darc 13

DECORATIVE LIGHTING IN ARCHITECTURE #13 NOV/DEC 2015

LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL SPECIAL HIND RABII | ARTURO ÁLVAREZ HOTEL GOTHAM | THE IVY

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K E LV I N L E D

BY A N TO N I O C I T T E R I O

W I T H TOA N N G U Y E N

2009 F LO S .C OM

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04/11/15 11:06

Fluo collection

Handmade in Spain www.arturo-alvarez.com

northmodern Furniture and Lifestyle Trade Show Bella Center Copenhagen 13-15 January 2016 northmodern.com | #northmodern

Aqua Creations Lighting & Furniture Atelier

Mimosa Floor Lamp, 2015 Design by Albi Serfaty & Liran Levi , Clear polymer over metal structure, concrete base

www.aquagallery.com info@aquagallery.com

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COVER IMAGE: COURTESY OF HIND RABII PIC: NICOLAS SCHIMP

#13

Welcome EDITOR • PAUL JAMES For those of you that attended darc night, the culmination of the darc awards process, I hope that you enjoyed it. It certainly seemed like everyone did! The visual interest was provided by twelve inspirational installations created by the lighting design studio and manufacturer partners that bought into what we are trying to achieve and I want to thank them for their tremendous creativity above and beyond the call of duty. Empowering lighting designers by making them eligible for free tickets to darc night if they vote (as well as interior designers and architects if they enter) appears to have struck a chord with everyone out there and we will be continuing with this initiative in the coming years for more awards.

If you are a designer, this event is for you and changes the dynamic of most awards where you have to wait to be invited by a manufacturer or fork out yourself - something that is out of the grasp of many junior designers or small practices.

I am delighted to announce that we will be splitting the darc awards into architectural and decorative lighting categories next year with two separate events taking place to celebrate the winners. So look out for details of the 2016 darc awards - architectural and 2016 darc awards - decorative coming soon.

DEPUTY EDITOR • HELEN FLETCHER Following the very first darc night on September 24, celebrating the newly launched darc awards, I’d also like to personally thank everyone that was involved in making the night such a huge success. It was great to see lighting and interior designers alike really embracing the concept and I’m excited to see what’s next for 2016! In this issue you’ll find full coverage of the decorative winners and all the light installations created for the night from page 13 onwards. Elsewhere in the magazine, we bring you a special London Design Festival report, which alongside my exclusive interview with Michael Anastassiades on page 74, features some of the best decorative installations, showroom events and product launches from the week. We’ve also got some great designer interviews this issue, from Arturo Àlvarez on page 58; to Hind Rabii on page 65; and Rikke Hagen and Andreas Lund on page 70, who have collaborated with Watt a Lamp for its debut collection launched at Maison et Objet Paris. Projects this issue cover all parts of the hospitality and retail sector, from a rather glamourous fish shop in Montreal, to a London loft apartment turned private dining experience, the Tel Aviv facebook office and an interview with interior designer Oliver Redfern on his work at Hotel Gotham in Manchester. As this is the last issue of 2015, I’d like to finish by thanking you all for your support over the past twelve months and playing a part in making darc the success it is! Here’s to 2016!

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Contents 10 13 28 30 32 38 40 44 45 48 50 54 58 62 65 67 70 73 74 79 80 82 84 85 86 88 90 92 93 94 96 98

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NEWS DARC AWARDS 2015 GALERIA MELISSA • NYC HOTEL DE ROUGEMONT • GSTAAD PARIS-GARE DE L’EST HOTEL • PARIS FACEBOOK OFFICE •TEL AVIV THE IVY • LONDON A.ROMA LIFESTYLE HOTEL • ROME HOTEL GOTHAM • MANCHESTER POISSONNERIE NÉMEAU • MONTREAL HAFEN RESTAURANT • ROMANSHOR MY LOFT KITCHEN • LONDON ARTURO ÁLVAREZ PROFILE • GALICIA THE NOODLE RACK • CHANGSHA HIND RABII PROFILE • MOROCCO THE BEACON • PITTSBURG WATT A LAMP DESIGNER PROFILE • FARUM WITHIN LIGHT / INSIDE GLASS EXHIBITION • LISBON MICHAEL ANASTASSIADES INTERVIEW • LONDON FEIX AND MERLIN LAUNCH • LONDON DECOREX REVIEW • LONDON SPINE | SOMERSET HOUSE • LONDON TENT & SUPERBRANDS REVIEW • LONDON 100% DESIGN REVIEW • LONDON DESIGNJUNCTION REVIEW • LONDON MULTIPLEX | OLD SELFRIDGES HOTEL • LONDON LUUM | THE COLLEGE • LONDON LEE BROOM LAUNCH • LONDON NEW PRODUCTS DOWNTOWN DESIGN REVIEW • DUBAI 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 : JOHN-PAUL ETCHELLS : jp.etchells@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

Reed Pendant

David Trubridge Studio Hawke’s Bay New Zealand + 64 6 650 0204 office@davidtrubridge.com www.davidtrubridge.com

www.hollowaysofludlow.com | 020 7602 5757

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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.

Charles Lethaby Lighting’s starry Christmas NEO/CRAFT illuminates Volkswagen

(UK) – Charles Lethaby Lighting’s Elara lights have been selected for 2015 Christmas window displays of Hobbs British clothing store.

Read the full story online...

NEO/CRAFT was chosen by KMS BLACKSPACE to illuminate Volkswagen’s exhibition at this year’s IAA. Read the full story online...

Factorylux lights TFI Friday set (UK) – Nineties TV classic TFI Friday returns to Channel 4 with set lighting

by Factorylux.

Read the full story online...

Fizzy pop, music and Davide Groppi

Artemide expands with new showrooms

(Worldwide) – Italian designer Davide Groppi announces participation in Coca-Cola Company and music artist will.i.am’s Ekocycle initiative.

Read the full story online...

(Worldwide) – Artemide continues to grow with new flagship stores in Chicago, US, and Warsaw, Poland.

Read the full story online...

Chelsom appoints new Joint Managing Director (UK) – Will Chelsom has been promoted to Joint Managing Director of Chelsom.

Read the full story online...

24-25 November 2015, London www.thesleepevent.com

STAND M10 astrolighting.co.uk

darc awards For those of you who attended darc night, the culmination of the darc awards process, I hope that you enjoyed it.

I have been blown away by the response to the peer-to-peer concept of the darc awards making this a truly democratic awards programme. Over 450 entries and over 5,000 votes from the lighting design community has proved that the lighting industry - both decorative and architectural - was eager to embrace a fresh, subversive awards format.

This alternative approach was replicated during darc night.

Dress code was creative not black tie. Street food (no tables) and drinks were free all night and there was no comedian (unless you count me fluffing my lines!).

The visual interest was provided by twelve inspirational installations created by the lighting design studio and manufacturer partners that bought into what we are trying to achieve and I want to thank them for their tremendous creativity above and beyond the call of duty.

Empowering lighting designers by making them eligible for free tickets to darc night if they vote (as well as interior designers and architects if they enter) appears to have struck a chord with everyone out there and we will be continuing with this initiative in the coming years for more awards.

If you are a designer this event is for you and changes the dynamic of most awards where you have to wait to be invited by a manufacturer or fork out yourself. Something that is out of the grasp of many junior designers or small practices.

So read on for an overview of the darc awards winners and the incredible installations at darc night. See you all next year!

