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DECORATIVE LIGHTING IN ARCHITECTURE #16 MAY/JUN 2016

ZAHA HADID | SIR KENNETH GRANGE INTERSECT BY LEXUS | OVOLO HOTEL FRANKFURT | MILAN | NEW YORK | LONDON

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COVER IMAGE LOOP BY INGO MAURER

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Welcome EDITOR • PAUL JAMES The news that Zaha Hadid had suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 65 came as a complete shock to the international design community. I was not her friend, I had only met her once, but the feeling that we have lost a genuine design genius who would have gone on to create reams of magnificent work is very prevalent right now. In my opinion there is not another architect who did more to promote creative lighting design, both in terms of her encouragement of lighting design as a profession and as a result of her flowing architecture. Her product design work with the likes of Zumtobel, Slamp and WonderGlass resulted in decorative light fittings of breathtaking beauty and originality. With this very sad news, we have published a tribute to her in this issue, with input from some of the manufacturers that collaborated with her. I hope you find it as inspirational as she was.

This month we officially launched the 2016 darc awards. The major change in the format is that we are splitting the awards into architectural (with the event taking place in London on September 15) and decorative (with the event taking place in London in May 2017). If you have any decorative projects and products that you are desperate to enter then you’ll have to wait a little longer before the decorative section is open for entries. Like last year, the awards will be voted on by the independent design community to avoid any bias and I am confident in the claim that both the awards process and event is the most original out there. So please go to www.darcawards.com and take a look.

DEPUTY EDITOR • HELEN FLETCHER It seems we can't sit still for more than five minutes at the darc office without getting the itch to fly off to another country and this issue is very much reflective of that! This year's Light+Building show was a huge success for us and to those of you who took the time out to meet with either myself, Femke or Stephen, thank you - it was great to hear such positive feedback on the magazine and the content we're producing. While the decorative lighting sector remains comparitavely small at Light+Building, we still found plenty to talk about and you'll find our full show report starting on page 72 - featuring no less than 60 new product launches! We also managed to pin down a few well-known faces during the show to discuss new product launches, including: Arik Levy, Davide Groppi, Mathias Hahn and Maurici Ginés, and we've got the best in decorative lighting from the Design+ Awards on page 94. Continuing on the tradeshow theme (I promise I'll talk about something else next issue), some of you may have had the pleasure of meeting Stephen during his whistle-stop tour of Milan Design Week in April; Euroluce might be biannual but that doesn't stop the lighting industry coming out in force - take a look at our showroom coverage starting on page 100. Next up for us is ICFF in New York, then on to Clerkenwell Design Week in London and INDEX in Dubai... Then maybe we'll take a well-earned summer break!

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Contents

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NEWS ZAHA HADID TRIBUTE • IRAQ LA TRAVIATA • MILAN SIR KENNETH GRANGE • UK OVOLO HOTEL • WOOLLOOMOOLOO CHRISTIAN FLINDT • COPENHAGEN CLUB HOUSE • LIVERPOOL ALJOUD LOOTAH • DUBAI INTERSECT BY LEXUS • DUBAI MARLEY COFFEE • SEOUL GOLF CLUB MAISON BLANCHE CLUBHOUSE • PAYS DE GEX NANDO’S • INTERNATIONAL DAVID WEEKS STUDIO • NEW YORK IN FOCUS: LEAD CRYSTAL • TUSCANY FOLIO: REFLEXION • ZÜRICH LIGHT+BUILDING PRODUCT REVIEW • FRANKFURT ARIK LEVY • TEL AVIV MAURICI GUINÉS • BARÇELONA DAVIDE GROPPI • PIACENZA MATHIAS HAHN • PARIS DESIGN PLUS AWARDS • FRANKFURT LIGHT+BUILDING TRENDS • FRANKFURT MILAN SHOWROOM ROUNDUP • MILAN HALLUCINATION • MILAN PALAZZO SERBELLONI RESTORATION • MILAN ICFF PRODUCT PREVIEW • NEW YORK CLERKENWELL DESIGN WEEK PREVIEW • LONDON CALENDARC IF...

EDITOR : PAUL JAMES : p.james@mondiale.co.uk DEPUTY EDITOR : HELEN FLETCHER : h.fletcher@mondiale.co.uk EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS : FEMKE GOW : f.gow@mondiale.co.uk • LAURENCE FAVAGER : l.favager@mondiale.co.uk ADVERTISING : STEPHEN QUILIGOTTI : s.quiligotti@mondiale.co.uk PRODUCTION : DAVID BELL : d.bell@mondiale.co.uk / MEL ROBINSON : m.robinson@mondiale.co.uk darc magazine, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ, UK Printed by Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, UK • ISSN 2052-9406

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Hitting the Headlines For the most recent decorative lighting news head to www.darcmagazine.com and sign up to the designline newsletter.

Dame Zaha Hadid dies aged 65

ArDe explores urban future

(UK) – Iraqi-born architect, whose works include MAXXI: Italian National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome (2009) and London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games, passes after suffering sudden heart attack in Miami hospital.

Read the full story online...

(UK) – New design and architecture fair ArDe explores the urban future at Somerset House, London, from June 8 to 12.

Read the full story online...

Factorylux launches Bletchley Park glass lampshade (UK) - Factorylux’s Bletchley Park glass lamp shade was installed in Alan Turing’s office at Bletchley Park.

Read the full story online...

designjunction relocates to King’s Cross

Sebastian Wrong launches new lighting company

(UK) - designjunction relocates to a new long-term home in urban development King’s Cross, London.

Read the full story online...

(UK) - British designer Sebastian Wrong launches Wrong London with offices in London and Hong Kong.

Read the full story online...

Panzeri hosts ‘The Future of Decorative Lighting’ round table (Italy) - Ahead of Salone del Mobile in Milan, (held 12-17 April) Panzeri hosted ‘The Future of Decorative Lighting’ round table at Biassono headquarters.

Read the full story online...

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TRIBUTE

“Architecture is semi-artistic, but you are inspired by nature, landscape, biology, all living things.�

- Zaha Hadid in conversation with Alain Elkann, 2015

Pic: Steve Double

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Design Directive On 31 March, Zaha Hadid Architects confirmed that Dame Zaha Hadid, DBE had died following a heart attack. She had contracted bronchitis earlier in the week and was, at the time, being treated in a Miami hospital in the US. Not only an incredible architect, during her career Hadid turned her hand to product design. Here darc celebrates the accomplishments of the “greatest female architect in the world”.

Zaha Hadid 1950 - 2016

Zaha Hadid was widely regarded to be the greatest female architect in the world today. Born in Baghdad in 1950, she studied mathematics at the American University of Beirut before starting her architectural journey in 1972 at the Architectural Association in London.

By 1979 she had established her own practice in London - Zaha Hadid Architects - garnering a reputation across the world for her groundbreaking theoretical works including The Peak in Hong Kong (1983), the Kurfürstendamm in Berlin (1986) and the Cardiff Bay Opera House in Wales (1994).

Working with office partner Patrik Schumacher, her interest was in the interface between architecture, landscape, and geology, which her practice integrates with the use of innovative technologies often resulting in unexpected and dynamic architectural forms.

Hadid’s first major built commission, one that affirmed her international recognition, was the Vitra Fire Station in Weil Am Rhein, Germany (1993); subsequent notable projects including the MAXXI: Italian National Museum of 21st Century Arts in Rome (2009), the London Aquatics Centre for the 2012 Olympic Games (2011) and the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku (2013) illustrate her quest for complex, fluid space.

When not designing buildings Hadid turned her hand to installations, jewellery, fashion and product design. In 2013, the Vitra

Fire Station was in fact the recipient of ‘Prima’, a collaboration between Hadid and Swarovski to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her breakthrough project. The installation uses advanced design technologies to translate the twodimensional lines of a canvas drawing into a work of multidimensional art. Its five highly polished components can be moved into different configurations to create seating for visitors. Awe-inspiring and unique, the installation recalls the dynamism of Hadid’s original drawings for the Vitra Fire Station.

In addition to Prima, Hadid has also partnered with Swarovski to create a stunning chandelier for the brand’s Crystal Palace.

Ever pushing boundaries and challenging preconceived notions about the chandelier, Hadid drew inspiration from nanotechnology and self-organising systems, using 2,700 internally lit crystals to create her spiraling vortex of light. The chandelier relates to and interacts with - each new environment in a unique manner, constantly reinventing itself and offering exciting new possibilities.

Previous to this, in 2005, Hadid and Schumacher had worked with Austrian giant Zumtobel to create the VorteXX lighting sculpture. Implemented by Sawaya & Moroni, VorteXX is a perfect symbiosis of organic lines and a surprisingly dynamic modulation of light colours. The impressive design is based on the vision of an infinite ribbon of light. Its charismatically curved

outlines remind the beholder of a double helix and seem like a continuously flowing form – weightless, impulsive and radiant.

Then, in 2009, Artemide collaborated with Hadid on the Genesey table lamp and launched at Milan Design Week. The lamp’s structure increases in complexity as it rises from the floor. Like a growing organism, the central support sprouts branches that adopt a greater radial geometry to enhance the dynamic tensional forces of the structure.

Commenting on Hadid’s death Zumtobel said: “We feel honoured to have been able to work with such a powerful woman, incredible architect, dear friend but mostly a true inspiration, which Zaha Hadid will forever remain. Zaha Hadid has designed the unique Vortexx chandelier which became the first Zumtobel Masterpiece, outstanding in design, formal expression and also lighting technology using colour changing LEDs at a very early stage. Many other projects followed. We have highly appreciated the close collaboration with Zaha which was always highly professional, uncomplicated and inspiring.”

In 2004, Hadid became the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. She also twice won the UK’s most prestigious architecture award, the RIBA Stirling Prize: in 2010 for the Evelyn Grace Academy, a unique design, expertly inserted into an extremely tight site, that shows the students, staff and local residents they are valued and celebrates the school’s

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Pic: Courtesy of Slamp

specialism throughout its fabric, with views of student participation at every turn; and the MAXXI Museum in Rome, a building for the staging of 21st Century art, the distillation of years of experimentation, a mature piece of architecture conveying a calmness that belies the complexities of its form and organisation.

Hadid’s other awards included the Republic of France’s Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Japan’s Praemium Imperiale and in 2012, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire; she is also Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and Fellow of the American Institute of Architecture.

Hadid also held various academic roles including the Kenzo Tange Chair at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University; Sullivan Chair at the University of Illinois, School of Architecture. Hadid also taught studios at Columbia University, Yale University and the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

Elsewhere in the lighting sector, Hadid’s more recent work with Italian brand Slamp saw the creation of Aria and Avia lighting

fixtures, released in 2013. Aria is a light piece that is charged with Hadid’s dramatic sense of motion combined with the intrinsic weightlessness of technically advanced materials. With its 50 layers of Crystalflex, this suspension light has a complex harmonic yet fluid contemporary quality. With its translucent black overlay, a fascinating sculpture in light. Avia is fluid and dynamic and a miniature piece of architecture, 50 different layers of Polycarbonate transform it from a source of light into an object of admiration with soft, amplified tones and reflections.

In response to Hadid’s death, Slamp released a statement that read: “Those of you who have followed us for several years know perfectly that Zaha’s influence has touched our company, and you can imagine how devastating her passing has been for all of us. We have promised her that our mission, and above all, our honour, will be to ensure that her light continues to shine brightly.”

At last year’s Milan Design Week WonderGlass introduced the Luma and Swarm pieces in collaboration with Hadid.

WonderGlass focuses on interactive

installations that can not only be seen but also be touched.

The seamless dialogue of subtle and elegant refractions onto organic surfaces is magnified by the presence of Swarm, a statement chandelier. Composed of black crystal volumes suspended in dynamic forms, the intricately layered spatial composition of the chandelier presets itself as a unified whole. From underneath, its separated crystal suspensions can be distinguished, emphasising unity without the restrictions of symmetry.

The Luma chandelier is another sculptural composition of four tubular segments that follow a radial trajectory and dramatically transform into diamond-shaped luminaires to subtly diffuse light with their materiality.

Informed by the precise mathematical principles that define natural surface tension, each individual glass segment has been hand-blown and celebrates the unrivalled logic and beauty found within nature. These creations for WonderGlass testify Hadid’s focus on quality and exploration.

Recently awarded the RIBA 2016 Royal Gold Medal, the first woman to be awarded the

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Left to Right A selection of decorative lighting designs from Hadid including, Swarm for WonderGlass; Hadid’s last designs for Slamp, the Aria Gold and Aria Transparent, shown at this year’s Milan Design Week; and VorteXX for Zumtobel.

Pic: Courtesy of Zumtobel Lighting

prestigious honour in her own right. Sir Peter Cook wrote the following citation in response, which sums up perfectly Hadid’s influence on the industry: “In our current culture of ticking every box, surely Zaha Hadid succeeds, since (to quote the Royal Gold Medal criteria) she is someone who has made a significant contribution to the theory or practice of architecture…. for a substantial body of work rather than for work which is currently fashionable.”

Indeed her work, though full of form, style and unstoppable mannerism, possesses a quality that some of us might refer to as an impeccable ‘eye’: which we would claim is a fundamental in the consideration of special architecture and is rarely satisfied by mere ‘fashion’.

“And surely her work is special,” continued Cook. “For three decades now, she has ventured where few would dare: if Paul Klee took a line for a walk, then Zaha took the surfaces that were driven by that line out for a virtual dance and then deftly folded them over and then took them out for a journey into space.

“In her earlier, ‘spiky’ period there was already a sense of vigour that she shared

with her admired Russian Suprematists and Constructivists – attempting with them to capture that elusive dynamic of movement at the end of the machine age.”

Necessarily having to disperse effort through a studio production, rather than being a lone artist, Cook goes on to describe how Zadid cottoned–on to the potential of the computer to turn space upon itself, saying: “Indeed there is an Urban Myth that suggests that the very early Apple Mac ‘boxes’ were still crude enough to plot the mathematically unlikely – and so Zaha with her mathematics background seized upon this and made those flying machine projections of the Hong Kong Peak project and the like.

“Meanwhile, with paintings and special small drawings Zaha continued to lead from the front. She has also been smart enough to pull in some formidable computational talent without being phased by its ways.

“Thus the evolution of the ‘flowing’ rather than spikey architecture crept up upon us in stages, as did the scale of her commissions, but in most cases, they remained clear in identity and control.

“The history of the Gold Medal must surely

include many major figures who commanded a big ship and one ponders upon the operation involved that gets such strong concepts as the MAXXI, the Bergisel Ski Jump in Innsbruck; or the Aquatics Centre for the London Olympics. Never has she been so prolific, so consistent.

“We realise that Kenzo Tange and Frank Lloyd Wright could not have drawn every line or checked every joint, yet Zaha shares with them the precious role of towering, distinctive and relentless influence upon all around her that sets the results apart from the norm. Such self-confidence is easily accepted in film-makers and football managers, but causes some architects to feel uncomfortable, maybe they’re secretly jealous of her unquestionable talent. Let’s face it, we might have awarded the medal to a worthy, comfortable character. We didn’t, we awarded it to Zaha: larger than life, bold as brass and certainly on the case.” www.zaha-hadid.com

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focal point LA TRAVIATA MILAN, ITALY At this year’s Milan Design Week, Slamp unveiled La Traviata, its latest collection designed by avant-garde theatre director Robert Wilson. Confirming the company’s mature ability to work outside of the current design canon, La Traviata is a pure expression of ornamental light. Wilson’s non-interpretive theatre production and design never cease to amaze and La Traviata captures the essence of this trademark. The chandeliers were unveiled simultaneously on April 12, during an exclusive dinner at the Teatro del Triennale and in the Wallpaper Hotel exhibition space on Milan’s Via San Gregorio. Summing up his crystalline light sculpture, Wilson notes: “Without light, there is no space.” www.slamp.com

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Extraordinary Gentleness of Function Having launched the Anglepoise Type 75 Giant at this year’s Light+Building in Frankfurt, darc had the priviledge of interviewing product design hero Sir Kenneth Grange to discuss heritage, functionality and form.

Sir Kenneth Grange is one of the bestknown British product designers of his generation and has been a leading figure on the international design scene for over 60 years. He has shaped everything from consumer electronics including the Kenwood Chef, Kodak Instamatic camera and Morphy Richards iron, to bus shelters and parking meters, the iconic London Black Cab and his work with British Rail on the Intercity 125 high-speed train.

Born in the East End of London in 1929, after a memorable and successful period at the Sir John Cass School in the City of London, at the age of ten, Grange attended a senior elementary school in Wembley that taught technical drawing. Then, at the age of fourteen he won a scholarship to Willesden School of Arts and Crafts, where for four years he learnt drawing and lettering. His illustrious career as a technical illustrator began while in National Service and he subsequently made his reputation as an industrial product designer; in association with four partners he then founded Pentagram, which is now an international design practice with offices in the US, Germany and London, UK.

More than any other designer of his generation, Grange’s career has reflected the ups and downs of British manufacturing.

Following the Second World War, British industry was keen to respond to the new demands for things for the home. In the 1950s increased productivity and wages fed a new optimism and Grange was able to benefit from these opportunities.

