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3D: DARC DESIGNERS
IAN CAMERON EDITOR’S PICK
CHRIS BASIAS NOMINATED BY KUNDALINI For Chris Basias, designer of Kundalini’s Azou lamp, from the day he remembers, light has been something he has been attracted to. “My mother has told me, that even as a baby, I had a strange interaction with light,” he tells darc. “It developed into a true passion when I started to think how I could use light to give a space a signature look and feel. As such, I decided to express all my thoughts and ideas by creating decorative lighting pieces and light installations. “I did have a number of opportunities along the way to design furniture through various client requests and my own personal interests, but my ideas are usually expressed most easily and come most naturally in lighting. ‘My philosophy behind every object is an element of playfulness. Sometimes I like to leave a space for interaction with the final user of the product, other times I like to play with the nature of my materials and physics including gravity and balance. That is the reason most of my designs have a sculptural approach. They are, for me, something between sculptures and lamps, art and design. “Life itself and experiences have always had a deep impact on the way I express my ideas and subsequently my designs. Nature and people – with their stories and feelings – become the basic inspirations in my work. “Everyone has a signature design style; when a client makes their decision to trust your philosophy and signature style you have, then it is normal to adjust it to their needs, or to the needs of the project. I believe good lighting can highlight and underpin a good interior. “Through my studio, step by step, I have found like-minded people to help me manufacture my light fixtures. I tend to always be involved in the process, shaping my designs with my own hands, giving them life and being part of the actual production.”
Lighting Hero I admire many lighting designers and each one of them for different things - their vision, their way of thinking and their personality. If I could work on The lighting for a hotel or a museum this would be a dream fulfilled. Working on both the interior and exterior lighting schemes. Stand out project Each of my projects is a part of me. Azou was the beginning of my relationship with Kundalini a brand I really admire and respect. Decorative lighting Should be combined with architectural lighting. They need each other for an integrated result. Decorative lighting helps bring emotion and signature to the space. Moving forward I strongly believe in the cooperartion of multiple designers for a specific project because this gives an interesting perspective, which leads to the final result. Through collaboration there is a lot of give and taken in opinions, ideas and for me, that’s progress. Let’s see what the future brings. Working with light Is always unexpected and a fascinating adventure.
Cameron Design House is an award-winning British bespoke sculptural lighting company based in London. Founded by Ian Cameron in 2014, the studio has become synonymous with unique, contemporary design and refined craftsmanship. Every piece is conceived and handcrafted at the studio workshop. With an interest in “designing beautiful things, in how materials come together, in creating and experimenting,” rather than lighting design perse, for Cameron lighting continues to be an amazing way to express himself and his ideas, but his intrigue goes far beyond lighting. “I studied product design at London Met,” he tells darc. “Which I loved, but I was more focused on furniture at that time – since leaving, my energy has been focused on lighting for sure, but my mind continues to be occupied by many areas of design.” After university, Cameron happened to meet his first lighting client at the coffee stand he ran at a local market, while designing lights on the side. Today, the studio has grown to a size of 30 people, working with designers around the world. Talking inspirations, he says: “All designers probably say the same thing, inspiration is everywhere and in everything, but it is true. We joke around the studio about the ongoing study of the great mathematician and designer Buckminster Fuller but we really do study his work and others like him. The ongoing study always leads to new ideas and innovations, it’s evolution. In terms of style, for Cameron this all depends on the client to an extent, however most of his clients come to him because they approve of the studio’s aesthetic and as such, he tries not to stray from this. “It’s hard to describe, but we like to think our style is poised and elegant and in a way, effortless. We go to great pains to hide all of the fuss and detail, to leave a very clean and beautiful sculpture. “Our design has to respond to the wider design context whether that is architectural or interior, usually complementing, occasionally juxtaposing we endeavour to create pieces that look integral not additional. All of our pieces are bespoke and handmade to order which puts us in a great position to make sure this always happens. The worst brief for us is a blank canvas - the more information we have about the design vision and the space, the more fun we have and the better the design outcome.” Commenting on the relationship between architectural and decorative lighting in a project, Cameron continues: “It may sound obvious but architectural and decorative lighting must always work together. Due to the sculptural nature of our pieces, they look beautiful whether the light is turned on or off, however having the piece as part of a wider well designed lighting scheme really makes the difference. Our pieces are the “cherry on top” but they need to be on the top of something and that is always great architectural lighting design.”
Lighting Hero Lindsay Adelman has always been one of my biggest inspirations. I love the organic style of her work and the story behind each design. If I could have worked on I love architecture, particularly the brutalists. I would love to have been born earlier and designed something for Goldfinger or Fuller. That said I can’t complain as we have designed pieces for some incredible architectural spaces all around the world. Stand out project We recently installed our Mahlu pendants at The Lindis, a luxury lodge in the Ahuriri Valley in New Zealand. It is incredible to see our pieces in such an out-of-this-world setting on the other side of the world; but some of my greatest satisfaction comes from some of the small projects around London where we can be really hands on and get to see a client’s reaction to a piece first hand. Moving forward We have recently launched in the US, which was an exciting milestone for us. As we continue to grow and work with leading designers on a global scale, I would love to see Cameron Design House pieces specified in unique projects across the world. Working with light Is challenging but very rewarding.