Paul James Director, darc awards Editor, darc magazine

Best Decorative Lighting Installation

Project: Emergence Location: London Heathrow Terminal 2 – The Queen’s Terminal, UK Lighting Design: Cinimod Studio, UK Client: Caviar House & Prunier

WINNER EMERGENCE, UK Upon the recommendation from the retail directors at BAA (British Airport Authority), Caviar House & Prunier commissioned Cinimod Studio to conceive, develop and produce an iconic sculptural intervention to mark their presence within Heathrow Airport’s new terminal, T2 “The Queen’s Terminal”, and to provide an impressive and memorable addition to the overall terminal.

Emergence captures the re-imagined movement of a school of fish moving underwater, a playful reference to the core

SECOND PLACE: KINETICA, UK

business of Caviar House. It is a sculptural expression of the light patterns and shimmers that are created as a school of fish moves in harmony within water.

The structure comprises bespoke LED arcs spiralling thirteen metres up to the ceiling, made from engineered carbon fibre composites as found in the newest airplanes. The resultant form manifests a kinetic moment frozen in time and then reanimated through cutting edge interactive digital lighting. The sculpture is an iconic and memorable scene that sets the brand

THIRD PLACE: STAR BURST, UK

up for incredible exposure to the millions of travellers flocking through the terminal on a daily basis.

Each arc of light, controllable in movement, mimics the shimmer seen against each fish when they move in unison. Held together through beautiful mechanical fixings, each sits in the space above the bar, as a weightless mesmerising glow. This fragmented shimmer of scattered light translated as a fish vortex achieves a light movement that mimics that of the lateral line system that fish have.

Best Decorative Lighting Product

WINNER DIMPLE – BYBEAU Dimple is a modular chandelier system designed to allow unlimited configurations. It is made from the highest quality handblown glass with a unique two way mirror-coated finish, available in both chrome and a bronze finish, unveiling the extra interior glass ball when it’s on.

It offers a flexible modular chandelier

SECOND PLACE: THE BUSTER BULB – BUSTER + PUNCH

system to suit interiors of all sizes, starting from a single pendant through to multiple pendant configurations.

Every drop of the chandelier can be configured with a RGBW LED chip, an LED chip with a combination natural whites or a single warm white LED. Each drop can be individually controlled via DMX to offer unlimited possibilities.

The system is designed to work with its own control system or already installed control systems like Lutron or Crestron.

During the day the chandelier works like an organic sculpture with the mirror coating reflecting the natural light and it surroundings. At night it becomes an exquisite light show that can adapt to the moment.

THIRD PLACE: ECLIPSE – TILEN SEPIC

Best Architectural Winners

BEST LANDSCAPE LIGHTING PROJECT - LOW BUDGET MEMORIES OF THE MIRROR, CONVENT DE SANT AGUSTÍ, BARCELONA, SPAIN

BY LUPERCALES, SPAIN

BEST LANDSCAPE LIGHTING PROJECT - HIGH BUDGET UK PAVILION, EXPO MILAN 2015, ITALY

BY BDP, UK

BEST EXTERIOR LIGHTING PROJECT - LOW BUDGET SHADOW PLAY, HÄMEENLINNA, FINLAND

BY WHITENIGHT LIGHTING, FINLAND

BEST EXTERIOR LIGHTING PROJECT - HIGH BUDGET SZCZECIN PHILHARMONIC, SZCZECIN, POLAND

BY ANOCHE ILUMINACIÓN ARQUITECTÓNICA, SPAIN

BEST INTERIOR LIGHTING PROJECT - LOW BUDGET SORAE SUSHI SAKE LOUNGE, HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

BY ASA STUDIOS, VIETNAM

BEST INTERIOR LIGHTING PROJECT - HIGH BUDGET (WINNER OF THE DARC AWARD) FULTON CENTER, NEW YORK, USA

BY ARUP, USA

BEST LIGHT ART INSTALLATION LIGHT BARRIER, NIKOLA-LENIVETS ART PARK, RUSSIA & EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS

BY KIMCHI AND CHIPS, KOREA AND UK

BEST UNREALISED LIGHTING CONCEPT MARITIME MUSEUM OF DENMARK, HELSINGØR, DENMARK

BY LUCIA MORENO ABENOJAR, LUMABE, SPAIN

BEST ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING PRODUCT - EXTERIOR VARIOLED FLEX VENUS

BY LED LINEAR

BEST ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING PRODUCT - INTERIOR LASER BLADE

BY IGUZZINI

www.darcawards.com

Pics: Kerem Asfuroglu

APPLELEC / KEREM ASFUROGLU When we were considering the design of the darc awards trophy we knew we had to come up with something different that involved light. For us there was only one designer to turn to... Kerem Asfuroglu of Speirs + Major who had created all the artwork for the awards from his Dark Source stories.

Kerem Asfuroglu commented: “I felt privileged designing the darc awards trophy. It was great fun collaborating with darc / mondo*arc and Applelec on this bespoke project.

I never liked trophies that utilised light as a decoration rather than considering it as a source. A trophy for the lighting design community had to represent an intimate form of light like a candle, which was my initial inspiration. Often trophies are ruined by the amount of inscription and advertisement all over them. This design needed an

industrial look, which meant that it had to be decoration-free. It had to be the light that hinted where to find the information, so we decided to embed the inscription label with the light source. Materiality and weight are the key aspects of any transportable object, that is why we wanted the trophy to feel raw and sturdy. 3mm thick cast-steel made this possible. Rough inner finish provided the textured surface for the light to reveal. Having a cut out image from the steel tube provided depth and contrast to the design.

This design came to life thanks to the brilliant engineering and production work done by Applelec. They have done an excellent job in realising the trophy exactly how I envisaged it. Circular LED sheet and the gear was designed and manufactured with precision.

The inscription label is designed by

graphic designer Hasan Gozlugol and manufactured by Applelec.”

Keri Handley of Applelec commented: “We thoroughly enjoyed our role as manufacturer of the darc awards invitations and trophies. We loved Kerem’s design for the trophies and his use of small discs of our LED Light Sheet product to illuminate winner details positioned inside each trophy felt fresh and original. We’d like to thank Premier Laser Tube of Leeds who cut Kerem’s artwork into mild steel tubing as part of the creation of the trophies; apparently it was the strangest job they’d ever done!”

CREDITS Trophy design and concept Kerem Asfuroglu Inscription Hasan Gozlugol Manufacturer Applelec

darc night installations

INNERMOST / ELEKTRA LIGHTING

CREDITS Lighting design and concept Elektra Lighting (Neil Knowles, Marta Michalski and Rachel Tunnicliffe) Equipment Innermost Stupa lamps, Latitude spotlights, YOYLight table lamps

Innermost and Elektra Lighting’s installation at darc night featured the newest additions to innermost’s lighting collection. Ambient Stupa pendants by Freshwest and Latitude spotlights by Flynn Talbot floated amidst a series of illusionary funhouse mirrors.

Six commanding mirrors defiantly rejected the common reality, and substituted their own. Suddenly, the same pendant lamp transformed into six different designs; the same person, into six different individuals.

As one weaved in and out of the illusions presented by the mirrors, the contrasting lighting installation – with the ambient glow of Stupa lamps against the striking outlines of the Latitude spotlights – seemed to come to life.

Elektra Lighting commented: “Innermost are suppliers of a large range of creative and cool pendants. We wanted to show them off in a similar creative and cool way; not just hanging in the space, but in a way that would encourage interaction and for designers to look at them with a fresh perspective. We created a “hall of mirrors” with the pendants reflected in each one. Using distorted circus mirrors forced people to look at the pendants in a new light, and to see them as if for the first time. To encourage this, we created a dedicated hashtag so people could take selfies and tweet them with the hashtag – with a prize for the best.”