A pioneer of the independent product designer, Grange didn’t work directly for a manufacturer, but was commissioned for specific projects as an outside consultant.

This allowed him the flexibility to design for the street, office, home and garden and as British manufacturing slowly contracted in the late twentieth century, Grange was increasingly sought out by international clients for work.

Accolades for Grange’s influence as a foremost British product designer have naturally followed. Twice winner of the Prince Philip Designers Prize with a string of Design Council Awards to his name, Grange is a Royal Designer for Industry, Gold Medalist of the Chartered Society of Designers, holds six Honorary Doctorates including the Royal College of Art where

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The Type 75 Giant

he is visiting professor, and an FX Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 1983 the V&A Museum in London staged a one-man show of his work. Grange was similarly honoured in Tokyo in 1989 and again at the Design Museum’s ‘Making Britain Modern’ exhibition in London in 2011. In 1984 Grange was appointed CBE and in 2013 he received a knighthood for services to design.

With many of his designs still in use today, Grange’s work explores the same essential design principles: a desire to design something that is functionally better, as well as being a pleasure to use with an aesthetic sensibility that is rooted in European modernism, but enthused with a warm approachability.

Having previously identified the Anglepoise lamp as his favourite design, in 2003 Grange became the brand’s Consultant Design

Director. Describing their product as a “minor miracle of balance”, he tells darc how his Anglepoise love affair began: “I have always been an admirer of the mechanism and the brand’s heritage - it has a quality that goes back a very long time.

“When I was at art school I got a job in a spring factory sweeping up – but I also began to learn a bit about engineering. They made springs of all shapes and sizes – it was a remarkable place that had about twelve employees, so of course, couldn’t take the big orders. The place for big orders was a firm called Terry’s, they were like the Rolls Royce of the spring making world.

“Much later in life, I was writing a piece for a magazine and discovered the Anglepoise and thought it was a remarkable mechanism because it has this extraordinary gentleness of function – but it does it with such purpose and intelligence that it’s a main stay of

commonplace engineering in my view.

“A bit later, I attended a supper event and found myself sitting next to a guy called Simon Terry (Anglepoise Innovation and Brand Director)… To my surprise it turned out to be the same ‘Terry’ as the one I had heard of during my apprenticeship as a spring maker, which cheered me up no end!”

As they say, the rest is history…. In his role as Design Director, Grange’s first product for Anglepoise was the Type 75, which was, he says, quite deliberately an attempt to modernise in style and presentation, and to some degree, the function of a well-loved and archetypal thing.

“Initially Simon was looking for help to rescue the firm,” says Grange. “I was qualified to do it and had the facilities necessary to do so. The title of Design Director was taken on a bit later… I had already, at that time, earned a reputation

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Original Type 75 Giant sketches courtesy of Sir Kenneth Grange.

for being associated with very successful products for big names so I felt qualified to take on some initiative.

“Anglepoise was a firm that had a decent product, but which badly needed to join the 20th century. I had a pretty good idea of what it needed and how it was to be perceived in the marketplace. It was still supplying loyal customers, but they were slowly disappearing because they could find similar products cheaper from China.

“Simon had come on board for family reasons, but what we both found was how misaligned Anglepoise was with the growth and appreciation of design and modernism that was featuring in a lot of items in the home. I thought I was qualified to support them in the direction they needed to go and this is where the Type 3 desk lamp came in.”

Having grown up as a “commercial animal, who sits slightly uncomfortably with those in the design profession”, for Grange, Anglepoise needed to be seen as modern.

“One of the things we spotted early on was that almost all task lamps got very hot because people would typically buy the maximum wattage they thought they needed and some of them were left almost untouchable,” says Grange. “While today, it’s not much remarked on, if you look at Type 3, it has an inner reflector, the purpose of which was to make a chimney and draft the air up and around in order to keep the outside cool. This is what I regard as important style. It was also important to scrutinise the engineering because it had the potential to be as beautiful and elegant in purpose as we could make it.”

With such a long career behind him, we asked Grange for his thoughts on modern design: “There’s a contradiction of

May 10 - 13, 2016 MAISON&OBJET MIAMI Hall C Booth 1519

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TREASURE | Designer MASSIMILIANO RAGGI | Ph. PAOLO CROCENZI | www.contardi-italia.com |

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Above The Type 75 Desk Lamp - Pic Anders Schonnemann for Cereal Magazine. Above Right Anglepoise Type 75 Desk Lamp - Margaret Howell Yellow Ochre Edition. Right Type 75 pendant lamps.

commerce in today’s society, things are often made new but not as functionally well as they used to be. For example, everything you buy comes heavily packaged and before you even get to use the item it might be damaged when you come to take it out of the box!

“One of my obsessions is motorcars – style is very high in the mind of the designer and as a result they’re getting lower and lower, making them more and more difficult to get in and out of, commonly the notion of a four-door car that pays almost no attention to the access of the rear passengers. The irony is that as private cars are used more and more as taxis, this purely simple functional side has gone almost backwards.

“You could find yourself getting depressed by it,” Grange continues, “as it drives a wedge further and further between the different age groups, which is a contradiction to what you read in the newspapers… you can’t open one without seeing a new trick to make you

look younger! The truth is, if you start to look at this objectively and critically, you find a lot of things have gotten distinctly worse.” For Grange, good design will always draw your attention, “it’s naive to say that style isn’t important,” he tells darc. “Once you’ve got that interest then you go on to discover that there are other sides to the object that make it even better.”

Making its debut at this year’s Light+Building in Frankfurt and making its way to ICFF in New York, Grange’s most recent design for Anglepoise is the Type 75 Giant.

Commenting on its design, he says: “There’s a side to commerce which has been driven by nostalgia… Generally referred to as heritage or retro, which I’m comfortable with. Occasionally forms find their original beginnings, in terms of style, and are extremely attractive – this happened with Anglepoise. With my designs there’s a mix of the retro and heritage with clear, modern accents.”

The Type 75 Giant features precision machined components and a rotating shade that offers a switched lamp system to allow for multiple light levels and a unique halo-effect illumination. It offers a striking, modernist alternative to the Original 1227 Giant.

“We have steered a course in which the firm is seen as young and dynamic and that has a sophisticated mix of product,” says Grange.

“My job is the same as when I started fourteen years ago, to bring the company into people’s minds and at one with the modern world.

“Looking ahead, everything is going in the right direction – Anglepoise is made up of a decent community of people, and it has the makings of ongoing growth. I am optimistic about the firm and I think it’s great that the people at the top are both respectful and intelligently going to use what they have inherited.” www.anglepoise.com

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A Vast Adjustment Australian design studio HASSELL used the vastness of a public thoroughfare in Sydney's century old wharf to its advantage in creating an encapsulating space for guests to feel at home away from home.

Pics: Nicole England

Sydney’s century old wharf in Woolloomooloo is now home to the Ovolo Woolloomooloo hotel, following a bold transformation designed to appeal to a new generation of guests. After the success of previous projects within Hong Kong-based boutique hotel collection Hind Group, trading under the name Ovolo, international design practice HASSELL partnered with Ovolo to bring the energetic lifestyle brand to life for its first hotel in Sydney and latest Australian venture.

Ovolo represents a collection of hotels that connect people with their locations, and combine their personality with the character of the immediate environment.

Together with lighting designer and architect Raffaele De Vita from Medland Engineering consultancy, HASSELL worked to underpin the design of the hotel with the traits of its brand. HASSELL Senior Associate Matthew Sheargold said: “With the Ovolo guest at the heart of the design process, Ovolo Woolloomooloo embodies everything the brand stands for – young, energetic, cheeky, accessible and effortless.” These characteristics informed every part of the

design process from planning to furniture selection, materials palette to artwork.

Sheargold explained that the hotel capitalises on light, the harbour and its cosmopolitan setting, transforming the historic wharf into a place that people can inhabit and truly appreciate. “To inject vitality into the hotel, we first needed to transform an uninviting wind tunnel along the vast central spine of the existing hotel,” said Sheargold. Of key importance to Ovolo was to activate the public atrium space and ensure that it would be utilised all day, every day. “We broke the space into smaller zones to support different experiences and guests’ needs, and inserted pavilions.

Pockets of sunlight and tree-filled spaces within the pavilions encourage a variety of uses, which entice people to visit and linger, creating an environment that’s more intimate – more Ovolo.”

Working to reawaken the soul of the space, De Vita commented on how the lighting helps to reinterpret a historical space with a flavour of Sydney’s modernity: “It brings life, vitality and a touch of vintage eclectic glamour. It is the wow factor that completes

the interior design.” Modern decorative fittings contribute to the eclectic flavour that remains faithful to the use of period materials by the architecture.

The atrium space is a public thoroughfare cutting through the heart of the hotel, which had to be accessible day and night.

Full sized trees with integrated LED lights line a pathway through the atrium creating a streetscape, while providing another human scale element within the space and a dynamic and evolving light feature.

Further to this, the open roofed structures provide another layer via the skylights in the building roof with natural light casting shadows throughout the day through the timber louvres.

The building itself is a crucial character in the project, and the contrast between old and new is celebrated throughout the hotel.

Bringing its own set of challenges, the building pushed the design team and the client to think outside the box, sometimes forcing changes to the design but ultimately arriving at thoroughly realised and exciting outcomes. The building, its challenges and opportunities presented, alongside

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Ovolo’s requirements, drove the lighting design of this space. “The central atrium is enormous and dwarfs guests, making it a very difficult place to light,” said Sheargold. “As the building is heritage listed we couldn’t fix anything to any part of the existing structure, so we introduced a series of free standing pavilions to allow us to fix lighting infrastructure.” This allowed the team to manage the scale of the space by introducing structures more aligned with a human scale. “We located all light fittings below a 2,400mm datum to create a significantly more intimate environment,” continued Sheargold.

As the atrium is thoughtfully comprised

of various sections, guests are welcomed into a lobby space, where Australian manufacturer Touching Space’s Ibis timber floor lamp designed by Stuart Williams sits.

With a counter weight at the end of its arm, Ibis' black powder coat shade nods to guests on arrival. This space eases into the arrival lounge, or second pavilion, where guests are encouraged to relax, rather than simply check in. Here they can sit in wooden seating alcoves to rejuvenate beneath the light of Le Lampe Gras wall lamps, or read in lounge chairs by the task light of Rubn Lighting’s Lektor floor lamp.

Adjacent to this is the pool table area, made playful by Muuto’s Unfold pendant lamps in

Previous Page Bird's eye view of light filled atrium space featuring coloured seating alcoves lined by dimmable LED illuminated trees. This Page Hotel reception with LED filament lamps outlining the reception's framework with illuminated trees within the pavillions.

SIMPLY TIMELESS An elegantly simple shape. The Ginestra stands out without shouting out, blends in without losing definition. Designed to evoke the echoes of our industrial heritage in a completely modern way, it is a pendant that will stand the test of time.

Because good design demands simplicity.

Model: Ginestra

SIMPLER IS BETTER

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green silicone rubber, with a bold dash of excitement shouting out through the mesh front of Restoration Hardware’s French cinema floor lamp in aged steel.

The atrium’s third pavilion features a private dining room, where Christopher Boots’ Phasmida pendant adds an elegant finish from above. Basing his lighitng on dreams, nature and geometry, Boots' pendant was a suited addition to the project with its naturally open spaces and geometrical construction. In the same pavilion is a dining area with banquette seating where guests can dine any time of day beneath the luminescence of Rubn Lighting’s Astoria wall fixture with fifteen arms in matte black iron, sitting as a striking focal point of the room’s interior.

The welcoming public spaces and fresh colour scheme contrast with the deliberately atmospheric guest rooms, building drama and interest. In the Ultraroos penthouse suite, Touching Space’s Ibis floor lamp is seen again, peering over the angular lounge area with a soft gaze, ready to illuminate when needed, while standing as an endearing inhabitant of the

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room when left off. The standard guest rooms are no less impressive, with chaise longues and bespoke art illuminated by wall and table lamps from Australian design firm ISM Objects’ HD3 range, as well as its Shady floor lamps dotted around. The bedheads are adorned with custom art pieces of stylish men and women, with Le Lampe Gras’ black satin wall lamp fixed into the headboard for a soft bedside light. These decorative fittings give a gentle nod to the architectural aesthetic of the building in form and material, be it a reference to the black steel tubing throughout the building or brass references which were evident in the building’s original detailing.

All of the lighting selected for the project is designed to bring a certain magic to the space and the guest's experience. Sheargold

explained: “The building’s palette of cool green-blues and greys can feel bleak and cold, so it was important to create a warm and inviting light. LED fittings were used throughout, including the exposed filament globes above the bar and reception. The LEDs in the trees are all dimmable to allow the space to evolve from day to night and for different functions and events.”

As the oldest finger wharf in Australia and a Sydney icon, there was much sensitivity around the project and how the client’s energetic and youthful requirements could be integrated within a heritage building. De Vita explained that due to the heritage nature of the building, every hole drilled into a surface or ceiling required a detailed mounted solution and approval from relevant authorities. “There were

Previous Page Top Dining area with banquette seating illuminated by repurposed and powdercoated hanging lamp chandeliers and Rubn Lighting's Astoria fifteen arm wall lamp.

Previous Page Bottom Private dining room in the atrium's third pavillion featuring Christopher Boots' Phasmida pendant and Lucifero's 1LS wall lights.

Above Repurposed and powdercoated chandeliers work with Rubn Lighting's Lektor floor lamps to illuminate a lounge space within the atrium.

Repurposed silver bell pendants are suspended above the reception's bar.

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Touching Space's Ibis floor lamp nods over seating area in Ultraroos penthouse suite.

issues in procuring the light fittings, the requirement to match the warm colour temperatures from different suppliers, designing appropriate custom fittings like the pendants at the entrance, gaining all the approvals required for the outdoor lighting to completely with the Australian Standards, and a few more! How did we do all that?

With a massive dose of patience and holding firm to the vision of the completed product,” said De Vita Ovolo Woolloomooloo is a project wherein its multiple challenges, from the overwhelming volume to the heritage elements, in turn became its greatest assets. Working with a hotel brand on its first hotel in a city such as Sydney, in such an iconic building, was a huge responsibility for the design team, as Sheargold explained: “It’s so rare to get an opportunity like this and it’s one that we embraced. We had to get it right.

“New contemporary forms sit in harmonious contrast to the heritage structure, providing windows and vistas that frame the existing building, allowing visitors to see it in an entirely new way.” This makes the hotel not just a space to pass through but also a place to linger and enjoy. The history of the building is captured through vignettes as guests wander through, reaffirming its beauty and historic value.

The guest experience at this hotel is unique and driven by its architecture; HASSELL allowed the building to become a key character in the hotel and ensured the Ovolo brand could shine in its new, historic home. Through warm lighting and thoughtful interior design, this vast and challenging space became intimate and rife with personality, standing as a desirable space to make memories amidst days of exploring Sydney. www.hassellstudio.com

PROJECT DETAILS Ovolo Woolloomooloo Hotel, Sydney, Australia Client: Hind Group Interior Design: HASSELL Lighting Design: HASSELL and Medland Engineering

LIGHTING SPECIFIED Christopher Boots Phasmida pendant ISM Objects HD3 table and floor lamps, Shady floor lamps La Lampe Gras No. 210, No. 217 and No. 303 wall lamps Lucifero 1LS wall lamps Muuto Unfold pendants Restoration Hardware French cinema floor lamps Rubn Lighting Astoria, Lektor floor, Vox pendants Topos Single line wall lamps Touching Space's Ibis floor lamp

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INTERVIEW

The Architect and the Artist: Christian Flindt The Danish designer talks darc through his innocent love affair with light that has grown to include collaborations with the likes of Louis Poulsen.

Pic: Morten Jerichau

Growing up under the influence of his Art Gallerist mother and Pathologist father, Danish designer Christian Flindt has developed an approach to design that lies somewhere between the creative and the analytical. As a child, Flindt spent time at his mother’s art gallery every day after school, playing with the abundance of artistic tools at his disposal. Having initially studied architecture, Flindt was fascinated by the idea of making spaces that people could walk into. He has now scaled his ambitions down with more of a focus on the props within the scene. “I really love it. I think it’s a good mix between the architect and the artist that I have flirted with earlier in life,” Flindt tells darc.

With exposure to such a high quality of art since his youth, Flindt aged eleven came across an exhibition at Denmark’s Aarhus Art Museum by James Turrell, now standing out as one of his earliest influences: “I remembered what I saw as being totally

new to me and I didn’t really know how to place it in my mind. I had two conflicting feelings; it was so much and yet there was nothing really in the museum – just light. On one hand, there were white volumes coming out of walls and corners, but when you got closer, it was just flat light on a surface. It was fantastic – a mind blowing firework and a pause of silence at the same time.”

