The Jieldé lamp

Shining light

© Jieldé

1949. One day, Jean-Louis Domecq, the boss of a machine shop in Lyon, had a bright idea. To meet his own lighting needs, this DIY enthusiast invented a super robust lamp, with a round rimmed head and artic-ulated arm.
What made it special? It has no wires, a feature which makes it particularly functional. Very rapidly, this odd lamp attracted so much demand that Domecq started his own business three years later: Jieldé, in reference to his initials.
In the 1960s, this flagship lamp, unassumingly named the ‘Standard’, could be found in factories, workshops and even architecture firms all over the country. At the time,  it  came  in  only  two  colours:  vespa  green  and  grey  green.
In 1970, the model ‘Lac’ was born. This product was a critical  success, but did not achieve popular success until its relaunch in 2011 under the name ‘Lak.

The story of a rebirth

In 1983, the founder passed away and the company was taken over by his daughter, Marie-Françoise. A fine arts graduate, she picked up on the Jieldé’s potential for interior decor, particularly with the emergence of the industrial trend in the 1990s. She grew weary, however, and when the company began to struggle, she sold it to Philippe Belier in 2002.
It was the latter who really brought the Jieldé brand into French homes. He created new models, such as the Signal (the little sister of the original Stand-ard, renamed ‘Loft’), launched Augustin, a metal pendant light, and made the entire range available in various pop colours, to the great delight of lovers of interior decor and joyful design. He did all of this with a certain sense of style in business!

Jieldé has not taken the path of breakneck growth. Based in Saint-Priest, his 17 employees assemble around 15,000 units per year by hand. These numbered items are made to order only, despite growing demand in Japan and Scandinavia for this gem of 1950s industrial designmade in Lyon.

Vitage Jieldé lamps often sell at higher prices than those manufactured today!

Useful info: the company offers a service to upgrade old models to meet current electrical standards.