LSE LIGHTING / TROUP BYWATERS & ANDERS

CREDITS Lighting design and concept Troup Bywaters + Anders, Manchester office (Nick Meddows, Faye Robinson, Zoe Faulkner) Equipment ProLED RGB LED Flex Strip, ProLED RGB glass brick, Meanwell drivers (supplied by LSE Lighting)

LSE lighting partnered with the Lighting Solutions team at Troup Bywaters & Anders (TBA) to create an installation for darc night.

The core aim was to create something that was both immersive and offer a photo opportunity. It is a lighting designers dream to design lighting for a dark (darc) space, this gave the team the opportunity to create something minimal and striking.

To make the allocated space feel even larger they decided to use mirrors to create the illusion of an even better space.

The linear concept came from the idea of creating a tunnel effect that would occupy our space and beyond.

LSE distribute for a range of lighting manufacturers. The company that TBA thought would best help them achieve the brief was ProLED with their RGB LED Flex Strip and RGB glass brick. The glass brick RGB was used to create the digital branding idea, these bricks create their own infinity effect and have DMX control as well as being IP rated. The linear strips of light combined with Proled M-Line profile with square diffuser to create a neon styled effect.

The installation won the ‘best darc night installation’ vote on the night.

www.darcawards.com

GRIVEN / NULTY+

Pic: Jim Ashley-Down

Pic: Nulty+

CREDITS Lighting design and concept Nulty+ (Christina Hébert, Philip Copland, Ellie Coombs, Daniel Blaker & Emilio Hernandez) Equipment Griven - Diamond RGBW floodlight, Graph-i-Line media façade pixel sticks, Parade X RGBW linear floodlights, Ruby recessed RGBW uplights Programming Griven (Alessandro Pederzani)

The concept for THE WAVE POOL was to design an interactive light installation and space that truly immersed people in light. Nulty+ wanted to create something that was refreshing and new, that inspired a childlike sense of wonder and play and that would manipulate mood and senses as the light changed.

The piece was centred round a mirrored wall erected from a deep ceiling void to form a wave of facets and reflections that culminated into a pool of light. The pool was filled with over 9,000 translucent balls for people to submerge themselves and the team designed the light effect to mimic a ‘rainfall’, where a sequence of different coloured light fell down through the void and dripped from the pixel sticks before spreading out into the pool.

The light was able to pierce through the translucent balls flooding the swimmers inside and the area around them.

With a focus on scale and interaction, the installation encouraged viewers to become participants, impacting on their perception of the environment, stimulating the imagination and changing their visual perspectives and inviting them to swim in light. Not only was the installation a success during the event it also created a wave of ‘bubble bath’ inspired pictures and took social media by storm, winning the hearts of the so-called grown-ups of the lighting industry, who really are all kids at heart.

MEGAMAN / DESIGN IN PROGRESS

CREDITS Lighting design and concept Design in Progress (Deb Wythe) Equipment MEGAMAN 6W Golf Ball Dim-to-WARM LED, MEGAMAN 5W Dimmable Crown Silver LED, MEGAMAN 3.2W Classic A75 Filament LED lamp (2200K) Controls Eaton Lighting Controls

Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist born in 1833.

Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, pianist and conductor born in the same century. They were joined together by some cheeky cockneys to form a popular rhyming slang phrase that leant itself perfectly to the goings on at the darc night bar…

The installation used MEGAMAN’s 6W golf ball Dim-to-WARM LED to illuminate the lettering and the mirrored dimmable Crown Silver LED to provide a contrasting glow on the treble clef.

Eaton’s lighting controls provided the perfect platform to showcase the smooth dimming curve of the MEGAMAN Dimto-WARM lamps. When dimmed to 10% the LEDs appeared so warm (1800K) that many commented that they ‘must be halogen’.

There was also a popular interactive element to the design. With so many of the lighting and design industry’s greatest minds in attendance, it would have been a shame not to capture some of their inspiration – and so the ‘#Megathought bubble’ was born. A MEGAMAN filament lamp would light up above the head of anyone who came to offer a #Megathought - as if in a cartoon. The warm glow from the lamp illuminated the #megathought and was shared via social media.

darc night installations

CONCORD / SPEIRS + MAJOR

CREDITS Lighting design and concept Speirs + Major (Kerem Asfuroglu, Sam Tuck, Neville de Sa, Jack Wates, Ting Ji, Luciana Martinez, Jaime Fuentes McGreevy) Sound design Harry Wills Equipment Concord Lumistrip, Beacon; SIMES Movit Projectors Controls Enliten (Paul Simson)

The Well is an experiential light installation that stimulates the memory of a day using both visual and auditory aspects of an urban lightscape. An excerpt from Paul Bowles’ Sheltering Sky projected on the entrance wall sets the tone of the piece: “Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. And yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, or five times more? Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless...”

Within a brick built shaft-like space, niches are converted into windows with curtains and flowerpots, and laundry is hung out, contributing to the illusion of life behind the panes. A fan gently animates the fabrics with natural movement. Birds sing, the sun rises. A careful blend of warm and cool coloured light appears to fill the space with daylight. The light and soundtrack shift continuously, and eventually daylight fades. Warm light begins to appear in the windows, signalling a playful transition to night.

KKDC / DPA

CREDITS Lighting design and concept dpa (Nicholas Belfield, Michael Curry, Tommaso Gimigliano, Shayne Grist, Ingo Kalecinski) Equipment KKDC LiNi-M XL 208 (2300K & 3800K), LiNi Glow XL 501 (RGB) Equipment Tom Hall & DPA using Nicolaudie and KKDC visDIM DMX Sub-Controllers

“Light is our guide. Light assists when darkness falls. But what if light were a barrier? An obstruction? Enter the Light Tunnel, where you must find your own way.”

Light Tunnel creates the illusion of a seemingly impassable route by utilising a series of full height lit vertical lines placed carefully so the participant perceives a barrier that prohibits them from travelling through. The use of mirrors to the ceiling, walls and the edges of the lit profiles provides infinite inter-reflections, extending reality and the sense of obstruction so one is left to discover the pre-defined passage. Dynamic control of the installation alters the appearance of the Light Tunnel, ensuring continuous way finding adjustment amongst the blurred visual boundaries.

The installation used homogenous illuminated double faced RGB & tunable white LiNi Glow XL modules complete with mirrored side facias. Each light element was installed at floor to ceiling within a secondary tunnel structure designed to conceal the existing building fabric with mirrors continuing along the entire ceiling length.

www.darcawards.com

L&L LUCE & LIGHT / LDI

CREDITS Lighting design and concept Lighting Design International (Graham Rollins, Nathan Gummow, Alex Bittiner, Ben Ferris, Emily Hopper, Cristina Escofet, Theofili Machairidi, Katerina Chanioti, Gavriil Papadiotis) Equipment L&L Luce&Light Smoothy 5.0 2700K and Bright 5.0 5000K (supplied by Lightworks)

Gathering around a camp fire, standing around an oil drum fire, or eating around candle light, we are all drawn towards light but over time the source of light has changed from fire, to incandescent, to halogen and now LED. Warm white focused artificial light can replicate feelings of intimacy, welcoming the viewer closer and calming uncertainty of what the dark may hide. Artificial light now brings our cities and spaces alive at night more creatively than ever before, fighting back the dark, and transforming our environment. In contrast, daylight has intensity far in excess of artificial light, and its full colour spectrum bathes our world in colour daily, inviting us to use its potential alongside the fantastic LED alternatives. Warm white Smoothy 5 fittings uplight the string trees, representing artificial lighting and creating an intimate mood lighting effect.