Going on to study building, architecture, furniture and design in Denmark and the UK, Flindt has a broad understanding of large and small-scale design. He has followed the work of Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, who creates on all scales from architectural structures to solar powered lighting products; much of his work is driven by how light and the surrounding world is perceived, which relates strongly to Flindt’s earliest experiences with light and his own work today. Yet Flindt’s deep fascination with pure form could only have been nurtured by the Queen of the Curve herself. “To have

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Light Lounger is a dimmable LED beanbag that the user can adjust to suit the environment at any moment while sitting.

followed the work of Zaha Hadid and see it develop over the years has been like seeing the main characters of your favourite TV series evolve. I can’t understand that she is no longer here,” he says.

Hadid’s boundless influence can be seen in Flindt’s respectful approach to form and function. The Danish designer gained experience working at an architectural firm in Melbourne, feeling very much inclined towards the overall ideas behind a building and the industrial production of its parts.

“What I love about being a designer working with a smaller scale is the soft sketches, the rough physical prototyping – the precise digital work on the computer but also the dialogue with producers, engineers, suppliers of materials and services.

“Designing is versatile, varied and exciting.

And you get these physical objects in the end, which capture all you have been through. You can touch it, look at it, use it and have feelings for it, and other people can to, which I find very rewarding.”

Luxus rocking chair with LED was designed as a stimulating chair for children in 2006 as a competition entry for the Danish Furniture Industry.

Pics: Magnus Klitten

When Flindt moved away from architecture towards design, he intended to focus on making furniture as he found it to be a very tangible design process; the direct outcome of an industrialised product based on a direct ergonomic dialogue with the human body. Contrastingly, he initially found light to be more diffuse. “Now I have been working with light for about a decade on projects such as limited edition chairs with light, outdoor lighting and dynamic lighting for hospitals, I now feel that I’ve got it more

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One of the most distinctive signs from Vietnam is the hat used by women in the countryside to protect themselves from the sun and the rain and as a basket to carry food. NĂ“N LĂ is the name used to describe this Vietnamese hat and it is also the name we selected for this lamp.

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INTERVIEW

Top Left Sketches of Flindt Bollard for Louis Poulsen. Top Right Flindt Bollard displaying its glare-free LED illumination for outdoor use. Left Translucent model of Flindt’s 220 floor lamp for Louis Poulsen. Right 220 floor lamp uses primarily direct downlight and secondary diffused light. Two layers of wire filter light, protecting the eyes from glare.

under my skin, “ he says. “Although working with light is not as concrete as building a chair in clay, light is something you can have a dialogue with. No matter what material you use for your fixture, light will penetrate, illuminate, get filtered, reflected or will sweep over a surface.”

Flindt now finds comfort in his understanding that light needs to be in dialogue with other materials to show itself.

The production of lighting products is a process of modifying these materials to get feedback to direct the designer towards the perfect balance between light and material.

Flindt’s most notable projects include several limited edition furniture and lighting

pieces represented at museums and private collections in Denmark and further afield.

Having designed a chair for the Danish furniture company Paustian, and some smaller furniture pieces for Danish company Design Letters & Friends, Flindt’s most prominent work within the world of lighting has been with Louis Poulsen, for whom he has designed a number of both decorative and architectural products. “Louis Poulsen saw my final furniture project from the School of Architecture in Aarhus, approached me and asked if I could also make a light fixture for them,” he tells darc. “They liked my sculptural approach and the playful way I used different materials.” It took

some years before Flindt felt ready to make comprehensive design proposals in lighting, his first for Louis Poulsen being a weaved lamp series of pendants and floor-lamps.

“Instead of using metal shades to reflect light like Poul Henningsen did for Louis Poulsen, we avoided glare by weaving to filter the light.” However this product didn’t last long on the market and was taken out of production in 2010. In 2012, Flindt designed the Flindt Bollard, which has become very popular, stimulating growth in the designer’s collaboration with the manufacturer.

“Louis Poulsen is definitely the best company I have worked with,” he says.

“They are demanding, but there is a

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Pic: Jesper Ray

Flindt’s Grand suspension lamp for Louis Poulsen

respectful tone between people in the organisation and its product developers, and I love to work with them. It will be exciting to follow them over the next five years as they are back under Danish management.”

Through his experiences in architectural and decorative creative design, Flindt enjoys varying his style, treating each project as a new entity. “I never know exactly how I want to execute a project,” he says. “I don’t know if I have a special signature or form-language that people can identify as mine. I’ve done things with straight lines, curved lines, round shapes, and everything in between. I think I perform best if I stay as free as possible.” Yet even within this freedom, Flindt excitedly finds himself amidst an inescapable trend – the paradigm

shift from the incandescent lamp to LED. As an enormous technology driver, which opens up the artificial lighting market, LED presents new possibilities and different ways of integrating light into fixtures and other objects. “I am extremely excited to find myself in the middle of this,” he says.

“I think trends right now are around saving energy, clever thinking and finding more ways to use this new light source to make a brighter future for humans. That’s a trend to strive for.”

Flindt’s energy-efficient focus also works towards bridging the gap between decorative and architectural lighting products, with his current projects working to find “new, effective and more aesthetic” solutions for lighting in Danish schools.

Light is an enormous spectrum that interests Flindt as a designer and as a human being. The importance of light weaves into human life in many ways, with sunlight defining the tone of one’s skin to the inner biological clock. Across his works, Flindt strives to make contact with these powers of light, making use of current trends and the freedom he finds within them. It may not be the most tangible nor the simplest to create, but throughout his creative upbringing and constant exposure to art, light is something Flindt has felt an unavoidable pull towards and above all, a respect of its uninterrupted presence. www.flindtdesign.dk www.louispoulsen.com

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Summer in the Hamptons Inspired by the classical beach house luxury of spending summers in the Hamptons, the Club House in Liverpool, UK, is a luxurious blend of history and design innovation.

Pics: Jason Roberts/Liverpool Echo

International design company Paul Danson Imagineering (PDI) worked once again with The New World Trading Company, the pub group founded by the brains behind Living Ventures, to create Liverpool 1’s unique Club House. With bespoke lighting fixtures from Manchester-based Tyson Lighting, and inspired by its sea faring surroundings, the Club House is something quite distinctive.

The development of the project was a long journey for PDI in delivering the building that stands today, with doubts as to whether a design firm could fully develop a building that would be a strong stand alone design statement, and a destination landmark for Liverpool city. PDI CEO Paul Danson explained: “I thought about a building which had a connection to the close proximity of

the site to the sea, something romantic and themed with a great history and strong story line.”

After in depth research and a look back into his library of archived holiday photographs, Danson conceptualised a beach house conversion of a house in the Hamptons in New England, US. “This was to be a great starting point,” said Danson. “As a destination I have visited and admired greatly as a very cool and beautiful place with extremely inspirational properties, I knew this was the beginning of The Club House.”

The exterior of the building takes its influences from a property that might be found on the front line of a white sandy beach. Upon entering the property, Danson

wanted to maintain the feeling that it was once a residential home, preserving the grand staircase, which would once have led to bedrooms or lounge areas. Danson was also keen to preserve a femininity and elegance to the design, underpinned with strength in form through the introduction of heavy detailing doors. Surrounding panelling at dado height, and spacious rooms create the opportunity to pass through from bar to restaurant with ease, maintaining at all times the connection of the complete interior.

All the light fittings were custom designed

by Danson working closely with Tyson Lighting, a company close to the PDI team.

“Both companies had a mutual appreciation for eachother's work,” said Tyson Lighting’s

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Product Design Engineer Michael Radford.

“With its “anything is possible” approach, Tyson Lighting had impressed PDI on previous projects, particularly in the Manchester bar and restaurant scene, leaving PDI safe in the knowledge that we would be the perfect team for the Club House project.”

After meeting with PDI, the Tyson Projects and Design teams were informed of the theme and layout of the Clubhouse scheme. Danson had a clear vision of the bespoke pendants he wanted to develop, and provided sketches of the large balloon pendant and two champagne glass chandeliers. The next step for Radford was to develop the sketches in CAD and present the designs to PDI for approval. “It took a real collaborative approach from the Tyson Projects, Design and Engineering teams to bring the sketches to life,” said Radford.

To add an air of decadence to the Hampton’s beach house feel, Tyson was commissioned to create a number of feature chandeliers. Two polished nickel metalwork frames were adorned with crystal decanters, drops, champagne flutes, cut glass and tinted goblets creating glamorous chandeliers appearing in the dining rooms, which added femininity to the scheme.

For the central chandelier in the Club House’s grand stairwell, Radford explained how this space allowed Tyson to really exploit the grandeur of the bespoke fitting: “The crystal chandelier was positioned centrally and with its complex array of crystal prisms, illuminates the room with refracted light, producing a brilliantly bright feature.” A cluster of nine warm white LED filament lamps were used to illuminate the internal body of the chandelier, reflecting light through the crystal drops suspended via the strings of crystal and the arrangement of decorative glasses.

The steel framework was hand formed and adorned with decorative banding sourced from America, with decorative scrolls fixed to the top of the band, which was adorned with swags of crystal buttons. The components were laser cut and finished in

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Previous Spread Dining room featuring glamorous chandeliers comprised of polished metalwork frames adorned with crystal decanters, drops, champagne flutes, cut glass and tinted goblets. Above 3.2m hot air balloon inspired pendant in the grand atrium.

a high polished nickel finish to match the frame and banding.

“We used Unistrut components to fix and construct the internal frame of the ring," Radford continued. "This served to hide the wiring trails and connections but also to support the fine mesh, which served to suspend the glasses and crystal drops. It also worked to create a flat surface to arrange a display of champagne related decorative silverware to make the feature of the top to look like a serving tray.”

The chandelier presented a relatively complex manufacturing and installation process. Tyson had to wire and hide control gear efficiently and find a suitable method of suspending the champagne flutes perfectly straight – something which they

could only explore during the manufacturing and installation processes rather than being able to plan for it. Radford explained: “In order to suspend the glass so they hung vertically straight, we drilled two 3mm holes in the base of each glass and threaded nickel pins through 6mm crystal beads and then through the holes and rolled the pins on the other side of the base. This gave us something to thread the nylon cord through so we could tie and suspend the glasses from these two points. Using this method each glass found its natural point to hang straight.”

Danson had also discussed his desire to hang a grand hot air balloon in one of the ceiling atriums. A rich burgundy colour fabric with decorative tassels was draped around the

steel frame creating a theatrical edge to the fitting. The grand atrium with its high ceilings lent itself to an imposing feature and allowed Tyson to create the 3.2m balloon pendant.

Working in conjunction with the showstopper pieces, clear glass pendants were hung throughout to ensure the large space was kept light and airy. A second glass chandelier was used in the dining room of the building that related to the idea of an opulent home. Yet to focus on the centre pieces of the lighting scheme and Club House in general, the impact of the champagne and balloon fixtures is clear; they give the venue a sense of brand identity and not only do they illuminate the spaces but also provide a talking point

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for customers. “Club House stands out because the fittings really are the stars of the show. Rather than just being your typical chandeliers, they are unique pieces of art that add immense character to the scheme,” said Radford.

All the timber for the project were sourced in Ireland with the aim of creating an authentic aged feel. The interior is dressed with props and accessories sourced from all over the UK and Ireland, the variety of which enhances the Club House’s authenticity.

“I wanted all the pictures on the walls to be as if the family had simply left them hanging and the dressings had been bought off the family who previously owned the house. We feel we achieved this and we’re very excited to see what reaction the project receives,” said Danson.

In this collaborative project, PDI and Tyson created something that really stands out from its surroundings while conversing with its position by the sea. It captures luxury and comfort in the style of a highend home and oozes excitement as a lavish beach getaway destination. It’s a bar and restaurant to spend an evening, or an afternoon, and a home away from home to return to for a lifetime. www.pauldanson.com www.tysonlighting.com

PROJECT DETAILS Club House, Liverpool, UK Client: The New World Trading Company Interior Design: Paul Danson Imagineering Lighting Specified: Tyson Lighting bespoke fixtures

Above Central chandelier in Club House's grand stairwell reflects light through crystal drops suspended via strings of crystal and decorative glasses, with a flat top surface displaying decorative silverware to look like a serving tray.

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PROFILE

Form & Function Taking inspiration from Arabic motifs, origami and multiplying patterns to produce interesting, geometric shapes in her furniture designs, Aljoud Lootah tells darc how designing gives her a sense of freedom and accomplishment.

A multidisciplinary designer based in Dubai, UAE, Aljoud Lootah explores the realms of product design and personalised corporate gifts. With a keen interest in the idea of contrast in form and function, she composes her creations by mixing traditional silhouettes and concepts with modern elements.

Patterns, folds and geometric shapes are at the heart of her inspiration. Her creative drive comes from a passion for detail, aesthetics and experimental approaches to materials and techniques. As a product designer, she has been involved in projects that distinctly interpret Emirati culture, traditional craftsmanship and contemporary

design. Along the way, Lootah continuously produces bespoke objects for government ogranisations and private companies, and has been involved in various retail and residential interior projects.

Having studied Applied Media Studies at college, majoring in Graphic Design, Lootah’s passion for creating things started

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Double Square

during her time at university. “I’m a very visual person,” she tells darc, “I remember things based on their logos or packaging, not names! The idea of developing patterns, motifs and later on producing them, invigorated me.”

Upon graduating Lootah founded her first company Niftee, which focused on bespoke corporate gifts as well as fashion accessories. Then, in 2013 she joined the Design Road Professional program, an initiative by Tashkeel & Dubai Culture and established her fondness of working with her hands, feeling materials and experimenting.

“I had a change of heart and felt product design is where I really found myself,” she continues. “I took a break for a year after that and focused on rebranding and getting on the product design track. Niftee was a stepping-stone but ultimately Aljoud Lootah Design Studio is where I envisioned myself.

Research and time helped me produce my first full series of limited edition furniture items in 2015.”

Discussing Lootah’s influences, Arabic motifs, origami and multiplying patterns continue to influence her work in one way or another. In her latest work Double Square, Lootah explains her decision to explore marble and experiment with how it can be used in her design: “I worked on a trial and error basis, which is a learning curve in itself! I’m often involved in projects that interpret the Emirati culture and traditional crafts but develop them in modern concepts.

I find the elements of Emirati culture very

Oru Lamp

inspiring with their patterns, materials and textures.”

It was “the fear of being attached to a nine-to-five job, working with people and creating,” that inspired Lootah to set up on her own and as a result continues to work aimlessly to avoid it. For four years she worked as Head of Social Media at a government entity, which she tells darc, she enjoyed but still had the desire to work on her personal brand at the same time. “Eventually I felt the need to quit my job and focus entirely on the studio,” she says. “I feel a sense of freedom and accomplishment that I will continue to fight and keep.”

Working with various product types, for Lootah it is lighting that provides the most challenges when it comes to design, but is something she “absolutely loves working on.

Combining the right form or structure with the suitable light creates a magical piece,” she says.

Having produced Oru Lamp ast part of the Oru Series, which comprises four pieces table lamp, chair, decorative mirror and cabinet with an exposed shelving unit and inspired by the art of Origami - she feels it is one of her strongest products to date.

“The idea behind the designs is to show that folding a flat, two-dimensional sheet can create aesthetically appealing functional three-dimensional forms,” she says. “I work with geometry, patterns and shapes a lot and believe this is my signature style – it has been incorporated within my work,

creating brand recognition. I absolutely love working with new materials or mixing materials together with almost every project / collection I work on, as this challenge makes me grow as a designer; it also adds an element of surprise.”

For Lootah, the most rewarding part of being a product designer is seeing her products in homes, spaces and various interiors after they’ve been acquired, with all the hard work and long hours spent in production paying off. “Having two of my Oru Series’ products acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, as part of their permanent contemporary collection,” she also considers one of the most significant moments in her career.

Looking ahead, for Lootah there is a lot to be excited about, with a move to her new studio space and new products launched at the recent Design Days Dubai show, which included the Double Square floor lamp, part of the Double Square collection of geometric furniture. The collection depicts a recurring Arabesque eight-pointed star motif when viewed from the top. The motif, which consists of two squares, one rotated 45º with respect to the other, is the starting point of a variety of Arabesque patterns, and through it, different combinations can be generated.

“I am blessed to be in a country where I am propelled forward with the support of the government, society and my peers,” she says, “it is invigorating and exciting.” www.aljoudlootah.com

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Luxury Edition With bespoke lighting features from Lindsey Adelman incoporated into luxurious interior design by Masamichi Katayama, Intersect by Lexus brings an innovative new concept to Dubai.

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Intersect by Lexus in Dubai’s iconic DIFC, is the first of its kind outside of Tokyo, a unique luxury space where people can experience what is truly quintessential of Lexus without getting behind a steering wheel. Neither a dealership, nor a traditional retail space, guests are able to engage with Lexus through food, design, art, fashion, music and technology at its inviting eatery, curated library and innovative garage.

“Intersect by Lexus, is a unique, versatile and multipurpose space. Its inspiring décor and carefully curated library makes it the perfect place for people to work remotely amidst creative, like-minded people. It also serves as a destination to relax, meet friends, grab a healthy bite, or a post work drink without the fuss,” explains Benjamin Nicholas, Head of Intersect by Lexus.

Masamichi Katayama, world-renowned interior designer and founder of the interior design firm Wonderwall, is the man behind

the development of both the Tokyo and Dubai concepts. Based on the successful formula created for first Intersect by Lexus, the Dubai venue features some local touches that evoke the essence of the UAE through the beautiful white ceiling inspired by sand dunes.

