FEDE: artisan luxury

FEDE makes switches, sockets and decorative lighting, as well as pulls, knobs and bathroom accessories, in its workshops in Barcelona and Valencia. The brand describes itself as a tailor —“the tailor of switches and lighting”— and is committed to artisan luxury: metal pieces, handmade and adapted to each project, that enhance spaces through small details.

In this article we look at what sets FEDE apart, its clean-lined collections —Round, Studio, Twenty and Atelier— and the Marco collection, the reading lights that complete the headboard, how a custom switch is configured, its solutions for hotels and what to bear in mind when specifying these devices.

FEDE, the switch tailor

With its sights set on international expansion and 100% European production, FEDE offers sophisticated, handcrafted collections for projects that stand out for their attention to detail. According to the brand, it works with partners in more than 70 countries and has a Deco & Contract department that advises architects, interior designers and decorators on high-end homes and hotels.

Brass is its main material, and the brand also works with other metals such as zamak and aluminium; some decorative plates incorporate wood, porcelain, tapestry or DuPont™ Corian®. Its craftsmen polish, finish and varnish the pieces in the brand's workshops, with finishes such as satin gold, brushed copper, satin nickel, black or matte white. To order, FEDE offers colours from the RAL chart and exclusive finishes for each project.

For the specifier, this means the switch is no longer a generic item from an electrical catalogue and is treated as one more material: with its own form, finish and feel, coordinated with the taps, pulls and light fittings.

Round, Studio, Twenty and Atelier: clean-lined collections

Minimalist collections of simple geometric shapes.

Each collection brings something different. Round, designed with circular forms, is a soft, delicate option that stands out with restraint in a space. Studio puts the geometry of the line centre stage and accentuates it with pronounced grooves in the plate. In Twenty, an ultra-thin metal sheet becomes a matte frame that blends into the wall and leaves the lever as the focal point. Atelier is the fusion of Round and Twenty: simple geometric forms, circular or square, intended to widen the range of combinations.

FEDE presented Round, Studio and Twenty as brass collections in an ultra-thin version, with five matte finishes: white, black, satin nickel, satin gold and soft patina. Round was shown at Casa Decor 2021 in Madrid with a clear argument: each point can be composed of as many modules and mechanisms as needed, whether USB, socket, rocker, double rocker or rotary.

The table summarises the collections mentioned, as FEDE presents them:

Smooth, ultra-thin surfaces sit alongside sturdier, more classic collections in FEDE's catalogue: options that adapt to each project and imbue it with artisan luxury.

Marco: a velvety feel and French-inspired style

Marco is FEDE's most contemporary metal collection, based on the purest concept of the switch frame. It comes in rectangular and square formats, with different types of control —lever, double rocker or rotary knob— to suit whatever the design of the space requires. Its finish has a velvety feel, “soft as silk”, according to the brand, in white, black, moka, olive green and burgundy.

FEDE describes it as a French-inspired, transitional collection: modern, yet classic in its elegance. The frames can be combined with all the brand's electrical mechanisms, including a metal dimmer and a metal toggle switch, with an industrial touch intended for loft-style spaces. It is not a recent launch: FEDE presented it at InteriHotel Barcelona in October 2015.

Reading lights for the headboard

FEDE completes its collections with matching reading lights: flexible, adjustable models that provide an elegant and very understated directional light. The Studio flexible lamp, for example, has a recessed mechanism and is installed in a standard back box next to the headboard. According to its data sheet, it incorporates a 2.6 W G9 LED lamp at 230 V with a colour temperature of 2,700 K and an opal glass that spreads the light evenly.

Round has two reading light designs. At Casa Decor 2021, the designers María Díaz Leguina and Eva Jurado, of Somos2 Studio, chose directional lights for the bedroom and gooseneck lamps for the desk.

A custom-designed switch

FEDE lets you design your own switch from multiple combinations: you choose the collection and add one to five elements, including mechanisms, frames, push buttons or rockers, plates and dimmers, in the finish the project calls for. It is the logic of tailoring applied to the electrical mechanism: each point is composed according to what the room needs.

This customisation extends to colour. In addition to each collection's finishes, the brand offers exclusive finishes to order, so the switch can be coordinated with the project's joinery, wall finishes or taps.

Technology for hotels and homes

The FEDE brand promotes technology through its products. According to the brand, it has incorporated a system using a standardised Bluetooth protocol, compatible with most mobile phones and tablets, that allows lighting to be controlled from an app: dimming, adjustment or scheduling, locking and unlocking.

Its catalogue also includes electronic devices such as the touch dimmer, which regulates lighting, and the hotel key card switch, both in the SoHo collection, in brass with brushed finishes. This way, the hotel room can keep the same material language across all its devices.

FEDE in projects

OIKO sustainable villas, a company making prefabricated modular villas, chose FEDE's Studio toggle switches for its homes, according to the brand. Images of the project show how the black devices accompany an architecture of light timber and simple lines, in kitchens and bathrooms.

Key points for specifying FEDE devices

Choosing the switch with the same intent as the rest of the materials means resolving a few points at design stage:

• Collection language: Round, Studio and Twenty suit minimalist interiors; Marco, transitional-style spaces; FEDE's classic collections, more decorated interiors.
• Coordinated finishes: it is best to define the finish of switches, sockets and reading lights together with that of pulls, taps and light fittings, which FEDE also makes in brass.
• Composition of each point: in the modular collections, finalising the number and position of mechanisms, sockets and dimmers before ordering avoids changes on site.
• Electrical standard: FEDE organises its catalogue into European, British and Italian standards. On international projects, check the availability of the chosen collection.
• Plate material: FEDE has described these collections in both brass and aluminium. If the material is a project requirement, confirm it with the brand.

Taking care of the small details of a space is essential to making an impression on those who use it. FEDE has its own signature, ranging from timeless, understated lines to more decorated, classic designs: different ways of interpreting elegance.

At Matter we help you choose the devices together with the project's other materials and finishes. Come to our material library to compare finishes and combinations with your technical team.