In contrast the installation sequences at varied rates and orders to more intense cold white Bright 5 fittings, representing daylight, and reflecting colour back up from the barrel lids below. The varied reflected colours are intended to illustrate how light is made up of spectral colour wavelengths, and how the world around us reflects these colours for us to see.

LUCENT / MICHAEL GRUBB STUDIO Working with Lucent Lighting, Michael Grubb Studio’s (MGS) concept stemmed from the idea of celebrating ‘more than the downlight’ with particular emphasis placed on integral lighting and a handcrafted construction process. The team CNC’d a pattern of scaling triangles that were cast out from the circular ‘Source’ in the centre of the installation. The Source was inspired by the definition of Lucent; glowing with or giving off light ‘the moon was lucent in the background’. MGS then used Artex to create a landscape texture which was side illuminated by the entire Lucent ProStrip Black range in it’s various formats. The team individually addressed the LEDs and created an animation, which tied together with a projection. Both teams from Michael Grubb Studio and Lucent worked as one to construct the light installation and wire the 112 triangles back to the DMX drivers. Both teams enjoyed exploring ideas and solutions and were proud to create something new and different.

“Finding a use for Artex was one of our proudest moments at Michael Grubb Studio!” commented Michael Grubb.

CREDITS Lighting design and concept Michael Grubb Studio (Michael Grubb, Greta Smetoniute, Stuart Alexander, Matt Waugh, Alberto Romero) Equipment Lucent ProStrip Black

darc night installations

ZUMTOBEL / ARUP

Pic: Arup

CREDITS Lighting design and concept Arup (Tim Hunt, Joni Foster, Lauren Blow, Signe Lindberg Iversen) Equipment Zumtobel Hilio, Aphrodite, Arcos Control Zumtobel (Colin Swinton)

Arup and Zumtobel were co-creators of Chromatic Fantastic, the lighting installation inside the Doodle Bar next door to TESTBED1. As a fully functioning bar, the team had very limited installation time, completing the installation in just six hours on the day of the awards! The concept for the installation was lava and naturally occurring movement of light, as well as looking at interior space and how light can accentuate and change an environment. The installation had moving projections on the back wall, drawing people in, and created a contrasting lit effect to the ceiling. On the ceiling, linear fittings were mounted aiming up from the top side of suspended timber blades, and created a strong colour wash. The way they were mounted upwards created a silhouette effect for any other objects on the ceiling, which added interest. The bar also had a large blackboard wall, which prompted people to ‘doodle’ on the wall.

The team used this wall to write and project poetry on the wall, by a local poet Tom Mansfield on the topic of light. This poetry was reflective of the title of the piece and lit effect of the installation. In terms of lighting equipment, Zumtobel’s Hilio, Aphrodite, and Arcos projectors showed off the space in the best possible way.

COOLEDGE / LIGHT BUREAU

CREDITS Lighting design and concept Light Bureau (Valeria Surrente, Joe Vose, Emilios Farrington-Arnas, Paloma Pulmed Martin) Equipment Cooledge Lighting LINE & SQUARE Controls & Technical Support Cooledge Lighting (Gianmarco Spiga)

The connection between music and food are many and varied, from quotes such as ‘if music be the food of love’. and, of course, great parties always have great food and great music. However we are told from an early age not to play with our food. The installation designed and built in partnership between Light Bureau and Cooledge Lighting, manufacturer of the industry’s first Flexible LED Light Sheet Technology.

Inspired by the piano and trying to create an interface where the guests could latterly play light as an instrument. The system was designed so that when visitors touched the fruits, they affected and essentially controlled the illumination of selected album covers. Because of the responsive nature of the installation, the lighting continually changed depending on each individual’s interaction with the lighting installation.

Light Bureau designed the installation and used Cooledge LINE and SQUARE light sheets as standalone decorative fixtures that could be easily suspended from the ceiling. Others hung from the TESTBED1 bar wall and a special illuminated countertop was created to house the wireless interactive lighting controls.

Throughout the evening, darc night attendees were able to control their environment, introduce light into the relationship between music and objects, and enjoy playing with their food.

www.darcawards.com

LUMINO / ELECTROLIGHT

Pic: Electrolight

Pic: Lumino

CREDITS

Darkness is the absence of light. That was the conceptual premise for Umbra and Penumbra - a two-part bespoke lighting installation created by Electrolight with Lumino for darc night.

Light is not just an optical perception; it’s a psychological influence on the human experience. We live in an environment that is ever-changing; every day we experience natural light and artificial light within the context of darkness.

Umbra and Penumbra represent opposing views from the same location above London at an elevation of 18km.

Umbra is a work that celebrates the natural light of a thousand twinkling stars in the dark infinity of space. The constellations that were visible from the awards venue - on the awards night - are represented. The work explores how the oldest light in the universe is visible only against the darkness and infinity of space.

Penumbra is a work which reflects a more personal relationship with light. The edges of our city, populous and animated; a work of art meticulously created by the human hand. In the absence of natural light we create our own tapestry of light as rich as the skies above.

Lighting design and concept Electrolight (Maria Rosaria Favoino, Christopher Knowlton, Jackson Stigwood) Equipment & Fabrication Lumino (Chris Small, Iaroslav Vychemirski, Jago Wickers)

REGGIANI / BDP

CREDITS Lighting design and concept BDP (Rhiannon West, Katja Nurminen and Katerina Konsta) Equipment Reggiani YORI Track and Spot, UNISIO, ROLL IOS

BDP’s Manchester based lighting team focused on the element of ‘fun and games’ when it came to designing their installation for darc night. With the area already playing host to a series of table tennis and foosball tables, the theme was extended so guests would be able to immerse themselves in much loved games and have some fun!

The heart of the space featured a pingpong ball installation suspended above the tables with RGB spots at high-level.

The installation extended across the width of the space connecting the tables together. A small seating area featured oversized playing cards, a hearts and diamonds window display and suspended pendants from high level. The pendants featured an array of transparent dangling hearts / diamonds, providing a subtle sparkle whilst also localising the lighting to the games on the tables below.

Childhood favourite board games featured Connect4 and a bespoke version of Guess Who - ‘A Lighting Designers Special’.

Continuing with the card theme, a joker silhouette was located towards the rear of the space featuring the BDP – Reggiani branding. Lastly, the floor featured a way-finding pac man game for guests to navigate around the space.

Thanks for a great darc night!

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DETAILS

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focal point MELISSA NEW YORK, USA Crystallized from SOFTlab, a New Yorkbased design group, has been created for Brazilian footwear designer Melissa’s New York store, Galeria Melissa. Inspired

by Melissa’s Winter 2015 collection, Star Walker, the structure comprises over 50 unique cells and over 400 pieces of custom cut aluminium. The pieces come together to form a three dimensional assembly cladded with dichroic acrylic; the aluminium structure changes colour and reflectivity as visitors move around it. The dichroic film causes interference in light depending on the veiwpoint, creating planes in a range of colours, like light passing through crystal.