“This project is not just about creating a restaurant but rather an environment,” explains Katayama. “As an incubation platform generating new innovative ideas and concepts, it has been designed to capture the feeling of a lounge, allowing people with shared values to come together and interact in a relaxed yet inspiring atmosphere.”

Intersect by Lexus is distinguished by an intricate bamboo façade that filters natural light through miniature spindle grille motifs, the same spindle grille that carries the new design direction of Lexus cars.

The first floor features a 1,850sqft eatery serving ‘feel good cuisine’ and a curated

An intimate feeling was required for the upper floor, so New York product designer Lindsey Adelman was asked to design the perfect size lighting for this new space.

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The lower level features a garage space with over 155 hand-painted Lexus car parts covered with reinforced glass that holds Lexus' newest concept cars, the space gives guests the ability to understand Lexus through an artistic lens.

library featuring English, Arabic and Japanese literature specialising in design, art, architecture, film and travel. There is also the Crafted for Lexus boutique showcasing a collection of contemporary lifestyle items born out of a series of collaborations between traditional Japanese artisans and young designers.

Leading guests to the lower floor, a spindle grille-shaped staircase covered with hexagonal black and white tiles, resembling tire tracks, leads guest to the garage and event space. Uniquely designed with over 155 hand-painted Lexus car parts covered with reinforced glass that holds Lexus’ newest concept cars, the space gives guests the ability to understand Lexus through a never before seen artistic lens.

Commenting on the use of lighting within the design of Intersect by Lexus, Katayama tells darc: “When we designed the first Intersect by Lexus in Tokyo, we chose pendant lighting to give an intimate feel,

like a living room. In Dubai, I wanted to have this kind of intimate feeling on the upper floor so I asked the same designer, Lindsey Adelman, to design the perfect size lighting for this new space.

“Her lighting design is rich with elegance and craftsmanship and this connects to the Lexus brand. It is very important to choose the lighting that enhances the space’s identity, rather than just being beautiful lighting on its own.

“With the help of a true professional the space became exactly how I had imagined it in my head,” Katayama continues. “Working with good interior designers elevates the effect of the space. We also worked with lighting designer Masaki Yasuhara of Plus y lighting planning office, from an early stage, explaining what kind of lighting effect we wanted. He then explained how we could achieve it.

“The lighting at Intersect by Lexus brings depth and different expressions,” says

Katayama. “I’m often asked which material I would choose if I could pick one and I always say lighting.”

Reflecting on the project, for Katayama his design intention was well expressed, was unique, beautiful and strong. “Each project is so different, nothing is ever the same.

Here, the upper floor ceiling has a lighting system with the shape of desert dunes that is more like a sculpture,” he says, “and the lower floor has a beautiful car-parts floor with lighting. These are stand out features for me and I believe this space has become a one of a kind.” www.wonder-wall.com

PROJECT DETAILS Intersect by Lexus, Dubai, UAE Client: Intersect by Lexus Interior Design: Masamichi Katayama, Wonderwall Lighting Design: Masaki Yasuhara of Plus y Lighting Specified: Bespoke Lindsey Adelman Lighting chandeliers

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One Love With the Bob Marley legacy at the heart of the Marley Coffee café in Seoul, Korea, LG Display's OLED panel butterflies add a glittering sense of unity to Yang Ripol Design Studio's interior.

Pics Courtesy of LG Display

A coffee shop unlike any other in Seoul, Korea, London-based Yang Ripol Design Studio was approached to design the interior concept as well as the brand identity to mark the opening of the first franchise of the Marley Coffee One Love café. Owned by Rohan Marley, the son of reggae legend Bob Marley, the coffee shop is a producer and distributor of cult coffee Blue Mountain Jamaican. Marley infuses the company with his father’s philosophy of unity and strives to inspire and improve the world through its coffee and various charities.

Yang Ripol Design Studio was responsible for the rebranding of Marley Coffee for Korea, as well as the ready to drink packaging and the interior design of the Korean franchises.

Yang Ripol Creative Director Claudio Ripol told darc: “The coffee shop franchise market in Seoul in very competitive and populated and we knew we had to come up with a special atmosphere which would have personality but also be an oasis of calm in this very busy city.”

The concept was born from the idea of the circle as a representation of unity, celebrating the Jamaican spirit. It serves as one space where people from different backgrounds come together to enjoy products from all over the world, connecting across social and cultural boundaries and promoting understanding.

The circle as well as the indigenous meaning of Jamaica as the “land of wood and water”, became the basis for the undulating table which meanders through the whole space. “The table brings together different customers for a taste of the famous Jamaican beans as well as food and wine, a looping shared table embodying the core message of one love,” said Ripol. This table is made in brass and glints with the interior illumination to reinforce its fluidity.

The brass shifts organically in height so as to be used as a table, bench or to allow people to pass through.

Working with London and Paris based lighting consultant Min Sang Cho, the

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LG Display's OLED light panels arranged together to create Butterfly Luminaires that add a natural glitter to Yang Ripol Design Studio's Bob Marley inspired café.

illumination which reflects the line of the pathway of the table and chairs introduces 240 LG Display OLED light panels adding a natural yet modern vibe to the café.

Two OLED panels were placed together to form an OLED butterfly, with eight of the butterflies attached together as a luminaire. Brass planks were hung from the ceiling with fifteen sets of butterfly luminaires fixed onto the planks.

LG Display Manager Sebastian Suh commented: “Cho has been involved in a number of attempts to bring OLEDs into the design of several projects. The team knew what OLEDs could do in a café environment.

It gives a very comfortable and pleasant ambience for the overall café once you’re inside. When walking past, it looks like a bunch of stars so they give the café an identity even for someone just passing by.

There is really no other café like that in Seoul.”

Also featuring an interactive element, Suh explained how each set of Butterfly luminaires is connected to a sensor, making the OLED panels flicker when movement

is detected: “Once you sit down, you can touch the sensors and they blink, indicating that seat is taken. During that time, you can go up and order your drinks. That was a real fun factor.”

LG Display’s OLED panels generate no glare, eliminating the tiresome factor of flickering lights. This flickering is reflected in the brass table, with the OLED technology allowing the light to feel organic and relaxing. This feature brings the lighting design deeper into the design of the café as a working business and place of human motion, making it more than just a means of illumination. It plays a vital part in the workings of the café and how people interact with each other in a busy space while maintaining a decorative element.

With such a vast number of coffee shops in Korea, Marley Coffee stands out from the rest with its innovative OLED lighting solutions that evoke feelings of unity and social experience. Suh said: “I think it was a really unique project. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a shop implement something like this that is also a franchise at the same time.

There is a lot of interest in OLED these days and I hope people can see the real benefits beyond the form factor. The light itself has a different feel to it, not to mention its importance in issues such as lighting pollution. I hope that anyone who looks at this project can take that forward.”

From its cult coffee to its lighting, Marley Coffee holds true to its intention to unite and spread love between people and nature. The use of LG Display’s light panels to create butterflies is a creative display of attention to nature in both form and function, resulting in a space where people can enjoy the legacy Bob Marley left behind. www.yangripol.com www.mschostudio.com

PROJECT DETAILS Marley Coffee Shop, Seoul, Korea Client: Rohan Marley Interior Design: Yang Ripol Design Studio Lighting Design: Min Sang Cho Lighting Specified: LG Display OLED panels

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PROJECT

The 19th Hole Finding a balance between industrial and comfortable design was the focus of Byzance Design's work on the Golf Club Maison Blanche Clubhouse in France, surrounded by the natural beauty of the French Alps.

Pics: Gilles Bertrand

Located close to Geneva in France, the Golf Club Maison Blanche Clubhouse in Pays de Gex makes the most of its setting, surrounded by the Alps mountain range.

When the project emerged, the Golf Club contacted several architects, finally landing on French design firm Byzance Design to realise the project of bringing the outdoors into the Golf Club’s Clubhouse, while respecting the members' club traditions.

With the Clubhouse located above the golf course, the aim was to exploit as much natural light as possible by opening the walls and adding large windows with views over the golf course and the surrounding mountain ranges. The scheme aimed to be

reversed at night, bringing light from the interior to the outside. CEO and Owner at Byzance Design Adrien Slaby specified Studio Italia Design’s fixtures to achieve Byzance Design’s vision of bringing natural lighting design inside the Clubhouse. Slaby commented: “All the interior lightings are from Studio Italia Design as they perfectly responded to our challenge. It was just our favourite design.”

Having first discovered the Italian lighting brand at Fiera Milano, Byzance Design team was sure Kelly pendants and Kelly clusters would provide the ambience they were looking for. “They were stylish. Their lighting design is unusual with the steel

painted Kelly dome in a large diameter offering organic shapes that created nice shades of light and shadow.”

The 3m high Kelly suspension cluster with its 35 spheres is impressive in its design, creating a fascinating waterfall of little lighting spheres over the main entrance in the middle of the Clubhouse, providing a visual point of intrigue as guests walk up the stairs.

Differing in style to most other golf clubs, the Maison Blanche Clubhouse hosts a unique timeless design. This presented the challenge of realising a project that would appeal to the majority of the 700 members while contrasting with old-fashioned design

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Previous Page Studio Italia's Kelly dome pendants evoking organic shapes of the outdoors in the Clubhouse's bar area. Above Studio Italia's 3m high Kelly suspension cluster above the stairs of the main entrance provide a point of visual intrigue for guests.

of the previous Clubhouse that most of the senior members were fond of. Slaby commented: “We created a cosy-factory interior design aimed at gathering comfort by combining feelings of warmth and relaxation, with a factory/industrial design, that would marry with the surrounding region while integrating the outdoors within our project. We chose materials such as wood, leather club chairs and patchwork coloured carpets to provide the feeling of cosiness, whereas concrete, steel and tin bring in the design factor.”

The combination of the lighting, fabrics, large windows and sliding doors help bring nature inside, resulting in a piece of organic design where those who go to the clubhouse

in order to enjoy time spent outdoors playing golf, carry the feeling with them inside.

Considering the requests of not just one client but the voices of the club’s members as well, Byzance Design had a delicate job to do. With careful consideration of the purpose of the club and its relationship to its surroundings, the design team created a delicate balance of old and new, using Studio Italia Design’s lighting fixtures to smooth the blend. Still a club of luxury, Golf Club Maison Blanche Clubhouse is one that will stand the test of time in design and leisure. www.byzancedesign.com

PROJECT DETAILS Golf Club Maison Blanche Clubhouse, Pays de Gex, France Client: Golf Club Maison Blanche Clubhouse Interior Design: Byzance Design Lighting Specified: Studio Italia Design Kelly dome pendants and Kelly suspension clusters

Artistry from Nature Snowflake light Winner Red Dot award 2015 davidtrubridge.com

THE BRIGHTEST LIGHTS COVERED Join the celebration in London’s creative heart. See the best in furniture, product and lighting design from across the globe.

Register free at clerkenwelldesignweek.com CDWfestival

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PROJECT

Peri Peri Source Following a ten-year relationship with the restaurant, The Light Corporation has combined Bright Goods LED filament lamps with custom-made fittings to provide Nando's with comfortable and ambient lighting.

Pics: William Pearce

As part of a major lighting upgrade within Nando’s restaurants, The Light Corporation (TLC) specified Bright Goods LED filament lamps to replace the existing mix of halogen and tungsten filament lighting. This included a selection of LED filament lamps from its range of shapes that includes: globes, squirrel cages, candles, long tubes and traditional GLS lamps.

TLC's first involvement with Nando’s was ten years ago with a project in London’s Spitalfields. During the project, Director Tim Henderson impressed Nando’s cofounder Robbie Brozin with the potential of well-designed lighting and, together with designer Dean Concannon of Harrison Design, got the go-ahead to make it a focus of the restaurant.

Henderson introduced layered lighting, scene-setting control, delicate handcrafted glass pendants suspended in shaped

formations and quirky light sculptures, marking the beginning of a 300+ project relationship.

TLC has worked with Nando’s since the beginning of its evolution, from terracotta tiled Portuguese-styled restaurants to the bright colours and texture of modern South Africa. “Going back to our foremost project in Spitalfields, we demonstrated that lighting is as much a feature of the interior design as any other element of the space,’’ said Matt Parker, Project Lighting Designer, TLC. “The lighting can tell a story rather than being purely functional. This evolution has continued throughout the projects we have worked on where the lighting features, styles and technologies have continually developed.’’

With Nando's, every site is as unique as the next. Whether it's a brand new clean-slate retail park or a historic railway arch, they

all present various physical challenges.

“Often we will adapt a light fitting, add bracketry or design an entire new product from scratch to enable it to fit the location and produce the desired result,’’ explained Parker.

With customer's comfort paramount, task lighting ensures the tables are sufficiently illuminated without being over bright or glary, so that the walkways are clear and to draw attention to certain areas such as the bar, condiment station and toilets.

Accent lighting highlights architectural elements - this could be under-counter illumination, artwork lighting, step highlights or column uplights. “Nando’s designers spend time cladding walls with stunning finishes and we do our best to light them in a way that enhances depths and colours.’’

Lastly but perhaps most importantly,

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Previous Page Bright Goods LED filament George globe lamps in Nando's Above Bright Goods LED filament Joseph GLS lamps in Nando's Guildford.

Top Left Bright Goods filament Joseph GLS lamps illuminate handmade, coloured glass pendants from The Light Corporation, providing Nando's wooden interior with a warm ambience. Far Left A close-up of Bright Goods LED filament GLS lamps nestled inside a handmade wooden shade from The Light Corporation. Left Bright Goods LED filament Elizabeth candle lamps illuminate a simple, clean trio of custom pendants.

ambient lighting is used to make a space comfortable. This usually comes from decorative pendants, wall lights and chandeliers.

Lighting is now as much part of the design as the furniture. “Schemes are often designed with lighting features in-mind. We are always on the lookout for fresh designers, innovative uses for materials and developing new ideas which we can introduce into the next project,’’ said Parker.

These decisions are based on the suitability of the overall aesthetic, materials, sustainability, maintenance and cost and of course the light output. Decorative lighting is usually first and foremost with technical lighting hidden to maintain the focus on form rather than function.

As well as this, and in pursuit of being environmentally friendly, Nando's looks to ensure its restaurants are as energy efficient as possible. Lighting is a big player in their green credentials as every site worked on for the last few years is now 100% LED, with automated lighting control minimising operational hours.

As a consequence of this, Bright Goods LED lamps are now a key feature in the restaurant's design, making use of their

tungsten-like warmth and aesthetic.

“As the sole lighting designer for Nando’s, and after having previously tried and tested a number of LED filament lamps, we made the decision to recommend Bright Goods products,” said Darren Parnaby of TLC. “The main reason for this is the quality of the light output, colour rendition and build quality.”

Bright Goods LED filament lamps have been used by Nando’s since July 2015 when the first installation was completed in the Hove restaurant. Since then, numerous other locations in the chain have benefited from these lamps, including restaurants in Rotherham, Newcastle, Southampton, Huntingdon, Canary Wharf, Birmingham and Bristol. The Bright Goods collaboration isn't restricted to the UK and also embraces overseas installations, including a Nando’s project in Deira City, Dubai, and some as far afield as South Africa.

Every Nando’s restaurant is designed to have its own distinctive ambience. This is achieved by bringing together a variety of balanced and complementary features including contemporary furnishings, durable floor surfaces, stylish wall coverings and warm and welcoming lighting. This

attention to detail often extends to embrace handmade light fixtures and fittings including Czech glass fluid pendants, metal cages, wooden shades and wicker baskets.

The nature of cool running LED allows almost anything to become a light fitting, broadening the possibilities for Nando’s lighting. Consequently, the versatility of the Bright Goods range means that the individual restaurant can be flexible in terms of design. This aspect of Nando’s design philosophy is recognised and welcomed by Parnaby, who concluded: “We are fortunate that Nando’s embrace design variety and diversity within their restaurants and allow us designers the autonomy and freedom to come up with new and exciting lighting to enhance and add to the interiors.” www.lightcorporation.com www.brightgoods.co.uk

PROJECT DETAILS Nando's, Global Client: Nando's Lighting Design: The Light Corporation Lighting Specified: Bright Goods LED filament George globe lamps; LED filament Joseph GLS lamps; LED filament GLS lamps; LED filament Elizabeth candle lamps; The Light Corporation customised fixtures

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The Curve Man David Weeks Studio, based in New York, produces functional objects with a sculptural approach. Employing a reductive design process, dismantling materials to reveal surprising new forms, explorations hinge on the concept of balance and proportion, often with a sense of humour. Here, the man himself tells darc about his inspiration, signature style and working with light.

Pic: Daniel Shea

THAT MOMENT I realised I wanted a career in design was 1994, a few years after college. After working for Ted Muehling, the jewellery designer, my primary interest shifted from fine art to design. I recall dropping out of a band I was in at the time as well, another step that allowed me to dedicate more time to my own design work.

