MODELEC TURNS 50

There are objects that barely catch our attention. And then there are those that, quietly, contribute to the soul of a place.

A light switch, for example.

We touch it several times a day. We hardly ever think about it. Yet there it is, on the wall, within reach and within sight. It is precisely here that MODELEC chose to look at things differently.

Since 1976, this human-sized manufacturer has been rethinking this everyday object, giving it a different place within the interior. MODELEC, originally known as MODUL, began as a small family business founded by Raymond Hanin and Marie Mamane. Drawing on its industrial expertise, the company developed its first products before quickly seeking to move beyond the standard. Wood, resin, Bakelite, metal… materials became a field for experimentation, while the light switch became an object to be designed, crafted, touched and admired.

Its story is also one of a gradual move upmarket. In the 1980s, being listed by BHV marked an important milestone. Over the years, MODELEC increasingly chose to work with professionals across the industry. Little by little, the light switch moved beyond the realm of technical products to become part of architecture and interior design projects.

Making a detail the essential.

At MODELEC, material is never simply a finish.

It sets a direction. It calls for a particular gesture, a technique, a savoir-faire.

Wood, worked since the 1990s; porcelain, born from kaolin; aluminium and steel, precisely machined; and brass, which has gradually become one of the house’s signatures.

In 2008, the decision to work more extensively with brass marked a new turning point. Brushed, polished, patinated, textured, chamfered or sculpted, it offers an infinite range of possibilities. Each collection gives it a different interpretation. Confidence, Fascination, M, Iris Horizon, Empreintes: the same material, yet never quite the same story.

It is this relationship with material that particularly resonates with us at DCW éditions.

We have always been drawn to objects that do not seek to follow the spirit of the times. Objects you want to keep, because they were made to last.

An object is never simply an object. It carries the trace of those who imagined, designed and crafted it. But at MODELEC, the story does not end with the product.

An object is never simply an object. It carries the trace of those who imagined, designed and crafted it. But at MODELEC, the story goes beyond the product itself.

In 2019, DCW éditions and MODELEC came together and joined forces.

On paper, the two houses do not share the same core business. They are two houses, with two distinct stories. But in practice, they have much in common: the same way of looking at objects.

MODELEC brings its industrial expertise, its mastery of materials, its mechanisms and its finishes. DCW éditions, in the world of lighting, brings its desire to create objects made to last, far removed from fleeting trends.

The coming together was never about erasing their differences. Quite the opposite.

Each has retained its own spirit, its specificities and its freedom.

Since then, however, the two houses have shared their mistakes and successes, their discussions, ideas and ambitions. That is also what being a group means: learning from one another and bringing together different areas of expertise. What ultimately brings them together is quite simple: the conviction that a beautiful object is first and foremost a well-thought-out, well-designed and well-crafted object.

And then there is their shared appreciation for objects with soul.

At DCW éditions, Frédéric Winkler likes to describe them as “toys for grown-ups”. Objects that accompany us, tell a story about who we are and can be passed down through generations. The same idea resonates at MODELEC: taking an object we use every day and giving it enough character to become more than just a technical element.

Today, this shared story also comes to life in the same place, in the heart of Paris, where the two worlds come together every day.

MODELEC & DCW éditions Showroom:
71, rue de la Fontaine au Roi 
75011 Paris

Today, MODELEC is a company of more than 80 people, rooted in the Île-de-France region, working with long-standing partners and developing its collections in France and internationally. The company has grown, projects have multiplied, as have collaborations with architects and designers.

But some things have never changed.
A commitment to well-crafted work.
A sense of proximity.
A love of materials.
An attention to detail.

And that desire to keep evolving an object we thought we already knew.

Fifty years after its beginnings, MODELEC continues to transform raw materials into objects that find their place within our interiors. Sometimes discreet. But never insignificant.

50 years is not simply a date. It is the time needed to pass on a savoir-faire, evolve a design, experiment, start again, refine. And to continue creating objects for today, with the belief that they will still be there tomorrow.

Perhaps that is, ultimately, the most meaningful common ground between DCW éditions and MODELEC: not to make objects to follow the times, but to make them to stand the test of time.

During Paris Design Week, you had the opportunity to discover MODELEC through an exhibition celebrating its 50th anniversary, held from September 11 to 18 at Bar Électrique.