By lighting the piece from within, the structures cast coloured light onto the store, using the white walls as a blank canvas. The installation acts as both a spectacular form and a giant lantern creating a landscape of colour, filling the store with an otherworldly atmosphere. www.softlabnyc.com Pic: Alan Tansey

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focal point HOTEL DE ROUGEMONT GSTAAD, SWISS ALPS The Hotel de Rougemont is surrounded by the vertical panoramas of The Swiss Alps. It is a complex of five chalets with stunning views of the mountains and is designed for a sophisticated and international clientele.

It has recently undergone a skilful renovation and interior refit by architects Claudia Sigismondi and Andrea Proto of Plusdesign, which sees light playing a fundamental role.

As such, the hotel features various creations

by Catellani & Smith of which this chandelier - hanging in the main hall area - is just one. www.plusdesign.ch Pic: Giovanna Frisardi

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Paris in Spring Design duo Zsofia Varnagy and husband Axel Schoenert of architectural agency Axel Schoenert architectes doused Paris-Gare de l'Est Hotel in a spot of spring, no matter what time of year.

Pics: Luc Boegly

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Pics: Luc Boegly

Hungarian interior designer Zsofia Varnagy and German architect Axel Schoenert of architectural agency Axel Schoenert architectes created their so-called ‘global interior concept’, the spring spirit, for its interior design scheme at the Paris-Gare de l’Est Hotel. Commissioned by the Paris Inn Group to refurbish the hotel, the pair created an interior in harmony with the architectural concept embodying spring’s energy and brightness, providing a moment of pure wellbeing all year round in the heart of Paris, France.

As specialists in hotel design, one of Axel Schoenert architectes’ goals was to enhance the previously dim lighting of the hotel.

As part of the spring spirit, every detail of design from the organic and vegetal shaped chairs to the bright pendant and floor lamps, reminds guests of the freshness and brilliance of spring, showcasing the colours specially chosen to embody this concept.

Entering through the hotel’s lobby, guests are greeted with several Soleil ceiling lights by Foscarini, used to embody spring’s energy. Small suns illuminate the hall, imLeft Foscarini's Soleil suspension lamps in the hotel lobby, with the decorative LED butterfly integrated into the reception desk. On This Page Urquiola's Tatou suspension lamps for Flos above each bedside table, with Wever & Ducré spotlights highlighting the headboard.

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Above Hotel restaurant featuring Fabbian's Lamas pendants Left Contardi's Cornelia pendants suspended above the bar.

mediately placing visitors into a welcoming and comfortable environment. The custom made reception desk has been designed with an integrated LED lighting feature.

The butterfly pattern symbolises spring and spreads out with finesse on the reception desk, with a backlight giving a fine and elegant appearance. This is a stylistic signature of Axel Schoenert architectes that can be found in many of their projects.

Moving up to the hotel’s bedrooms, Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola’s Tatou S1 suspension lamps from her Tatou collection for

Flos are suspended above the tables, while the bed head is enhanced using Wever & Ducré LEENS ceiling spotlights, highlighting the texture of the headboard. Lucera’s made to measure Bedlite reading lamps allow guests to read in a comfortable light.

Alongside the Tatou S1 ceiling pendants, Urquiola's Tatou F floor and Tatou T1 table lights are also used around the bedrooms.

Designed like a beehive, with colours and waves to embody spring, these additions provide further gentle yet bright illumination in the rooms. Lumina's Flo bedside

lamps appear on the desks underneath the TV for close-up illumination, while the ensuite bathrooms feature made to measure mirrors equipped with DMP's LED lights designed by Varnagy.

While enjoying a spot of spring at the Paris-Gare de l'Est Hotel, guests can venture down from their rooms to the hotel's restaurant for a light breakfast or an evening meal and a drink at the bar before venturing out into the Parisian capital. Italian designer Fabbian’s Ray collection illuminates the dining area above each table, emitting a

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Left Floor and suspension lamps from Patricia Urquiola's Tatou collection for Flos, with Lumina's Flo lamp featured on the desk under the TV. Above DMP's LED suspension lamp designed by Varnagy illuminates the bathroom.

cosy light for a gentle dining ambience. The bar’s lighting also generates a comfortable and intimate atmosphere, while keeping the overall spirit of spring, with Italian lighting designer Contardi’s Cornelia collection of ceiling lights above the counter.

As well as aesthetics, Axel Schoenert architectes had a number of requirements from the operator regarding the environment, and implemented several measures to save energy; LED lights are used throughout the hotel. In the rooms, all lighting fixtures are controlled with energy saver keycard switches, turning everything on when entering the room. Varnagy and Schoen-

ert worked together with the operators to adapt the lighting to meet the needs of all involved parties, with some lighting fixtures used to enhance design, such as the integrated LED butterfly on the reception desk. In the lobby and the corridors, separate lighting scenarios were created for day, evening and night to ensure no light is wasted and over-used.

In glowing luminosity, the Paris-Gare de l’Est Hotel houses a bright, optimistic interior, ensuring guests enjoy a warm, springlike stay no matter what time of year. www.as-architecture.com www.varnagy.com

PROJECT DETAILS Paris-Gare de l'Est Hotel Client: Paris Inn Group Interior Design: Axel Schoenert architectes and Zsofia Varnagy Lighting Suppliers: DMP, FLOS, Foscarini, Lucera, Lumina, Wever & Ducré

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Pics: Itay Sikolski

The Global Network Lighting design trio Studio Beam worked with Setter Architects to flaunt Facebook's entrepreneurial spirit through their eclectic and inspiring design of the Tel Aviv office in Israel.

Studio Beam’s lighting concept in conjunction with Israeli architectural firm Setter Architects' design, the new Facebook office complex in Tel Aviv, Israel, houses a youthful and vibrant working environment for the widely used social networking business. Studio Beam, comprised of design trio Oded Sapir, Oz Ohayon and Maayan Edwy, or the Beam-Team as the trio like to be called, keep an entrepreneurial dialogue synonymous with Facebook in the use of material, process and structure, ensuring their enticing designs stay at the forefront of innovation.

Spread over four floors at 3,300sq.m, the Tel Aviv Facebook office comprises open flowing spaces that provide the all-important creative and inspiring atmosphere, achieved through a combination of open and transparent office spaces designed with natural materials and coloured arabesques.

The prominent social atmosphere that defines Facebook is reflected in the huge industrial flavoured office space. The area combines workstations with fun, play, recreation and lounge areas, and at its heart, an open kitchen inviting office team interaction over a luxurious lunch break.

Studio Beam's collaboration with Setter Architects in designing lighting pendants for the project was characterised by

requested industrial iron, rustic flavoured lighting that blends with the wide-open space. The materials are contemporary and bold, reflecting the spirit of Facebook and encouraging the same attitude in its employees.

Studio Beam designed the Ocean Mariner lighting pendants, inspired by rough rusty fishing port lanterns, boats and deep fishing cages, illuminated by decorative LED bulbs, bringing into the office the winter sea breeze of the nearby old fishing marine port of Tel Aviv.

For the main spaces, Studio Beam designed the Tracking Tube pendant; elongated cylindrical T5 iron luminaires with a rustic finish. These hang from the tall ceiling by rustic iron chains, paving the roots from central socialising areas to the more colourful and intimate corners and offices. www.setter.co.il www.studio-beam.com

PROJECT DETAILS Facebook Office Client: Facebook Architectural Design: Setter Architects Lighting Design: Studio Beam Lighting Supplier: Studio Beam Right Tracking Tube pendants by Studio Beam in kitchen and entrance. Far Right Studio Beam's Ocean Mariner pendants in the open-plan office space.