GOING SOLO Was a very simple decision, it was the only option I had to create what I needed at the time. It was just me and my dog Tallulah at the beginning. It has changed dramatically since then – we now have 20 people working in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

INSPIRATION Comes from experimentation and the unknown, playing with new materials and seeing what is possible. I’ve been told I do curves very well… It’s true that I do love exploring subtle curves and arcs in my designs, paying special attention to the fine details in making those curves distinctive. A sense of humour is important as well!

TRIBECA Was a very significant moment in my career, opening the storefront in 2013 as we started in a new direction with an independent

retail model. After many years of being represented by Ralph Pucci, it was a huge shift in the way I approached the design business and everything that was possible.

We’re in the midst of another significant moment, with 2016 marking the 20 year anniversary of the studio, a year in which we are launching a new lighting collection in tandem with preparations to move into our new Brooklyn shop – a custom-built production facility in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

NATURAL LIGHT Is inspiring; I work to create environments and experiences that imitate / enhance qualities of natural light - warm and inviting. Lighting design is much more free in the way it allows us to play with ideas related to gravity and balance. I’ve always thought of lighting as a type of jewellery for the home, something that is not bound by function and weight in the same way that furniture is.

Every night there is a shift from outdoor to indoor light – that time of day when someone might be reading a book by the window as the natural light wanes. At some point there is the moment where darkness sets in and they reach for the light switch.

My work is about that moment.

NEXT STOP, SENEGAL I recently travelled there to work with local artisans in Dakar and I’ll be returning later this year to continue developing a new line based on their weaving techniques. I’m excited to continue expanding the diversity of our work, collaborating with makers in ways that allow us to invent together.

BROOKLYN’S LIGHTING SCENE Has exploded in recent years; now there are just so many more companies compared to when I started the studio. Companies are focused on individual designers and artisans embracing the business of independent design. We’re in an increasingly global design market, responding to the interests of an audience with expanded perspectives.

I think different design styles will continue to become more melded, with more permeable borders.

LIFE’S PLEASURES Are simple things. The Russian coffee cake I had this morning is the first thing that comes to mind. www.davidweeksstudio.com

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Crystal Clear Terzani’s relationship with lead crystal has been one of love and the art of perfection. Creative Director and President of Terzani Nicolas Terzani tells darc how he fell for its dance with light.

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Left Terzani's Mizu pendants suspended above a swimming pool to highlight lead crystal's water drop-like qualities. This Page Mizu in the making.

Closely connected to Terzani’s home in Tuscany, Italy, the hills between Florence and Siena produce 15% of the world’s lead crystal. Terzani works to ensure the beauty of this local material lives on by interpreting it in the company’s own unique way. “Lead crystal is the perfect material to recreate organic shapes,” Creative Director Nicolas Terzani tells darc.

Lead crystal involves the addition of lead oxide to normal glass, which raises its refractive index and lowers its working temperature and viscosity. The beauty of lead crystal relies on the high refractive index caused by the increase in lead content.

From the glassmaker’s perspective, this results in two practical developments; lead glass can be worked at a lower temperature, and clear vessels can be made free from trapped air bubbles with less difficulty than normal glass, allowing the manufacturer to create perfectly clear objects. When trapped, lead crystal makes a ringing sound, unlike ordinary glass, a trick of the trade that consumers still rely on to distinguish it from cheaper glass.

Boiling down the science of lead crystal

in the making shows the organic nature of the beautiful material and how it can be worked easily by expert hands. “The result is much more similiar to water that has been stopped in its tracks than it is to glass,” says Terzani.

The Italian lighting manufacturer has worked on several product ranges using lead crystal including Mizu and Sharpei, however the discovery of this material that has led to so many unique creations was made entirely by chance. Mizu designed

by Terzani’s Creative Director is a pendant inspired by the tranquil and mesmerising light refractions created by water. “When I did the first prototype, I had no idea,” he tells darc. “I went to our suppliers at the crystal factory who have a lot of experience with this material. I started experimenting and when we put the light inside the Mizu and saw the effect that it made, it was totally unexpected. It turned out to be the greatest feature of the product, and such a nice moment because it happened by chance.” Like waterdroplets, no two Mizu are alike with each crystal shape made by hand using 24% lead crystal.

Having worked extensively with glass,

Terzani was aware of how Mizu would appear to have a grey or greenish tint because of the amount of glass that would have been needed for the product. So when he saw the lead crystal, he realised, “it’s just the perfect material to do this. It looks like a drop of water.” From there, Terzani saw that crystal could be used in different designs such as the Shar Pei pendants to further show off these qualities. Shar Pei employs sheaths of wrinkled crystal that take their cues from Shar Pei puppies. These pendants display an elegant projection of light, again through undulating 24% lead crystal. With its only challenge being its weight, as lead crystal is heavier than regular glass, the refraction properties and clarity of lead crystal prevail.

In a reflection of Terzani’s values as a company, lead crystal highlights elegance and displays the same attention to detail seen in Terzani’s production and in the work of its Creative Director. The company uses this material to create a timeless elegance, entirely reflecting the principles of value and perfection that Terzani consistently upholds. www.terzani.com

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FOLIO

Left to Right Grischa Witt - Project manager / Advanced Management; Martina Lehr - CEO; Arno Lampe - Project manager / Advanced Management; Thomas Mika - Management / Founder of Reflexion

Radisson SAS Hotel ZURICH AIRPORT, SWITZERLAND This prominant building is the successful result of a long design process within a comprehensive planning team, in the scope of the expansion and revaluation of the Airport Zurich Kloten. The black cube, designed by Zurich architects atelier ww, features an interior design made by the renowned interior designers Matteo Thun.

folio Our regular feature highlighting the importance of decorative lighting in the work of a lighting design practice or interior designer. This issue, we present Reflexion.

Reflexion provides lighting concepts that result from a perfect blend of Swiss engineering skill and design expertise, giving them a leading position in lighting planning in Switzerland.

Each project starts with an intensive period of reflection, on the basis of which the practice’s employees develop professional, individual lighting concepts to meet the most sophisticated client requirements.

Taking a holistic approach to their projects, because light always exists in a dialogue between bodies and materials, the team works closely with the client and architects, and develops its projects using established processes. Empathy is also crucial if they are to implement the client’s wishes in the most effective way.

Environmental sustainability and energy efficiency are other key elements in the planning criteria for the team. www.reflexion.ch

If you’re an interior or lighting designer with an eye for decorative lighting and have projects worth sharing, contact Deputy Editor Helen on: h.fletcher@mondiale.co.uk

The Congress Center Einstein ST GALLEN, SWITZERLAND The Congress Center Einstein is situated in the city centre of St. Gallen. The design idea for the lighting of the Congress Center is a combination of an architectural analysis, the utilisation and the philosophy of the building owner. The most remarkable sight are the back-lit ceiling panels whose design was deduced from the company‘s philosophy of Akris.

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Noohn

BASEL, SWITZERLAND Over 600m² and more than 200 seats, the Noohn pursued a Euro-Asian concept with both an operated and a selfservice area, a take-away counter with bar tables plus a spacious lounge bar.

For the ambience and design, solid oak, natural stone, bronze-coloured metal lamps and fine fabrics in warm tones were used. Spectacular skylights stage exciting light atmospheres.

St. Gallen Canton Library ST. GALLEN, SWITZERLAND

In the historical main post office building, a public library has been integrated at the railway station in the city of St. Gallen. For this purpose, the stocks of the cantonal library Vaidiana and the urban open access library were merged. The lighting concept from Reflexion is based on a diffuse, uniform and soft light distribution in order to avoid excessively high contrast and to generate an optimal vertical illuminance. All the luminaires were consistent with the same lamps. The chandeliers and the lighting installation were created specifically for the project and it receives the design language of the general illumination.

Madrisahof Restaurant KLOSTERS VILLAGE, SWITZERLAND Madrisahof Restaurant presents the ideal combination of coziness and modernity in the restaurant Madrisahof.

The traditional architecture and the grounded interiors are complemented perfectly with the appropriate lighting.

The main highlights include the specially developed luminous cowbells or the 9m long steel structure with modern candles in the wine cellar.

Hotel Management School BELVOIRPARK, SWITZERLAND The Hotel Management School Belvoirpark sets new standards.

The project is a successful example of the perfect symbiosis of architecture and light. The spacious rooms, modern architecture and highly professional atmosphere of the new academic building invite you to experience and learn the secrets of the raised Belvoirpark hospitality. The lighting concept fits elegantly into the sublime architecture and sets in literal highlights. Specially developed lighting fixtures for the seminar, as well as the restaurant area emphasise the individuality and the unique, great character of the building.

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ON SHOW

Light+Building Review March 13-18 2016, Frankfurt, Germany Seeing light, Understanding light!

A look at the power of light In the midst of Light+Building, the Federation of International Lighting Designers (FILD) hosted a seminar on seeing and understanding light. Light dictates our everyday life, can influence our emotions and wellbeing both positively and negatively. The seminar discussed the importance of understanding the relationships between human beings and light in order to understand light itself.

The seminar took place with the aim of allowing designers to better integrate light into planning concepts. Beginning with an introduction into LED in interior design, the seminar went on to see several lighting designers discuss the capabilities of light in defining identity in design, and how the emotional power of light can be attributed to the success of businesses. www.light-building.messefrankfurt.com

Silver Ring Panzeri

Patera Louis Poulsen

Unit (wall-R) Ango

The Ring series designed by Enzo Panzeri is comprised of circles of light that seem to orbit around their own source of illumination. The new Silver Ring is half the height of its golden predecessor, and can be placed individually, in rows or in artful configurations or pairings. Silver Ring is available as a suspension or wall lamp. www.panzeri.it

Designed by Ă˜ivind Slaatto, Patera is now available in three sizes, giving architects and designers freedom to furnish larger rooms with a more uniform expression.

Made of synthetic material, the fixture has a simple suspension system and angled apertures so the light distribution is primarily downwards. www.louispoulsen.com

Unit (wall-R) is an electro native wall light within the new Unit series by Ango. The diffuser is in very fine rattan material of about 1km in length, randomly woven to construct the lamp, while subtly modulating the light. Available with a copper or rose gold plated base, the lamp emits a warm glow with swirls of visual interest. www.angoworld.com

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1. Consommé Bomma

2. Bell+ Darø

3. Yori Reggiani

Designed by Studio Olgoj Chorchoj, Consommé was inspired by European gastronomy. Handmade crystal components are attached to a nearly invisible twometre wide ring made out of polished stainless steel. Consommé is the symbol of Czech cuisine as well as the evidence of exceptional skills of Czech glass craftsmen. www.bomma.cz

Designed by Thomas Holst Madsen, Bell+ can be tilted in two directions and rotate 360˚, with a balanced aluminium shade that rests on an oak bar. The distribution of light is essential to the design, which is made possible through the lighting effects generated through the sides and top of the product. www.daroe.eu

On the line between architectural and decorative lighting, Yori pendant allows users to create comfortable illumination that complements accent lighting. With five diffusers and a variety of lengths for a single, connected or continuous line of light, Yori pendant is available with a range of finishes, sizes and accessories. www.reggiani.net

4. Orsa Artemide

5. Floor Office Luctra

6. Castle B.lux

A collaborative effort with Foster + Partners, Orsa is an elegant pendant light pared down to its essential elements, allowing the light to express a larger volume. A slim metal stem flare out at one end to form the heat-sink and housing for the LED, with a UV bonded moulded glass cover containing the light source. www.artemide.com

A human centric LED lighting solution, Floor Office is suited to corporate applications, simultaneously using direct and indirect light to illuminate the work station and surrounding area. The indirect light distribution via a plastic surface follows the new possibilities of LED technology, reinterpreting the image of floor lamps. www.luctra.eu

In collaboration with Madrid-based Stone Designs, Castle is available in suspension and ceiling versions. The suspension version allows for multiple lamps to be installed together in original arrangements. The shade coupling is made possible with the serrated design of its shade, evoking a castle tower and giving it its name. www.grupoblux.com

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1. 7208 Davey Lighting

2. Formosa David Trubridge

3. Martini 929Milano

With its timeless, utilitarian styling, the 7208 double well glass wall light combines all weather functionality, evoking Davey Lighting’s origins as a manufacturer of marine-inspired lighting. With this theme in mind, 7208 is available in weathered brass, polished brass and chrome plated finishes with clear or frosted glass. www.davey-lighting.co.uk

Formosa is derived from the structure of a microscopic diatom, a small organism that lives in water. Made from bamboo plywood and polyethylene felt from recycled water bottles, Formosa was designed to be a bright task light to sit over a table or desk.

There are five LED light sources and the product is available in one size. www.davidtrubridge.com

Martini is a pendant lamp that takes inspiration from a Milanese tradition of the aperitif – a Martini combined with the olive and toothpick. The round, classical shape of the blown glass sphere is combined with the modern internal diffuser, a milky white sandblasted glass cylinder, inside of which is a hollow aluminium body. www.929milano.com

4. Pistyle Designheure

5. Spider Studio Italia Design

6. Mariposa FEDERICOdeMAJO

Pistyle is a versatile desk lamp that can be used in three positions depending on the time of day. As part of Designheure’s Office Collection, the three rotary axes include a light orientation at 360˚. This is a technical LED task lamp that also offers a livable, natural and decorative dimension in colour and appearance. www.designheure.com

Spider can be hung individually or arranged in a cluster, like spiders crawling up the wall or across the ceiling to drop down in a group or singularly. Performing a number of lighting effects, each lighting body can be oriented to shine light where it is most required, with details finishing off the range. www.studioitaliadesign.com

A handcrafted plate glass lamp, Mariposa is available in various colours, featuring grey painted metal parts with chromed details.

The glass is available as a clear piece, amber, amethyst, red or light blue, and a customisable product to suit any interior.

This is available as a cluster of four or more. www.federicodemajo.it

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ON SHOW

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1. Muffin Brokis

2. Loop Atmos CableCup

3. Doodle Terzani

Muffin lamps are puffy, round shapes, with a combination of traditional handblown tinted glass, oak and gentle light that fills any space with a special aura. The collection comprises floor, ceiling and table versions that can be fitted with a wooden shade as well as glass shades in grey, brown and violet hues. www.brokis.cz

Loop Atmos is a height adjustable pendant with classic Scandinavian design features and a Bluetooth enabled ceiling rose, making it possible to dim and set scenes directly from a mobile device. This a versatile lamp for use in both domestic and contract spaces. Its wire can loop itself to add another decorative element. www.cablecup.com

Doodle is a new unique contemporary pendant lamp. Designed by Italian designer Simone Micheli, each pendant is handcrafted by artisans to resemble a randomised path. Each LED lamp can be placed anywhere on the light and Doodle is available is many different options and shapes. www.terzani.com

4. Albero Catellani & Smith

5. Tripod Concrete Home Design

6. Dome Bover

As part of Catellani & Smith’s collection of indoor lamps suitable for outdoor installation, Albero is a standing lamp made with a waxed rough iron base and stalk with 36 branches mouldable to different shapes.

Albero’s branches are available in natural brass, aluminium, nickel, and matte satin nickel. www.catellanismith.com

Tripod introduces wood to CHD’s signature use of concrete and crystal glass. With its conical round wood legs, Tripod evokes design trends of the 50s and 60s, reminiscent of the lava lamp or the space rocket from Tintin's adventures. Its removable legs are made of oiled beech wood and oak wood for its tallest version. www.concrete-home-design.com

Designed by Benedetta Tragliabue, Dome is a pendant light sculpture designed to receive and emit a delicate light, a play of shadows and nuances that enrich any space. More than 170 fragments of wood in various sizes are intelligently intertwined by hand and sewed one by one to result in an elaborate jigsaw. www.bover.es

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1. Korta Løftlight

2. Spaceflower Ben Wirth

3. Halo Manooi

Korta is a collection of pendant lamps inspired by post-war industrial design and features a contrast of delicate concrete curves broken by an expressive metal finishing. Available in different unique concrete colours combined with steel, brass or copper, the pendant is hand cast and designed in Poland. www.loftlight.eu

Spaceflower is a bright flower for a shelf or side table. The frontal movable light source, shaped like a globe, and the backlit octagon are taken from Ben Wirth’s modular lighting system, Track. By inserting the flower stem into the base plate, Spaceflower is connected to the electric circuit and thereby switched on. www.benwirth.com

Halo is the new suspended chandelier from Manooi’s collection designed by János Héder. Halo combines modern, high-quality LED as a light source that is directed outwards along the lamp’s outside face with Swarovski crystal trimmings. With a painted aluminum body, the lamp hangs from the ceiling from a galvanised Bowden cable. www.manooi.com

4. Escher acoshape+

5. Serpente Martinelli Luce

6. Palm Masiero

Escher is a modular light and acoustic system with a visually distinct personality.

Each installation is built up of hexagonal units that can be combined in a pattern of random size and shape. The threedimensional hexagonal units consist of three diamond shaped parts in different shades or colours, providing captivating visual effects. www.acoshapeplus.com

Designed by Elio Martinelli in 1965, Serpente was showcased at Light+Building in a limited-edition gold finish version.

Exemplary of mid-century modern Italian design, 100 signed and numbered Serpentes were created for its 50th anniversary.

