2_6_ScanMag_72_Feb_2014_Text_Q9_Scan Magazine 1 04/02/2015 10:53 Page 17
Scan Magazine | Design Profile | VITA Living
LEFT: Clava (Copper), is the latest VITA design. Clava is Latin for the shape of a golf club. Clava comes in Brushed Copper, Brushed Brass, Polished Steel and Matt White. RIGHT: Carmina (White) in a traditional Danish setting. Carmina is inspired by the traces of soft flowing lines in the sand made by the waves above – in Latin the word Carmina also means “musical notes” (designed by Soren Ravn Christensen and Anders Klem 2014).
twisted and becomes ‘untrue’ to the naked eye,” Christensen believes. During a visit to London, he came up with the material for the Eos lamp, one of VITA’s bestsellers. “In connection with some fashion shows, we were impressed with the top hairdressers’ use of feathers, and it hit me,” Christensen recollects, “we should make a lamp out of feathers! They are light, they can be packed flat and they are a bi-product from the food industries, and – most importantly – they give a perfect soft light.”
Founder (one of three) and Chief Creative Developer Soren Ravn Christensen with one of his most successful designs – the goose feather lamp Eos (2010).
Flat-packed, long lasting and affordable VITA spent almost two years perfecting the Eos lamp, ensuring that it was flatpackable, affordable and would keep its look for many years to come. “We aim to provide the most value for money by making superior quality from Agrade materials, delivered in beautiful flat packages, to optimise logistics and preserve our planet by saving CO2 – all at very affordable prices,” he explains. “Just consider how many containers are shipped every day across the world, and most of what is in them is air, due to how poorly it’s packed. It’s crazy! Putting emphasis on packaging and making the boxes as small as possible, we not only avoid unnecessary environmental pollution, but also save money on transportation and storage. That allows us to sell affordable Danish design in places as far away as South America, South Africa and Australia,” Christensen explains. A concept like VITA’s demands a lot from the design department. They are constantly challenged to come up with new solutions on how to optimise the flatpackaging and assembly processes in
their designs. “Sometimes we have to let some designs go, regardless of how beautiful they might be. If it’s not possible to design them to be flat-packed, we simply don’t put them into production,” Christensen explains. The assembly process is another aspect VITA does not make any compromises on. Without any tools, the VITA lamps can be self-assembled in 10-15 minutes. “If it takes more than 20 minutes to assemble, we’ll reconsider the product. People get frustrated if it takes longer, and we want it to be a happy experience bringing home a lamp from us,” Christensen says.
- Prices range from £30 - £60 for a standard size VITA lamp - Most VITA lamps are available in multiple sizes and colours - Many of the VITA shades can be turned upside-down and put on a cord set as a pendant, or even fixed on either a VITA table- or floor tripod. For more information, please visit: www.vita.dk
Issue 73 | February 2015 | 17