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Exclusive Access

Martin Brudnizki brings the ‘Best of British’ into the 21st Century, reinventing The Ivy into a modern day luxurious dining establishment.

The Ivy has been a London icon for almost a century, first opening its doors to the public in 1917. Having started life as a tiny, unlicensed café in a narrow townhouse in Covent Garden, it took a decade before The Ivy became the most talked-about restaurant in

London. It was at this time that the decision was made to pull it down and rebuild it, featuring brand new kitchens in the basement and private rooms on the first floor.

The Ivy remained obstinately full and fashionable for decades, but was eventually sold

by Monsieur Abel to Wheelers, the famous British fish and seafood restaurant group in 1950. Following this, The Ivy changed hands quite a few times and by the late ‘80s, the once shining star of London had began to lose its lustre. Until 1990 that is, when ar-

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chitect MJ Long redesigned the restaurant’s interiors as part of a major transformation, alongside a number of notable British artists who were commissioned to create new artwork for the restaurant’s walls. The Ivy was to stay this way until spring this year,

when interior designer Martin Brudnizki and his team at Michael Brudnizki Design Studio were handed the task of propelling the restaurant into the 21st Century. With the original stained glass windows and a focus on the ‘Best of British’ guiding the design

&Objects pendants and wall lights feature throughout The Ivy, while decorative lighting ceiling fixtures from Urban Electric and Hector Finch add a touch of elegance to the restaurant.

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Circa Lighting and Denier & Hamlyn lamps adorn the central bar on the ground and first floor of The Ivy, while table lamps from Neoz and A Shade Above, provide intimate lighting for dinner guests.

process, it was decided the bar would work as a centre piece to open up the rest of the space. Historically The Ivy had ‘best’ tables, however Brudnizki and his team didn’t want that sense of hierarchy and so now every table is the ‘best’. While The Ivy is now accessible to everyone, it still retains that perfect blend of anticipation and exclusivity.

Born in Stockholm, Brudnizki founded his internationally acclaimed interior architecture and design studio in 2000, with offices in London and New York. Primarily known for designing restaurants, private clubs and hotels, over the last decade his studio’s designs have been instrumental in redefining modern hospitality. Commenting on what appealed about The Ivy as a project, he tells darc: “The Ivy is an iconic London restaurant and the quintessential West End establishment; whether you’re off to the theatre or soaking up the atmosphere of Soho, The Ivy holds a special place within everyone’s heart. Everyone has been to The Ivy or has a story about it, so when the opportunity to reimagine this historic space arose, we couldn’t say no.

“We have worked closely with Caprice Holdings over a number of years and so the decision to work together was the culmination of a natural progression. The brief was quite

simple; keep the feel and history of the old Ivy but bring it into the 21st Century.”

With this in mind, much of the new design pays homage to the old Ivy. As mentioned, the iconic harlequin stained glass windows remained and informed much of the colour palette in the restaurant; while the panelling was replaced with something slightly more contemporary and a focus on the ‘Best of British’ art now has a more suitable feel for 21st Century dining tastes.

Both the wall lights and impressive chandeliers featured in the space were designed by &Objects, a new product design studio founded by Brudnizki and long term friend and product designer Nicholas Jeanes. &Objects seeks to produce a range of pieces that marry functionality with aesthetics and so the design studio saw it fit that the new products be incorporated into the new Ivy. The fittings appear as though they’ve always been at The Ivy while retaining a contemporary sense of style.

While the decorative lighting elements are the main focus of the guests’ attention throughout the space, architectural lighting, which was implemented by lighting design practice MBLD, adds further to the overall ambience.

“Lighting is arguably the most important part of a restaurant interior, it sets the mood and dictates the diners’ experience,” says Brudnizki. “We wanted to create a seductive and glamorous ambience; the coffered ceiling is gently illuminated with bespoke antique brass as well as glass and mirrored chandeliers. On the tables, diners are able to chat over individual brass table lamps, complete with ruched silk shades. We wanted to hark back to The Ivy’s heyday and lighting was a crucial element to the success of the project.

“Much like the theatres nearby, The Ivy is made by its lighting,” concludes Brudnizki.

“We’ve managed to create a sophisticated glow within the space, which mirrors the characters that frequent The Ivy.” www.mbds.com www.mbld.co.uk

PROJECT DETAILS The Ivy, London, UK Client: Caprice Holdings Interior Design: Martin Brudnizki Design Studio Architectural Lighting Design: MBLD Lighting Suppliers: &Objects, Neoz, A Shade Above, Urban Electric, Hector Finch, Circa Lighting, Light Partners, Collier Webb, Anthony Stern Glass, Segula, Orluna, Lumino

Property: Rural Society Restaurant - Loews Chicago Hotel Designer: AVRO|KO Purchaser: Benjamin West www.alger-triton.com

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Sparkle and Fade Lolli e Memmoli dazzles guests at the A.Roma Lifestyle hotel and conference centre with a stunning chandelier sparkling in the lobby.

Located 20-minutes from Rome city centre in Valle dei Casali, the A.Roma Lifestyle hotel and conference centre, is a newly built luxury hotel of LDC Italian Hotels. With the interior design realised this year by the hotel operators general contractor Techbau, the project consisted of the hotel’s refurbishment and completion, including the selection of all furniture and decorative elements.

Offering panoramic views of the capital from the rooftop lounge and terrace, the hotel complex includes 276 rooms, a restaurant to seat 400, conference rooms as well as spa and well-being facilities. In accordance with LDC Italian Hotels’ ideas

of hospitality, the A.Roma hotel is also intended as an art gallery, with visitors can enjoy works by contemporary artists and antiques to celebrate the rich culture of the hotel’s surrounding area.

Each area of the hotel is identified by a combination of technical and decorative lighting elements, including Lolli e Memmoli’s Ugolino System circular bespoke chandelier. Designed specifically for its environment, the custom four-metre diameter chandelier features a clear and purple crystal pendant finish, installed in a circular space of a twelve-metre diameter. From the double level around it, mirrored windows multiply the view of the

chandelier, which guests can marvel at from the double level around it.

With a reputation for pampering guests with luxury and comfort, Lolli e Memmoli’s chandelier makes an extravagant statement of lavish style, reflecting A.Roma's celebration of Rome’s rich culture. www.techbau.it

PROJECT DETAILS A.Roma Client: LDC Italian Hotels Interior Design: Techbau Lighting Supplier: Lolli e Memmoli

INTERVIEW

Gotham Getaway At No.100 King Street, Manchester is Hotel Gotham. Housed in one of the city’s grandest listed buildings and the former premises of Midland Bank, it stands tall and proud amidst architectural nods to the Grecian and Baroque.

Drawing inspiration from its surroundings, Gotham aims to be nothing but unique. Speaking to interior designer Oliver Redfern, darc discovers how intrinsic the lighting is to the hotel’s design.

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INTERVIEW

Pics: Mark Leeming & Adrian Franklin

PROJECT DETAILS Hotel Gotham, Manchester, UK Client: Bespoke Hotels Interior Design: Oliver Redfern, Squid Inc Lighting Suppliers: R&S Robertson, Xicato

Since graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Interior Architecture, Oliver Redfern has amassed seventeen years of industry experience, a large part of which was spent with UK retailer Laura Ashley where he headed up the Commercial Design Service. Having worked on a varierty of commercial projects throughout the UK and Europe, including Alladale Lodge, a wilderness reserve in the Scottish Highlands, which featured on the BBC documentary The Real Monarch of the Glen in 2009 and ranked in Tatler’s Top 100 Places to Stay, Redfern went on to establish himself as an independent interior designer in 2006. www.oliverredfern.co.uk www.thesquid-inc.com

What was the brief for Gotham?