Serpente is a modernist light vessel with rounded curves and organic shapes. www.martinelliluce.it

Divided into three theme-based areas, Masiero’s stand at Light+Building featured a business area with a composition of Palm LED appliques in fan or fish-scale shapes.

The Palm design has a white metal frame covered in a choice of four wood essences ranging from light oak to black, with silver veining and gold or silver leaf finish. www.masierogroup.com

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Butler Series Delta Light A new perspective on light. West Flanders-based Delta Light entrusted designer Arik Levy with the creation of its new Butler collection, a surprising range of exterior and interior luminaires.

The culmination of two years’ work, Butler takes the manufacturer into previously unchartered territory; different from the typical Delta Light design code, Levy came up with a reinterpretation of the lampshade archetype. Courtesy of its simple yet highly evocative shape, the Butler brings an interior touch into an outside space. It is simultaneously reassuring, elegant and feminine with its slender base and pleated shade, reminiscent of traditional silk or paper models.

Available in different floor mounted and well mounted versions, in black or aluminium grey finish, the range is made from a polymer with a highly resistant powder paint coating. During this year’s Light+Building, Levy took time out of his busy schedule to explain the process behind the product.

How does the Butler story begin?

I met Delta Light for the first time at Light+Building 2014. There was an instant click with Paul Ameloot and his sons Peter and Jan. For me it is crucial to work with people who are really passionate about what they do. We met a good few times after that and I presented them with a few proposals and was pleasantly surprised when they opted for Butler as it’s radically diferent from anything else in their catalogue.

What was the idea behind the Butler range?

I was keen to take Delta Light into new territories, proposing a more emotional interpretation of light. My initial idea was to use a typically indoor object as a metaphor, one that helps you to feel at home in your external space. Lighting is a good vehicle for this, so I started from the idea of the archetypal lamp, with a base and a shade.

Something simple, obvious even. It’s a code immediately familiar to everyone and one that is becoming iconic.

What was your inspiration for the range?

These days, we move almost seamlessly from inside the home to the patio and beyond. The borders are becoming more blurred and it is human beings themselves who act as the bridge between these diverse spaces. I also remembered a pile of pleated paper that I’d seen in the streets of Paris, used to create the well-known plisse fashion

classics. The light and shade was playing upon it in an incredible manner and this made me think of the folded fabric of lamp shades, which is also used for clothing curtains and so on.

How did the idea become a reality?

We first tried creating the shade out of injected metal, but the result was quite rough and lacked the finesse I wanted without resizing the lamp, which I didn’t want to do. The Delta Light team were incredible. For three months they worked to find the right solution: a polymer sufficiently resistant for exterior use yet still meeting the project specifications.

How would you describe this project?

As ‘techno-poetic’ - it combines a highly technical side with an emotional aspect.

I’m very sensitive towards the objects surrounding me. They talk to me, just like people. The Butler does this too: it’s a gentle, curved lamp, so it’s feminine, of course. It can live alone or be installed in clusters, to play with its different heights.

It is also equally sutied to a hotel or private home, delivering a lighting experience. In my view Delta Light were incredibly daring to agree upon this path.

How would you describe working with light?

It relates to both the emotion and the material. I’m a surfer... Light gives the

reading of the waves, stars, the energy, everything. I normally head out to surf just before dawn and as I wait for the sun to come up everything changes, I might see a ray of sunshine, a reflection from the clouds or something and suddenly everything changes. Light has a place in history, it is a metaphor to life, when you have no light there is nothing - no bacteria, no metamorphis... We are nothing. Light is so important, it has an emotinal, spiritual side to it - this is what I like.

I don’t know how to design a lamp, I’d go as far as to say I’m a really bad lamp designer but I know how to design an expression; design a lamp’s culture; how to design the light itself, its quality and its feeling.

How will Butler stand the test of time?

It is the perfect example of something that has no geographical limitations because it has no style... It has an identity and it will work well in various locations. I like to challenge myself and design something that when I revisit it, I feel proud that it can do the job it’s meant to. I see a lot of copies and followers in the industry and it’s sad because you see how people are influenced by fashion. Everyone goes off and does the same sort of thing and it’s horrible. www.ariklevy.fr www.deltalight.com

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1. Notredame Karman

2. Shanghai Kinetura

3. Caveau Icone Luce

Light filters through Notredame evoking the magnificence of Gothic cathedral stainedglass windows. The rose window structure of this collection of ceiling, pendant and wall lamps is highly decorative, realised in white marble powder. Notredame is an LED light source radiating both direct and indirect light through the diffuser. www.karmanitalia.it

Focusing on organic and humancentric lighting, Shanghai is Kinetura’s first metamorphic chandelier. It transforms from a cylinder, shining up and downward to an open lantern spreading its light around.

Shanghai has an integrated eye that detects movement so it can respond to people passing by. www.kinetura.com

Designed by Marco Pagnocelli, Caveau is a new wall lamp concept; a fully retractable product combining the prerogative of a spotlight with the size and application of a wall lamp. Caveau opens and closes away from and towards the wall, a movement which is fully automated and consists of a round element hinged to the wall. www.iconeluce.com

4. Fantasia Specchio Kolarz

5. XMOOVE Licht3

6. Orient Black Lightyears

Fantasia Specchio is a retro glass pendant available in four colours – gold, chrome, white and dark brown. The patterned glass is transparent when lit but has a mirrored finish when turned off. Available with a range of sizes and frames depending on configuration, colour options for the cable are also available in white or pale brown. www.kolarz.com

XMOOVE, available as a pendant or desk lamp, can increase its size almost fivefold.

The light is delivered complete and fully functional from a selective sintering laser machine. 3D printing allowed a certain level of delicacy in manufacturing, producing a new kind of aesthetic with dimmable LEDs in a warm-toned light. www.licht-hochdrei.de

Orient Black is available in two original pendant sizes and can also be commissioned in a larger size. The three options assume the same organic shape without being identical. The large pendant creates opportunities for interior decoration as it can be suspended high up to illuminate a large round table or form part of clusters. www.lightyears.dk

[romeoegiulietta]

New York ICFF May 14-17, 2016 Booth 3814 (L3)

e federicodemajo.it

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1. Scraplight Graypants

2. Ice Absolute Hind Rabii

3. Non So Knikerboker

The Scraplight white series pushed the collaboration between the Seattle and Amsterdam studios to new levels. Using custom-made pure white corrugated cardboard, the FSC-certified paper in white achieves the bright modern glow and crisp translucency that contrasts the rustic warmth of the original Scraplights. www.graypants.com

The Ice series is comprised of a number of variations including the Tech, Chic, Shade and Absolute versions. The lamp features an ice dome, its transparency embellished by finishes and high-tech elements with smooth and sinuous lines. Absolute Ice is the 2016 novelty with silver, gold or copper finishes for the shade top. www.hindrabii.net

As part of Knikerboker’s new lighting line, Non So is inspired by what’s essential and indefinable. Non So evokes a sensation, a charming impression that can’t be clearly defined. A customisable wall or ceiling lamp, Non So’s bronze outer leaf with a white inside is available in various colours to be combined at will. www.knikerboker.it

4. H2O Lavagna In-es.artdesign

5. Loop Ingo Maurer

6. mrs.Q Jacco Maris

Matt Lavagna’s collection for In-esartdesign can be written on and erased like a blackboard, lived day to day in a playful and light manner. This range was designed to evoke childhood games or memories of first days at school, with its winning feature being the surface, available in a variety of colours. www.in-es.com

Loop combines the unique beauty of the incandescent lamp with cutting-edge LED technology. It is slender and light, made of a stainless steel wire, brass, aluminium and plastic. The LED spot swivels through 360˚ on a horizontal axis, while the rod at the cooling device is a touch sensor to switch Loop on or off. www.ingo-maurer.com

This dinstinctive floor lamp with a characteristic leather finish features a folded leather shade with a timeless, organic look. Combined with the carefully designed metal stand, mrs.Q characterises the mixture of raw elegance and is also available in complete leather and as a floor and wall lamp. www.jaccomaris.com

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Stormbell Lamp Lighting Designed by Maurici Ginés from artec3 Studio, Stormbell is a tribute to good design in which the interaction between lighting typologies and accessories creates different environments. A family of LED pendants for indoor use, Stormbell is an ideal solution for a variety of settings. It is comprised of a white lacquered aluminium extruded lamp body with two types of light flows, different light output angles and two colour temperatures. Depending on the application it has a direct light core, or the Stormbell Deco model features a light diffuser effect at the junction of the core and the reflector. The reflectors and diffusers are made of polycarbonate for LED, with white, opal and clear finishes available. darc caught up with Ginés to discover his inspiration being the design.

What was the starting point for Stormbell?

We wanted to create a sensible object that would work by blending into the architecture whilst also preserving its own distinctive character. With this in mind, we took our inspiration from some bespoke pieces made in La Gute Form trend of the 20th Century.

The formalisation of the light came about as a consequence of the other interior parts, and the quest for visual comfort. We formed the exterior as a skin to cleanly cover the components and subtly show off the function of each one of them. This is why there is an upper light module, which also plays a large role as a heat sink that has some cooling holes in its sides that help reveal its function. At the same time, this is a nod to our source of inspiration.

On the other hand we wanted to clearly differentiate the lighting module, where we produce the light, and the screen which helps us to achieve the high visual comfort.

We decided that the best way to achieve this would be by separating both of these parts, and show a smooth line of controlled light between them.

How did this project differ to others you’ve worked on for Lamp Lighting?

Our new designs always arise from a study of the lighting needs of each product. It is these needs that end up defining the product’s formalisation in the search to find an intelligent balance between form and lighting function.

However in this case, the formal appearance was the premise of the design, something that is not usually the case for products previously designed for Lamp Lighting. We had to make a bell-type lighting fixture, so we studied the appearance and functionality of other existing lights of this shape. We studied everything from the first classic incandescent bulbs used in the era of the Industrial Revolution right up to the present day. We were always thinking of what added value we could find by a modern and technological handling of the light.

Stormbell was the result of the process of aiming to achieve this kind of light.

What is it about working with LAMP that you enjoy?

Lamp Lighting introduces new ways of understanding the lights on the market and at the same time has developed a distinct brand identity. We believe that supporting new products with personality and those that are intelligent in the way they use light is a good way of understanding lighting design. That is why we enjoy designing for them. Also, their technical product department with whom we have a good relationship also enhances our collaboration by allowing for a high-quality design process.

What were the most challenging aspects of this project?

To succeed in creating a contemporary bell light that harks back to the classics while maintaining its own personality was not

an easy task - nor was bringing something new to the modern market. During the design phase, products that were somewhat decorative or of a retro appearance, quickly became favourites. At the same time, when the project moved towards a more modern look it began to lose its understanding of the bell light. We had to go through several iterations in order to make the object show its real function without falling into unnecessary formalities that added no real value to the product.

In the end, by attempting to attain the most minimalist expression of the piece’s lines, we managed to understand what the necessary distinctive features were, which then allowed us to create a new product which arose from technological evolution.

How would you describe your experience of working with light?

I understand light as an element that can be moulded in order to communicate spaces and objects subjectively and creatively.

From the point of view of lighting design, I view light as the source that creates the object. Work, and understanding the light specific to each new design is what allows me to be able to understand how to devise new shapes and surfaces for light.

This is how I try to make new objects work positively with light. www.lamp.es www.artec3.com

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1. Reverb Zava

2. Ring Tonda ModoLuce

3. Colour Me In Mullan Lighting

The essential, severe lines of the past are reflected in Reverb - a table lamp collection, which takes its inspiration from the old-fashioned carbide lantern. With the appearance of a small, illuminated satellite dish, Reverb projects its light into space, bathing the surrounding area in a pleasantly warm glow. www.zavaluce.it

Designed by Paolo Grasselli, the Ring family grows with the arrival of the new round version suspension, wall and ceiling lamps.

With its regular and refined lines, the structure is a thin metal frame, designed to be invisible and covered by a stretch fabric that makes the lamp as light and fluid as clouds. www.modoluce.com

Colour Me In turns the lampshade into a piece of art for everyone to enjoy. With seven designs to choose from, users can creatively explore on paper-like material that serves as an art board to experiment with markers and coloured pencils. Users then attach their artwork using the wrap around Velcro system. www.mullanlighting.com

4. Bubbles Next

5. Gaia Officine Dasa

6. Tilt Nyta

Bubbles is illuminated by LED elements inside each module with an optional light control in RGB and RGBW. The smallest closed shape, a circle with an external diameter of 3m, can be created with four modules. Bubbles offers a new experience of space and light and opens a completely new dimension for creative planners. www.next.design

Gaia has a modern and playful style given by the composition of its iron cylinder made of a solid sheet of perforated metal. Gaia’s iron handle allows for extreme flexibility of the body, finished in lacquered cement or a soft-touch white effect. This expresses the strong Italian and industrial flavour of Officine Dasa's made-in-Italy slogan. www.officinedasa.it

The floor version is Nyta’s latest development to widen its Tilt range.

Tilt Floor is a minimalistic reading lamp at 130cm tall with a freely rotatable lampshade. Available in conical and spherical versions, the shade can be chosen in black, grey or white to suit a variety of interiors. www.nyta.eu

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“The Most Beautiful Light in the World” During this year’s Light+Building, darc caught up with Italian lighting designer Davide Groppi to learn about how his humble beginnings that led to international success.

Pics: Fausto Mazza

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Left Solemio suspension lamp evoking the colour of blue sky. This Image PoPuP table lamp. Right Infinito wall and ceiling lamp with customisable length.

Davide Groppi began his journey with light during his childhood in Piacenza in the north of Italy. His father taught him to build; a telegraph, a pinball machine, and a light were amongst their first inventions together. Despite his achievements today, it hasn’t always been an easy journey towards light. As his dreams continued to grow, Groppi set up his own studio 1988 in the centre of his hometown, where he experienced first-hand what it meant to get people interested in what he was doing and to sell his creations based solely on his own ideas. “The first fifteen years of my career as a lighting designer were very hard,” Groppi tells darc. “I started from scratch and I was alone. I had to figure out the hard way that it’s one thing to make lights, and another to set up a company that makes lights.” This together with his sensitivity produced what the designer continues to promote and define as the culmination of aesthetics and meanings that make his work what it is today. From this autodidactic and ambitious beginning, Groppi’s approach evolved into the modus operandi it is today.

Creative independence, passion and unconventional management have allowed him, over time, to learn and develop his own brand of original and unique products. “I always thought of my work as something that uses light to seduce and attract…I like to be the same with a little something different at the same time.” His lighting designs boast simplicity, emotion

and creative invention, brought about through the need to give life to something significant.

Groppi has always worked with a faithful group of collaborators who share his vision and help him to develop ideas and bring them to fruition. “My team is made up of 20 wonderful colleagues, all focussed on finding what I call the most beautiful light in the world,” he says. Inspired by works of art, objects and simply the urge to play and have fun with light, Groppi has worked internationally on projects including world renowned Italian restaurant, Osteria Francescana of restaurateur Massimo Bottura. Groppi and his team have built a thorough archive of experience in developing products and shows in collaboration with companies specialising in design such as Italian furniture distributors De Padova, contemporary design brand Boffi and many more.

Groppi’s passion for light can be seen in several of his projects, including some of his most notable product designs - TeTaTeT and PoPuP, two table lamps, the latter of which is also a loud speaker with a magnetic base. Commenting on these designs, Groppi said: “I was surprised by the success they achieved, not only from a commercial point of view but also in terms of usability.

These are light fittings that offer light that every person wishes for. They represent the light that follows and anticipates you.”

Groppi’s Solemio ceiling lamp shown at

Light+Building is another of his products that came about by contemplating and working with natural light. It evokes the colour of blue sky and the light of the sun.

Designed by Italian industrial designer Omar Carraglia, Solemio is a dimmable, adjustable suspension lamp in a metal methacrylate finish available in matte black and white.

Fascinated by light for its inconsistency, Groppi enjoys the idea of working on the non-form of light, in projects such as Nulla, Infinito and Pablo products. These three represent a sort of trilogy of light by investigating the three main expressions of light: direct, indirect and diffused light. “I like to go to the essence of things, without losing the ability to seduce and to tell the truth.”

Obsessed by light and luminaires, the designer sees every meeting and discovery as a chance to think of a new solution.

“I’m currently working on a few projects that take advantage of the latest in lighting technology: luminous diodes,” he says. “I’m also looking into the newest and most efficient batteries. The idea is to develop projects capable of creating light without wires and putting together everything that constitutes my love for less.” In achievement of these ambitions, Groppi aims to realise his dream of giving people the most beautiful light in the world anywhere at anytime. www.davidegroppi.com

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1. Christie Rise & Fall Original BTC

2. Faro Next Pallucco

3. Fractal Brand van Egmond

Christie Rise & Fall pendant is hand slipcast at Original BTC’s Stoke-on-Trent bone china factory. Allowing variation in height and lighting effects thanks to the adjustable counterweight and pulley mechanism, the moulded, pleated shades create hypnotic shadow play, with each organic fold echoing the movement and flow of nature. www.originalbtc.com

Designed by Hannes Wettstein, Faro Next is a lampshade mounted on an oak tripod with a lacquered finish, allowing glimpses of veining to create contrast between the wood and metal. The lampshade can be set to cast direct or soft light of adjustable intensity with halogen or LED light, and is available in three chromatic finishes. www.pallucco.com

Fractal connects to the brain’s instinct to recognise patterns in the opaque. The fractal is a mathematical phenomenon that exhibits a repeating pattern at every scale. The organised chaos of reflecting elements of Fractal disperse the light in all directions, with finishes in stainless steel, red copper, brass, black or white. www.brandvanegmond.com

4. Musset 88 Sammode

5. Lute Ebb & Flow

6. North Vibia

Musset 88 was designed by Normal Studio to celebrate Sammode’s 88th anniversary.

