make stories with pictures and words and that process is about capturing and distilling what a scene evokes,” Meaghan explains. Producing custom lighting for interior designers and architects, as well as a range of products available on their website, their hand-crafted products are intended to enrich the experience of living.

Meaghan and Roberto say that while their personalities are poles apart, their tastes are symbiotic. “Our conversations are colourful as we both have strong ideas; we work with a familiar intensity that is stimulating and absolutely values what the other person brings; we collectively decide on the direction our work is going to take; and once the spark is lit…” The result? A stunning array of lighting that combines taut lines and bulbous forms, and an elegance in engineering and aesthetics. “Seriously,” Meaghan says, “there’s alchemy in tension.”

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