I was introduced to the project via Robin Sheppard, chairman of Bespoke Hotels, his brief was simple, create a fun, witty and a little bit of a naughty hotel inspired by the Art Deco period.

What appealed to you about the project?

The building was just so striking; towering up from street level with a quality and presence I associated to a New York skyscraper.

Having studied Edwin Lutyens at university and visited many a time his Castle Drogo project on Dartmoor, I felt that I had some understanding and experience I could draw upon.

What was the design concept?

For me, the initial challenge was to ensure the interior had the same wow factor as when you approached the building. This sense of drama was created with decadent finishes, muted palette and of course, clever use of lighting, all ensuring a moody nostalgia.

What role does lighting play in the design?

Whit and mood...

From the beginning it was clear that lighting was key to ensuring the building’s past was told, along with providing the guest with an almost fantasy experience, making them feel part of something special.

There is in-fact a story told within the

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Left Inverted umbrella pendants represent the arrival of the old banking staff on a wet Manchester morning. Above in the Brass bar bespoke antique leather briefcase pendants lined in a gold effect feature in the entrance. Right The lighting in the bedrooms and general public space continue to tell the story of the building and provide the guests with an almost fantasy experience.

lighting; the inverted umbrella pendants in the lobby represent the arrival of the old banking staff on a wet Manchester morning, while the sixth floor Honey restaurant lighting is all about the banking staff offices, with traditional green glass wall lamps and adjustable nickel spotlights. The journey ends in the private Brass bar on the seventh floor featuring bespoke antique leather briefcase pendants as you enter. These are lined in a gold effect and were originally meant to represent the office worker throwing off the shackles of a hard day and enjoying themselves. Although in hindsight, I wonder if it looks more like an opportune office worker has made good with a gold bar or two!

How does natural light add to the hotel?

From my very first site visit it was clear the huge windows would not only be a beautiful feature across all the floors but also afford the most wonderful light for guests in the bedrooms. This is the very opposite to the more moody experience of the public spaces and corridors.

What was the biggest challenge?

Plenty of midnight oil was burned while working on the five Inner Sanctum Suites at the core of the building. These were designed in the old light well and are meant to completely envelop the guest’s senses and overcome the lack of natural light. As guests enter a darkened suite they turn down a

corridor, which opens into the main space, helping to disorientate their senses before being presented by the ‘Wonderwall’ - a wall-to-wall screen designed to emulate the building windows, complete with a skyline film of Manchester projected onto it. Then just for a bit of Gotham’s own magic, the dummy window frame slides open by remote control to reveal a huge Plasma TV. Does the the final outcome reflect your initial design concept?

Difficult to answer, as I am sure I was still tweaking the design right up to the day Gotham opened, well in my mind anyway!

But I never felt there was a compromise and any changes made only enhanced the finish.

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Octopus' Garden Montréal-based creative design firm Jean de Lessard reinvents a walk on the bottom of the sea with the striking interior of Poissonnerie Némeau fish shop, on the south shore of Quebec City.

Inspired by Jules Verne’s adventure novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Montreal-based creative designer Jean de Lessard’s unique signature resonates through his recent Némeau project. With more than 25 years' experience and lead designer of his own firm, de Lessard has transformed a variety of interiors, each marked with his signature style of eclecticism, durability and functionality. Like his client, Poissonnerie Némeau, de Lessard took a fresh look at the traditional fish market through his own atypical lens. "I approached this project from the vintage viewpoint of Jules Verne, but through a time line between today and tomorrow. It's subtle, a little crazy, but fun!" he said.

Led by the breakdown of interpersonal relationships and physical boundaries to redefine the concept of interior space, the brand image of this 430sq.ft store located in Lévis, on the south shore of Québec City, is based on the same pioneering spirit. The fish market offers customers the chance to discover fish products in a new way by providing them with a unique promenade-shopping experience.

The concept of adding value to products through exploration is the main theme of a rather unusual design, which aims to be a journey of the senses around displays brimming with fresh products. "It facilitates interactions between staff and customers and adds a distinctive touch to the collective experience; shopping becomes enjoyable even in such a small space," commented de Lessard.

In this dynamic and minimalist space, the combination of horizontal and vertical lines and transparency brings to mind the

emptiness and fullness within the depths of the sea. The oblong-shaped, ethereal lighting, custom designed by Nemeau and manufactured by Lumen, appear as abstract vegetation suspended in space, balancing the denser shapes on the floor.

Ice-floe displays are randomly articulated around circulation axes, inviting gazes and a gourmand inspection of their content. These stylised cooling systems topped with asymmetric glass cases were custom designed to evoke jewellery boxes, holding the contents of the sea’s jewels. The sculptural glass ceiling, with a prismatic shape and tone illustrates its underwater magic, becoming a form representation of the refraction of natural light on water. In one fluid motion, the striking honeycomb ceiling becomes a sweeping tsunami of shelves. This is a simple, practical and ingenious way to maximise the store area surface. The white and grey ceramic tiling is reminiscent of the slats of hardwood of a boat’s deck, emphasising the nautical theme.

Through a delicate play of natural light, reflectivity and custom designed ethereal light pieces, de Lessard has created an otherworldly shopping experience. He uses light and colour to draw attention to the elegance, delicacy and magic of the nautical world and all its inhabitants, rendering the fish shop a pleasurable experience for all. www.delessard.com

PROJECT DETAILS Poissonnerie Némeau Client: Poissonnerie Némeau Interior Design: Jean de Lessard Lighting Design: Némeau Lighting Supplier: Lumen

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Pics: Francois LalibertĂŠ, Imagicom

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Port Side Z端rich-based architect Susanne Fritz has created a restaurant inspired by all things nautical on Lake Constance in Switzerland's lakeport town of Romanshorn.

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Pics: Pierre Kellenberger

An attractive urban space along the shoreline of Lake Constance, where the Swiss lakeport town Romanshorn and the SBS Swiss corporate shipping line meet, hosts the newly designed Hafen Restaurant.

Erected on a promenade built into the lake, Susanne Fritz’s firm, Virtual Design Unit based in Zürich, created an interior for the restaurant characterised by ships and the seafaring world, with a bright and breezy lighting scheme to match.

Following the recent rennovation of the SBS shipping line's port building and shipyard as historic landmarks, Fritz had a challenge in transforming what was a former storeroom into a restaurant, fully symbolic of nautical science while pertaining to the building's historic function. Project managed by Benno Gmür, a delegate of Virtual Design Unit’s administrative board and reorganiser of the company, the team maintained many of the structure's original features, while focusing on the potential of additional details to create an interior theme relating to the location's heritage.

Five portholes were inserted into the side-walls with diameters of up to 1.4m, envisaged to create transparency vis-à-vis the adjacent premises and optically enlarge the space, which is only around 150sq.m.

To link the ship theme with the directly adjoining offices belonging to SBS, both the ticket hall and access to offices leased to third parties on the upper floors were redesigned as well.

Restaurant guests are greeted by Karlskrona Lampfabriken's Heidenstam Bowl lamps in the immediate entrance, which opens up into the central dining and bar area, where Davey Lighting’s aluminium pendants are suspended above tables and Nattlampa oil lamps providing direct light on each table, also by Karlskrona Lampfabriken. Guests can help themselves to a buffet of seafood and other freshly prepared foods in the centre of the dining area, where Original BTC’s Ginger Bracket Wall lights feature on the central fish-printed pillar for additional illumination.