Produced in 88 limited and numbered copies, metallic parts in stainless steel are covered with a matte black finish normally used in the production of knives. The light fitting is equipped with an intensity-breaker grid, offering a warmer and less direct light. www.sammode.com

The Lute pendant lamp is a modern classic, tall and elegant with a perfect balance between top and bottom. Inspired by the musical instrument, the Lute is playful in its choice of colours, green with gold, coral with copper, and is also available in classic combinations like platinum with smokey grey and gold. www.ebbandflow.dk

The base and the source of North lamp are displaced, separated in space from one another providing unexpected lighting effects. North generates a uniform light from a traditional hanging shade suspended from an elongated carbon-fibre rod. This can be attached to a wall, ceiling or a mobile heavy base. www.vibia.com

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Light Coats of Paint The arts of painting and lighting design are not so dissimilar afterall...

German designer Mathias Hahn talks inspiration and the bigger picture.

Born in northern Germany, currently living in London, UK, and working with Marset in Barcelona, Spain since 2010, designer Mathias Hahn has experienced three countries with three very different kinds of light. After graduating as an industrial designer at Essen University in Germany and later at the Royal College of Arts in London, he founded his London-based design studio in 2006 and is also co-founder of the OKAYstudio London design collective.

Hahn’s work focuses on utility and the way typologies can adapt to everyday life in order to form meaningful objects.

The understanding of materials and the observation of the cultural backdrop that relates to products, drive the approach of his work.

Hahn learned to paint with his grandmother at an early age. She was herself, a painter and Hahn initially wanted to follow in her footsteps, while also always keen on making things. He later studied product design at university, which allowed him to work directly with materials and objects, two elements that still give him a great deal of satisfaction in his current studio work.

“There is something about this direct and technical aspect that really fascinates me,” said Hahn in Marset’s Reflections on Light book, which features seven designers’ thoughts on their experiences working with light.

To Hahn, working with light means adding another layer to an object, making it more complex. “From its passive state to the time when the light is turned on, a lamp becomes another thing altogether and the object itself ceases to be important,” he says. “Light determines the way we perceive things. And in turn, when you try to capture light, colour, shadows and contrast, you see that objects are different in every moment.”

Interested in what he calls the bigger picture of everyday life, cultures, people and stories, seeing these as the factors that

Pic: Yuhei Taichi

Above Mathias Hahn Below Hahn’s Theia floor lamps for Marset, presented for the first time at Light+Building 2016. Right Sketches by Pol Montserrat, included in Marset’s Reflections on Light.

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define how people read, see and understand design, Hahn is inspired by light itself, for its elementary and essential qualities, with natural light playing a part in his inspiration for his lighting design. Particularly drawn to the light cast when the sun is very low in sky in the evening, he finds inspiration in the great colour contrasts. “I like the experience of light when I travel by train, and I keep collecting colours in my head,” he says. “With the speed, all you see is bands of colour, all created by the light of that very moment.”

Yet while observing natural light might trigger an idea, that’s as far as it goes.

Hahn is not interested in recreating a phenomenon of natural light with a product; for him, natural light is best enjoyed naturally. “We need artificial light when we don’t have natural light available and it will always stay artificial. Understanding manmade light in cultural terms is what excites me.”

After the seed of an idea has been planted, Hahn’s design process begins with critical thinking in any form. The initial phase can begin by visiting a factory for example, understanding the manufacturing process, then reflecting on how it could be used or changed, or questioning an existing typology by learning how it came into place. “I am

a keen observer in general,” he says. “As each of us perceives things and objects according to their own personal and cultural background, I am very interested in the context and how things correlate.”

Designing lamps is about more than functionality and formal appearance to Hahn. The interesting question is how an object fits into someone’s life; he likens the need for a new lamp design to the need to read a new book or watch a new film. If an object offers room for interpretation, and it is allowed to play a role in someone’s daily life, that is when it becomes valuable.

“We all have a favourite cup or glass that we always end up grabbing without thinking about it,” he explains. “This is an intuitive use of an object because it brings us satisfaction. If things are not relevant to us, we don’t spend time with them.

The incredible thing is when people create their own history with something you have designed, and it works.”

In each new design, Hahn thinks about this potential by making a clearly defined proposal, which might at first lead the viewer to be interested in or attracted to it. Then the second stage is if it is used over time. “That’s when you realise that there is more to it, that it might even be better than you thought.”

Currently interested in working with light as shadow and the gradation of shadows themselves, Hahn recently presented his Theia collection for Marset at Light+Building. Theia is an elegant lamp that spins equally around the topic of shadow and light with its two faces. It can be pointed towards the user as a reading lamp, or towards an object or wall, creating a subtle effect of indirect light that immediately warms the atmosphere. This marks great developments since his first piece for Marset, the Scantling wall lamp, which the Spanish lighting manufacturers saw in a publication as a prototype and helped to launch into reality.

With major changes having taken place in artificial lighting within the past decade, Hahn doesn’t favour the old or the new, but remains true to evolution, as seen in the progress of his work with Marset.

“I appreciate the work of past designers, although I don’t follow any manifesto,” he says. “My interest lies in grasping their evolution. With regards to light, I am interested in why we are so fascinated with the incandescent bulb. Yet if I use LED technology, it is because it allows me to do what I want to do. I believe in evolution.” www.mathiashahn.com www.marset.com

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1. Martini VISO

2. Shield Millelumen

3. Galaxy Castro

The Martini is part of VISO's newly launched Made With Love collection and was seen for the first time at Light+Building. Designed by VISO CEO and head designer Filipe Lisboa, Martini is comprised of a semi metalised polycarbonate shape with polished chrome metal parts, particularly suited to clusters in a variety of settings. www.visoinc.com

Inspired by the shields of the Masai from Tanzania, Shield consists of two main parts: an opalescent diffuser and a white-painted aluminium structural chassis. The shade is semi-translucent; some of the light falls onto the wall or ceiling, creating an attractive aura based on clear geometry and rectilinear shapes. www.millelumen.de

Inspired by the Milky Way, the Galaxy collection recreates the things present in various planets. Made of brass, gold and lacquered in black, the pieces in this collection are characterised by unpredictable effects between the rings that intertwine granting an organic form that stands out in the spaces. www.castrolighting.com

4. Base Cover Plumen

5. Cabin Astro

6. Edition 1906 Osram

Dressed to impress, Plumen's Base Cover is the new accessory designed to match the Plumen lamp with any commonly-used lamp holders. Made from spun metal, Base Cover is available in brass, chrome and white. The cover simply slips over the ballast of any Plumen lamp to give the fixture an instant update. www.plumen.com

With its contemporary take on a nautical theme in robust die-cast construction, Astro’s Cabin was revealed in bronze at Light+Building. This splash-proof luminaire is equally at home indoors or outdoors, and can take a retro feel when teamed up with squirrel-cage lamps but can also be specified with LED. www.astrolighting.co.uk

The Edition 1906 range evokes styles and appearances from the turn of the century.

The LED and halogen lamps in the series are available in the classic Globe, Edison, Oval and Tubular forms, emitting discreet light thanks to low wattages. The gold-coloured coating of the LED glass lamp additionally emphasises the vintage design. www.osram.com

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Design Plus The ‘Design Plus powered by Light+Building’ competition stands for the great innovativeness and future-oriented design of exhibitors of Light+Building, and spotlights the sustainability and convenience offered by their products. Take a look at the decorative winners of the competition.

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1. Choice Tobias Grau

2. Unterlinden Artemide

3. Dimple ByBeau

The integration of different types of luminaires focussed on both aesthetic and functional design is realised in a single system. Luminaires and ceiling fixtures can be freely combined, with various cable colours and optics available. All luminaires can be smoothly dimmed with a phase cutting rotary dimmer. www.tobias-grau.com

One of four to win the 'Best Of' Design Plus, Unterlinden is a suspension lamp combining the aesthetic charm of an old-time object with high technology and engineering. The lamp body is die-cast aluminium or bronze with a technopolymer ceiling rose. The lamp body dissipates heat produced by the LED source while directing light downwards. www.artemide.com

A 2015 darc awards winner, Dimple is a modular chandelier system made from the highest quality handblown glass with a unique two way mirror-coated finish. Designed to allow a number of configurations, Dimple is available in both chrome and a bronze finish and is suited to interiors of all sizes. www.bybeau.com

4. Les Danseuses Artemide

5. Flamingo Vibia

6. Elamina Famoos

Les Danseuses is a suspension lamp that draws inspiration from dancing. Combining light and air in a hybrid product, an engine is mounted on the suspension shaft to move and raise the fabric in a circular motion alongside an optical unit producing diffused light. This rotates to move air and changes the light emission. www.artemide.com

Flamingo is a deconstructed assemblage that provides users with a versatile light fitting easily modifiable to provide different sculptural forms and lighting effects.

Flamingo separates the light source from the diffuser, configured by a series of independent conical rings supported by fine metal wires. www.vibia.com

The modular light combines a wall lamp and suspended luminaire, allowing the user freedom to decide where they want the light. Comprised of lighting modules that stick to each other and immediately start to glow, the user can choose the desired number of modules with a brightness of the traditional 60w. www.famoos.de

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Trend Setters The driving force behind lighting design remains the enhancement and development of innovative individual solutions.

Across all styles, a sense of cosiness and refinement are clearly identifiable in the diverse design ideas. Even in minimalist concepts, there is seldom a reduction to mere functionality. New solutions are frequently based on traditional ideas and popular classics are updated in line with the latest technological standards. Permanence is combined with future-oriented technology and inventive approaches to materials. The Light+Building Trends 2016-17 area highlighted current market developments and brought them together in style sectors, offering a complete overview of the season’s dominant materials, colours and shapes, serving as a valuable guide to manufacturers, retailers and designers. www.light-building.messefrankfurt.com

Pristine & Desirable BRANDS FEATURED: BOCCI / ELOA / MINDCRAFT / MARTA BAKOWSKI / MARSET / WONDERGLASS / CARPENTERS WORKSHOP GALLERY / FLOS / VIBIA / FOSCARINI Numerous designers have experimented with natural materials and investigated craft techniques in new ways to produce unique surfaces and textures. They have explored the potential of the materials and emphasised their aesthetic and tactile qualities. Authentic and original products are now appreciated more than ever. Designs with nostalgic charm and retro appeal remain perennial favourites. The interior / exterior theme was also clearly evident. Botany-inspired designs bring nature into the home, while terrace and gardens are transformed into extended living rooms. As the boundaries between inside and out become blurred, the design of outdoor lighting comes more sharply into focus. The materials seen in this section including glass with organic shapes, stone effects, wood and wood veneer, paper, ceramics and porcelain, amongst others, show a delight in experimentation coupled with craftsmanship.

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Progressive & Decorative BRANDS FEATURED: DELTALIGHT / INGO MAURER / LASVIT / SLAMP / ARTEMIDE / VIBIA / NEMO / KARTELL Based on two themes, Progressive & Decorative hosted a glamorous and decorative style that combined futuristic approaches and traditional manufacturing processes. The section explored technological developments that opened up new possibilities for design, materials and surfaces. High-tech materials and processes, such as 3D printing, laser and LED technology, made it possible to create newly transformed looks. Progressive & Decorative boasted exploration of surreal designs and possibilities for new approaches.

The results were creations reminiscent of scientific microscopic images. Bizarre surfaces were created whose synthetic colours and transparencies underscored the hyper-modern touches. The appeal of this theme lay in the combinations of futuristic and glamorous decorative aspects, of classic craftsmanship and the potential of new technologies. Materials such as glass, plastic, acrylic and many more were primarily in use here.

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Liberal & Manifold BRANDS FEATURED: NEMO / LUCEPLAN / WRONG FOR HAY / VIBIA / MARSET / FLOS / NORMANN COPENHAGEN / ARTEMIDE / ARTURO ALVAREZ / DANESE MILANO Diverse style and design criteria were treated playfully and imaginatively. An uninhibited delight in experimentation and original ideas came together to create lighting with a unique character. In Liberal & Manifold, humourous, non-conformist classics as well as unconventional new ideas boasted bold, cartoon-like shapes. They played casually with stylised and iconic forms.

Numerous versions bore witness to a willingness to experiment with flexibility, functionality and efficiency. There were no limits in terms of materials or their composition. Intense colours for matte and glossy painted surfaces of a multitude of materials found no limitations. Surprisingly versatile, multi-functional solutions were created in the form of lamps that adapted to different requirements and everyday situations. The items brought together were practical, unconventional and original.

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Milan Design Week

We bring you our showroom highlights from six days of Milan style and design...

Prandina - Ensemble Lifestyle Corso San Gottardo 21/9 The ZEUS Blue Garage in Corso S. Gottardo hosted the Ensemble Lifestyle project. Following its launch two years ago, the project, supported by four partners, Prandina, Shuj, Woodnotes and Zeus, has grown and established as an area for spreading a refined and consistent culture. These four partners, adhere to a production philosophy that is also a culture of design and home living. Ensemble Lifestyle is ultimately, a synergistic project where the specific skills, qualities and differences of the four players create a consistent and well-balanced home environment. www.prandina.it

Tortona Design District

Lolli e Memmoli Via Fratelli Vivarini 7

The heart of the new Lolli e Memmoli Contract Division is the Alpha Project, a new proposal to create architectures of light suitable for large spaces. Combining traditional artistic crystal lighting with a new design theory, the modular structures of Alpha Project can be assembled in original free and asymmetrical layouts to suit hotels, restaurants, showrooms and meeting rooms to frame the architectural perimeter and enhance the furnishings in a spectacular interplay of light. www.lollimemmoli.it

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Luceplan Corso Monforte 7 Luceplan celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Costanza lamp during this year’s Milan Design Week - the start of a series of special events that will continue throughout the year, as a tribute to the inimitable lamp designed in 1986 by Paolo Rizzatto. Costanza springs from a simple yet brilliant intuition: to revise and reinterpret the classic lamp with shade, combining simple form with highly innovative technological solutions, like the self-supporting shade in polycarbonate and the sensorial touch dimmer. A unique, unmistakable design object, Costanza is now an icon found in millions of private homes all over the world, and selected by designers for prestigious contract solutions, hotels and offices. www.luceplan.com

Contardi Via Passione 8

San Babila Design District

Artemide Corso Monforte 19 Artemide presented its new products at its Corso Monforte and Via Manzoni showrooms including Ameluna, created in partnership with Mercedes Benz and fully compatible with the new Mercedes E-Class ‘Masterpiece of Intelligence’, featuring an innovative optoelectronic system and IOT interaction. www.artemide.com

Contardi continues its journey through the emotional sphere, with an experience where light is not only limited to the presentation of products, but where it reveals, instead, its main quality: the ability to amaze, to thrill through the involvement of senses, donating visual and auditory sensations. Coordinated by Massimiliano Raggi, inside ON House experience-centre, Contardi involved visitors in a deeper process: the creative, inspiration-following process, in which sound and pictures play a key role. ON House aims to promote and realise residential spaces, which meld technology and design, transforming everyday life’s places in multisensory spaces, in which people can immerse / lose themselves, thanks to the simplified management of every remote control device. www.contardi-italia.com

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The Meeting of Minds As part of this year's Milan Design Week Catellani & Smith presented light installation Hallucination.

Hallucination is a light installation by Enzo Catellani through the glass of Giuliano Gaigher. Shades of wonderful colours, achieved through a particularly refined and accurate craftsmanship, make the ancient art of glass working topical in the pieces created between the duo.

Curated by Matteo Petrucci, the light installation was launched during this year's Milan Design Week in the Lambrate Design District. Commenting on his inspiration, Catellani told darc: “In my works I have always studied how light refracts on different surfaces and how it plays with different materials, to develop my concept of light into objects. This new experiment was born from the desire to find a concept of light that isn’t necessarily bound to a lamp. Then, glass is the material that can better integrate itself with light and allows you to transform shadows in colours: instead of creating black shadows on the surface that receives the light passing through a screen, glass allows you to obtain colours. Glass is therefore the material that

enhances the colour and at the same time interacts with light, thanks to its peculiar transparency.”

Having studied this topic for the past two years, when Catellani met with Gaigher and saw his unique works, it inspired him to further experiment with the relationship between glass and a precise lighting source such as LED. “I was fascinated by the possibility to give new shapes to light, through his transparent but vivid and even lively coloured glass,” said Catellani. “This is the first time that I have collaborated and compared myself with the creativity of another person. Mr Gaigher is a master glass-worker and his creations are pieces of art, that show his capability to mix and manipulate an alchemy of colours. We also have in common, of course, a work based on craftsmanship and research on the interaction between colour, materials and light.”

