Light isn’t only what you see; in a single shift, it can carry you from the quiet radiance of the midnight sun to the intimacy of winter days. And perhaps it is this very poetic idea that has sparked a new collaboration between Nordic design houses Iittala and Byredo, giving rise to Ljus (meaning ‘light’ in Swedish): a limited-edition collection of glass objects exploring light and scent.
While Byredo, the Swedish fragrance and beauty brand, has built its name on creativity and timeless objects that resonate deeply in people’s lives, the Finnish Iittala stands for functional, enduring glassmaking, rooted in material integrity and craft; together, their sensorial suite of pieces is making a conceptual debut at Matter and Shape in Paris.
Byredo meets Iittala: the Ljus collection
'The process was a true dialogue between the two brands,' shares Janni Vepsäläinen, creative director at Iittala. ‘For Byredo, scent creates atmosphere, something spatial and architectural. For us, glass is the medium through which light and concept take form.'
Glass is a particularly eloquent medium; one that translates the expressions and shifting qualities of light with quiet drama, almost embodying a tension between fire and ice. Adds Vepsäläinen: 'We began with the inherent duality of glass. It is born from fire – from extreme heat and constant movement – yet it often appears cool, fragile, almost like ice suspended in time. That transformation, from liquid intensity to frozen clarity, became the poetic foundation of Ljus. As two Nordic brands, we share the same northern sky; its shifting tones, its clarity, its quiet intensity. The unique quality of Nordic light, especially in winter, feels almost sculptural in itself. With Ljus, that light becomes material and experience.'
The exchange between Byredo and Iittala is also anchored in a shared respect for craftsmanship. Made at Iittala’s historic factory in Finland, every piece in the Ljus collection is formed by generations of skilled makers who coax molten glass into being through heat and human touch. Minute shifts in form and surface are inevitable, and it is precisely these delicate imperfections that become the collection’s quiet signatures.
Within these refined vessels, Byredo’s candles and incense read almost like small sculptures. ‘The two materials – scent and glass – complement one another through materiality, spatial layering, and emotional depth. It became a conversation between heat and solidity, diffusion and containment, lightness and weight.’
The detailed processes aside, there were practical constraints when bringing glass and flame together. 'Gravity, heat, the thickness of the glass – these are physical realities that shape the outcome,’ explains Vepsäläinen. ‘But rather than limiting the process, these constraints became poetic elements. There is a subtle sense of motion captured in a solid form. At the same time, the proportions and silhouette were influenced by the presence of the flame: how it diffuses, how it reflects, how it lives within the glass.'
For their presentation at Matter and Shape, the brands were keen to move beyond the familiar language of a product display. Instead, they have conceived a concept-led, multisensory study of light, glass, ritual and materiality – one that allows atmosphere to take the lead. 'The pieces are given space,' states Vepsäläinen. ‘We want the viewer not only to see the form, but to feel the interaction – how the glass reacts to the flame, how reflections move, how the atmosphere changes. The presentation is conversational, poetic, and experiential, inviting people into a moment shaped by light, material, and time.'
The full Ljus collection will launch globally in October 2026, available from Byredo as well as selected Iittala stores and e-commerce.