Hallucination will also be on show in New York at the same time as the ICFF show. www.catellanismith.com

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Milan Design Week

We bring you our showroom highlights from six days of Milan style and design...

Panzeri Corso Garibaldi, 99 Golden Ring, Panzeri’s best-selling product, illuminated the Modulnova event during Milan Design Week. The famous furniture company chose the elegant light rings in gold and black finish to illuminate the showroom.

Hundreds of people admired the amazing effect created for the occasion, while the rest of the showroom saw the installation of many other Panzeri products, including Jackie, Emma and Clio, Blanca, Willy, Ypsilon, Brooklyn, Potter and the Invisibili Series. During the evening several performers,chefs and DJs entertained the guests. www.panzeri.it

Tortona Design District

Lee Broom Tortona Design District

Lee Broom presented his new lighting collection in a unique installation staged inside the Lee Broom delivery van, travelling across the city visiting the key design hotspots during the week.

On 14th April it made its Tortona stop and presented the Optical collection of floor and pendant lights, reflecting Broom’s recent move towards more understated, modern designs. When viewed from all sides, Optical’s linear pattern changes at every angle.

Pics: Marcus Tondo www.leebroom.com

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Terzani Simone Micheli Architect, Lambrate As part of this year’s Milan Design Week, Terzani played a role in Simone Micheli Architect’s Different Suites X Different People - an exhibition to live and experiment, characterised by the combination and interaction of different, real simulations. Four hotel suites created and dedicated to four important hotel groups filled an area of more then 700sqm and originated an extraordinary event of which the visitor was an essential part. As part of the exhibition, photographer Maurizio Marcato aimed to create a deep interaction among images and the space. Defining peculiar visions, full of meaning, changing in every suite, the path of each guest was, in fact, a personal and unique experience to live, shaped according to their dreams, wishes and desires. www.terzani.com

Brera Design District

San Babila Design District

Ilkka Suppanen Palazzo Litta On show at the Palazzo Litta, the Porcupine by Ilkka Suppanen is available in copper or resin. In the copper version, the heart of Porcupine is made of 3D printed resin and the sticks are made of copper. In the resin version the whole piece is made of 3D printed resin. Both are limited editions of eight. www.suppanen.com

Zava Piazza del Carmine Opened during design week, ZAVA has opened its own space in Milan at the MeetLab, a new multi-brand design concept location dedicated to innovative and Made in Italy companies.

Located in Piazza del Carmine, the ZAVA showroom will also become the permanent space for its most important collections. It is a space dedicated to professionals, who can use it to meet their clients, or simply to find ideas and inspiration for their own projects. www.zavaluce.it

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Top Left Carlo Ippolito Gola, Fondazione Serbelloni and Marta Polese, Restorer Rest of Page Lasvit worked carefully to restore the precious Bohemian crystal chandeliers, located in the grand hall and the Sala Gian Galeazzo.

Restoration Man During this year’s Milan Design Week, Lasvit presented ‘Via Lucis’, a journey through unique and contemporary projects enhanced by the experience and skills of master glassmakers.

Taking place at the Sale Napoleoniche of Palazzo Serbelloni, where Naopleone Bonaparte resided during his stay in Milan, the presentation saw Bonaparte’s precious Bohemian crystal chandeliers carefully restored to their former glory.

The chandeliers, crafted of Bohemian crystal at the end of the 18th century, are located in the grand hall – called either the Sala Naopleonica or Sala Bonaparte – and in the smaller Sala Gian Galeazzo, with the same design but at a smaller scale.

Also on show and taking inspiration from the restoration project, Lasvit worked to reinterpret the Neoclassical taste of chandeliers with a contemporary twist to produce three new chandeliers: Facet by Moritz Waldemeyet; Praha by Stanislav Libensky; and TAC/TILE by Andre Fu. The restored chandeliers are composed of 40 various components that have more than 1,000 elements and the restoration project

by Lasvit required a combination of three glassmaking techniques. These included the production and replacement of handcut crystal trimmings, hand-blow and cut components, as well as mold-melted and cut glass arms.

The overall aim was to sustain as many original components as possible, despite traces of age such as scratches or minor damage, to preserve the original character of the chandeliers. And so, the original crystal components of the chandeliers were dismantled and shipped to Lasvit glassworks in the Czech Republic – back to the region of Bohemia, an area with rich glassmaking traditions, where the chandeliers were

likely originally made in the late 1700’s – completing a historic and creative fullcircle.

“I was very excited when I entered the Palazzo Serbelloni and discovered the beautiful Bohemian chandeliers in an Italian palace,” Lasvit Founder and President Leon Jakimic said. “It was instantly clear that Lasvit and our master glassmakers could significantly contribute to the restoration of these extraordinary artefacts.

“I have a great respect and admiration for precise craftsmanship of the past masters and their Bohemian approach. We made ‘Bohemian Perfection’ our motto; bohemian refers both to the region and the proverbial creative and free-spirited approach. We continue to strive for perfection and precision, much like our predecessors. This philosophy translates into everything Lasvit produces. We are proud and honoured to have been given the opportunity to participate in a project of this importance.

Thanks to the collaboration of the dedicated team of Fondazione Serbelloni and Lasvit’s skilful artisans, the chandeliers are now presented in their former glory.”

Marta Polese, head of the restoration team in Italy, added: “I have always believed in binomial Light = Life, in all its meanings.

This project combines the idea of giving back these magnificent eighteenth-century chandeliers their light and shine and of restoring a new life to the essence of the famous ‘Sala Napoleonica’ of the historic Palazzo Serbelloni. ‘Let there be light!’ never felt so accurate!” www.lasvit.com

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ICFF Preview May 14-17, 2016, New York, US EDUCATING THE MASSES ASID RETURNS TO ICFF The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) returns to ICFF with an expanded educational program for industry professionals and a new student day program.

Positioned on the show floor, the ASID educational series will bring together thought leaders and industry experts to present provocative content throughout ICFF. Sessions will appeal to a cross-section of design markets and will include topics on business practices, design’s impact on human health and wellness, housing trends, and materials. www.icff.com www.asid.org

Configurate Archilume

Pola David Trubridge

Essentials Collection Innermost

These standard hexagonal canopy modules can be arranged in any number and configuration to create uniquely site specific compositions. The hexagonal shapes combine to make a decorative element on the ceiling plane where one would normally expect to see traditional circular canopies, or a larger custom canopy. ww.archilume.com

Pola has been launched as the ice / cold based sibling to David Trubridge's existing Sola light, which is based on the flares of the sun. Both Pola and Sola can be painted in any colour. Constructed from 92 snowflake shapes cut from 1.5mm bamboo plywood, it is easily assembled with push-in nylon clips. www.davidtrubridge.com

Innermost introduces the all new Essentials Collection – a minimalistic range of lamps in pure, unadulterated forms, speaking to the materials from which they are crafted.

Core, Pomelo, Jelly, Drop and Boule use simple silhouettes making them suited for any situation, in clusters, rows, or even just on their lonesome. www.innermost.net

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1. Skyline Louis Poulsen

2. Concentric Marset

3. Iris Lightexture

Designed by Julie Richoz for high positions in large rooms, the Skyline pendant has a sculptural structure, where the visual elements are implemented down to the tiniest detail. 800mm tall and made of six curved shades offset from each other, its structure creates a beautiful interplay of light. www.louispoulsen.com

The Concentric collection is based on Rob Zinn's endeavour to highlight the interaction between light and the reflection of colour, as each white circular panel plays with a different colour on its back. In daylight, these colours are subtly perceived, but at night they come to the fore and shine, stirring complex coloured light effects. www.marset.com

The Iris Floor Lamp transforms its form and the atmosphere in a room by changing its light direction and projections. This patented mechanism allows one side of the shade to open as the other closes. This lamp was a part of Lightexture's Iris lamps Kickstarter campaign that raised US$82k in 2015. www.lightexture.com

4. Comoro Mullan Lighting

5. GROWTH2 CP Lighting

6. Moroccan Lisa Fay Design

With a sophisticated design, the Comoro table lamp brings sophisticated style and visual comfort to any room. An excellent task light, it is particularly suitable for a desk, side table or bedside table and features an ultra-modern silhouette. Fully adjustable, allowing unique control over the lit area. www.mullanlighting.com

Part of the ongoing newGROWTH series, the GROWTH2 LED pendants are made to order in a variety of sizes and configurations.

Lamped with 12v 2,750K LED modules that illuminate frosted acrylic lenses, the aluminium nG2 pendants are sculptural, energy efficient and highly functional decorative lighting. www.cplighting.com

A fixture inspired by the intricacies of Moroccan detail and translated into a modern design of pattern and colour. When lit, the pendant casts a pattern of light and shadow creating a dramatic element of illumination. Each fixture is powder coated in white with an optional hand-painted eight multi-color striped side. www.lisafaydesign.com

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1. Urchin Softlight molo

2. Flute Light Modern Verve

3. Nested Mirror Disc Jamie Harris Studio

Urchin Softlight from molo has an animate character that invites playful interaction.

Utilising flexible honeycomb geometry, urchin expands and morphs into a multitude of forms. Adjusting the form of urchin also adjusts the intensity, direction, and quality of light – a beautiful, tactile way to sculpt light in a space. www.molodesign.com

Made of brushed aluminum and milk glass, Flute Light can define different spaces for different uses, or become a focal point above a dining table or in an entry space.

Handcrafted in house by Modern Verve, all parts are custom made and incorporate the latest in LED lamp technology, designed and built to last. www.modernverve.com

Nested Mirror Disc is composed of multiple blown glass discs that are silvered to give a reflective, mirrored surface. Playing on stacking geometric forms to create sophisticated lighting structures that illuminate with elegance, light bounces and cascades down. Colours and finish are custom-designed. www.jamieharris.com

4. two.parts/fuschia two.parts

5. Calx Cerno

6. Petite Collection Secto Design

two.parts/fuchsia belongs to a series of indoor pendant light fixtures that are 3D printed in glazed ceramic around concealed LEDs. The central void in each fixture illuminates as if by an invisible lamp, causing the ceramic itself to act as the light emitting surface. Seven colour options are available. www.two.parts

Designed by Nick Sheridan and inspired by the Calx pendant, again the materials and method inform the design. While the Calx sconce is clean and simple it also offers a beautiful texture and subtle complexity to a wall. Available in various finishes: brushed aluminium, rose gold, brass, walnut wood and dark stained walnut. www.cernogroup.com

Designed by Seppo Koho, the members of the Petite family from Secto Design add a smaller alternative to the classic range and include pendant, table and wall lights. Both the table and wall lights are adjustable as their shades turn gently. The Petite Collection is handcrafted in Finland from top quality local birch. www.sectodesign.fi

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1. WiT BenQ

2. Portal Christopher Boots

3. Skull Tyson Lighting with Tala

The WiT e-Reading lamp combines advanced illumination technology with total eye comfort. WiT illuminates up to a 90cm range, 150% wider than typical lamps. With intelligent control and an ambient light sensor, WiT adjusts to its environment. Ecofriendly, WiT consumes a maximum 18W of power and has a 40,000-hour lifetime. www.benq.com

Emanating luminescence from the minimalist form, Portal embodies the cyclical nature of existence and highlights the universe as an infinite mythologically constructed whole. Materially composed of brushed brass, Carrara Marble and acrylic, Portal is designed to have a distinctive tactility and spatial presence. www.christopherboots.com

The stand out feature of this table lamp, designed by Tyson Lighting’s own Henry Opara, is the crystal glass skull, wrapped with customisable liquid printed graphics.

Sitting within the handcrafted leather shade is a crown lamp which reflects the light created by the glowing Tala LED lamp to highlight the tattoo inspired art work. www.tysonlighting.com

4. Otto Hubbardton Forge

5. Percy Waterworks

6. Harris Zarate Manila

If Jules Verne were alive today, the Otto pendant would light his home. Part of the new Otto Collection, the pendant’s brass and glass delivers steampunk aesthetics.

The large, blown-glass sphere is suspended between adjustable rods. The lighting element is encased in a frosted glass tube or stainless steel mesh. www.hubbardtonforge.com

Available as a single or double pendant, Percy is inspired by the simplicity of copper pipes and how they connect. An elevated industrial design with a two-tone finish and sophisticated detailing, Percy is designed to stand the test of time and combines the latest technology with time-honoured manufacturing techniques. www.waterworks.com

Designed by Jim Torres, Zarate Manila’s cosmic inspired lighting collections are evocative of the unknown. Enriched with dramatic motif and poetic concept, each piece is created with utmost precision and craftsmanship. The award-winning Harris pendants come in chrome silver and black, tempered by lavender and champagne gold. www.zaratemanila.com

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Clerkenwell Design Week Preview Celebrating its seventh year from May 24 - 26 2016, Clerkenwell Design Week draws the design community to the small area of London for three days of events. With last year's show drawing in over 300 exhibitors, this year is set to impress. www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com

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1. Wa Wa Catellani & Smith

2. Mini Foresti DI'CLASSE

3. Hang Man The Lightyard

As part of the Wa collection, Wa Wa is an eco-logic standing floor lamp. Made of a nickel base and structure, nickel-plated copper sticks, nickel flex and removable glass lenses, Wa Wa is hand crafted by Enzo Catellani. The lamp evokes shapes of nature in its structure and features an interchangable LED light source. www.catellanismith.com

Designed by Domei Endo, Mini Foresti is based on the concept of bringing nature indoors. The light shining through the foliage shade creates kaleidoscopic shadows, which offers more than just illumination but also a therapeutic ambience. Mini Foresti is also available as Mini Foresti Grande. www.di-classe.com

The Alchemist Collection from The Lightyard will launch the Hang Man series, showcasing Big Boy LED lamps and both The Hang Man floor and The Hangman Assistant table lamps made of mild steel and solid wood. The Hangman pendant is a bespoke collection of braided fabric flex and hand spun mild steel drop cap lamp holders. www.thelightyard.com

4. Flex Luctra

5. w164 Alto Wästberg

6. City Zero

Flex is the wireless biologically effective lighting solution for mobile working in the office or at home. Four high performance LEDs are powered up for four hours via an integrated battery. The rubberised protective sleeve is height adjustable to ensure stability and security in all positions and uses a rotatable lamp head. www.luctra.eu

Designed by Dirk Winkel, w164 Alto is a new type of uplighter. The pole houses a 10,000 lumen multidirectional LED technique, distributing an even and wide-angled light.

The top disc of the base is a large dimming wheel, which also includes the switch. Made of aluminium and steel, it is available in black, white and grey. www.wastberg.com

With its archetypal shape and generous diametre, City has a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications. There is no risk of glare as the LED sits high in the steep cone, which also hides the cast cooling flange.

The shade is in black or beige grey painted aluminium with other colours available on request. www.zerolighting.com

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On Show A look ahead to forthcoming design shows with a strong lighting element.

MAISON ET OBJET AMERICAS • MIAMI, USA 10-13 May 2016 (www.maison-objet.com)

NYCXDESIGN • NEW YORK, USA 3-7 May 2016 (www.nycxdesign.com)

ICFF • NEW YORK, USA 14-17 May 2016 (www.icff.com)

INDEX • DUBAI, UAE 23-26 May 2016 (www.indexexhibition.com)

CLERKENWELL DESIGN WEEK • LONDON, UK 24-26 May 2016 (www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com)

DESIGN DISTRICT • AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS 1-3 June 2016 (www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com)

ARDE • LONDON, UK 5-12 June 2016 (www.ardelondon.com)

DESIGN MIAMI/BASEL • BASEL, SWITZERLAND 14-19 June 2016 (www.basel2016.designmiami.com)

NORTHMODERN • COPENHAGEN, DENMARK 18-20 August 2016 (www.northmodern.com)

MAISON ET OBJET • PARIS, FRANCE 2-6 September 2016 (www.maison-objet.com)

DARC AWARDS ARCHITECTURAL • LONDON, UK 15 September 2016 (www.darcawards.com)

DECOREX • LONDON, UK 18-21 September (www.decorex.com)

100% DESIGN • LONDON, UK 21-24 September www.100percentdesign.co.uk)

DESIGNJUNCTION • LONDON, UK 22-25 September (www.thedesignjunction.co.uk)

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the Helix Nebula found its way down to earth, it would make its home in the Irving Schwartz Public Library, in El Paso, Texas, US. Home to Massachusetts based Studio GH’s installation named after the planetary nebula, the sculpture creates an impression of the Helix Nebula within the observatory-like entry lobby. Studio GH’s Michele Gutlove creates handmade glass art installations for public buildings. Each installation is uniquely suited to its architecture, program, and location. In this case, the artist was inspired by the Helix Nebula’s iridscent glory; she collaborated with the library’s architects to configure the space they were designing so that her glass could ‘paint’ the walls and ceilings with light, creating a dynamic image and an immersive experience. www.studiogh.com Pic: Zev B. Hoover

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