Although a large-scale kitchen to provide catering for the shipping trade was already in place at the rear of the building, a portion of the restaurant was sacrificed in favour of a satellite kitchen to keep routes short and workflows efficient. A curved ship’s prow adjoins the kitchen and acts as a bar counter and serving area to integrate the galley overlaid with steel bands and white painted metal sheeting. Protruding wooden ribs form an eye-catching design

Davey Lighting's aluminium pendants suspended above tables in dining areas. Each table hosts a Karlskrona Lampfabriken Nattlampa oil lamp.

Katerina Handlova's Shibari pendants suspended by rope.

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feature, visually obscuring the view of the ribbed ceiling; they merge into the rear wall of the restaurant, where trays and cabinets have been integrated.

An alcove with benches akin to those on the passenger boats that tour the lake offers porthole views of the underwater landscape on the opposite wall area.

This area features a bar-stool table for more casual dining, where Czech designer Katerina Handlova’s Shibari pendants are suspended via rope tied around the glass.

This lighting is based on the Japanese bondage technique called Shibari, wherein each part has its own binding that creates a kind of ornament.

The WCs are also in keeping with the nautical theme, with sparkling tiles ranging through the shades of the sea, enveloping

guests in an underwater world. The walls glisten under the illumination of Original BTC’s Pillar Light Narrow Polished Brass wall fixtures on either side of the mirrors.

All of the restaurant’s pendants are flexibly and adjustably mounted on track lighting systems to fit in with the varying seating arrangements throughout the seasons.

Inspired by its surroundings and history, Fritz created in Hafen, a seafaring spacious and light environment for diners to enjoy each other’s company and delicate dishes.

With an expansive view of Lake Constance and a nautical interior with details akin to those found on a ship, the restaurant is a truly unique dining experience lathered in the wonder of the underwater world. www.susannefritz.ch www.virtualdesignunit.com

Top Left Custom made lamps by Bolisch reach over the bar Top Right Original BTC's Pillar Light Narrow Polished Brass wall fixtures shimmer in WCs. Above Original BTC’s Ginger Bracket Wall Lights on central column in dining area, with Davey Lighting's Aluminium Pendants above tables.

PROJECT DETAILS Hafen Restaurant, Romanshorn, Switzerland Client: Hafen Restaurant Interior Design: Susanne Fritz, Virtual Design Unit Technical Lightplanning: Reflexion Lighting Suppliers: Davey Lighting, Original BTC, Katerina Handlova

BRITISH HANDMADE & BESPOKE LIGHTING +44 (0)330 223 3940 │ alchemist@thelightyard.com │ www.thelightyard.com EXHIBITING AT CLERKENWELL DESIGN WEEK 24th-26th MAY 2016

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Under One Roof Talented London chef Jon Lawson turns his home into the ultimate private dining experience.

Pics: Jake Fitzjones

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PROJECT DETAILS My Loft Kitchen Client: Jon Lawson Lighting Design: Rousseau Bespoke Design Lighting Suppliers: Mr Resistor & Rako, bespoke client fixtures

When world champion kickboxer Jon Lawson turned his hand to creating high quality cuisine, he learnt to perfect his craft under the watchful eye of Theo Randall of London's The Riverside Café. And when the time came to create My Loft Kitchen, an intimate, high quality dining experience and part time pop-up restaurant in his private east London warehouse apartment, he looked to the talent of Ben Rousseau and his team at Rousseau Bespoke Design.

Working alongside Lawson’s architect partner Valeria, together, the threesome discussed how they could make the most of the industrial space while celebrating its features. The apartment had to function as an entertaining home with a beautiful ambience, as well as a pop-up restaurant that celebrates the cooking and dining experience; as such, a very specific lighting design solution was required.

The space was split into four zones; the preparation area with clear task lighting for diners to view the chef's skilful work; the dining zone; the DJ area; and a personal lounge space. These areas work individually and together to create a wholesome dinner party experience.

For Rousseau, the high vaulted ceiling with its industrial steel girders running across, dictated the initial design concept.

“By the nature of how the customer wanted to use the space, it made sense to create two six-metre-long custom fabricated aluminium joists that we could suspend

from the ceiling via fine steel cable and mount four pairs of directional twin 3,000K uplights,” Rousseau tells darc. “This allowed us to show off certain feature areas and reflect a warmth off the timber ceiling cladding in order to make the space feel very cosy and intimate, celebrating the industrial architecture of the space. It also allowed us to hide all of the digital control units and dimming modules from Rako for the AR11 multi-directional spot lights.”

For the different zones, three pairs of industrial pendants provided by the client were tidied up and rewired by Rousseau, with E27 lamp fittings and large LED squirrel globe lamps with a sand blasted glass shade.

As the client already had galvanised steel conduit feeding certain light fittings, Rousseau and his team added a few more runs in discrete locations to feed the new light features. Up / down LED wall lights were positioned to add interest on the walls, below a cooler white LED strip light creating a halo effect on the timber joists running close to each wall. As the warmth from the brick and timber structures needed to be highlighted, Rousseau used different temperature lighting to add dimension and detail.

“We hid the light source behind a timber joist that ran along the very top of the wall as I usually like to conceal the source,” Rousseau tells darc. “In between the windows is a DJ booth, to which we also added detail by using two up / down lights

in the same 3,000K range with a wide beam below and a focused beam going upwards, to frame the wall around, and above the DJ booth.

“Each of these items were set at good levels in the Rako control system so that the customer has very flexible pre-sets for the different functions of the zones, both collectively and as individual areas.”

As it should do, the lighting in the loft kitchen makes the space come alive, celebrating the features and providing flexibility that enhances the user’s experience. “The new baulthaup kitchen now sits among a collective of good design, function and desirability,” says Rousseau.

“With good lighting, the clever trick is making it work without anyone really noticing.

“From the beginning, the ideas were really focused and then executed really well with the help of my electricians at Harpenden Electrical, who were brilliant and efficient as usual.”

Reflecting on the project, for Rousseau, this was a job well done and while accessing the building with the huge customised joists was a challenge, there isn’t a thing he would change. “I think it works really well, the customer is very happy and I think it delivers everything I expected it to,” he says. “It is a huge leap from the static, gloomy fittings that were there originally.” www.facebook.com/myloftkitchen www.rousseau.co.uk

SPECIFY THE RIGHT ONE FROM THE BEST.

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PROFILE

Watch and Learn Arturo Álvarez has from a young age been an advocate of observation and experimentation. From scattered beginnings to ethereal compositions, Alvarez is now an internationally renowned designer with his own brand as well as independent works recnogisable for their otherworldly qualities and stylistic innovation.

Pic: Xoan Piñón

Born in the countryside of Galicia, northwest Spain, designer Arturo Álvarez moulded his career from the beauty of the Atlantic forest, the extraordinary sea and surrounding mountain ranges. He was an observant child, an autodidactic learner from the start, making his own toys and experimenting with any object that fell into his hands.

Having first been introduced to the mechanics of lighting while working at a furniture factory in the field of electric maintenance and assembly, his pull towards lighting design began with a curious exploration of the Tiffany technique, based on American artist Louis Comfort Tiffany’s work with stained glass and lamp design.

“Working in lighting happened by chance.

I consider it a way of expression like any other. I could have chosen to make jewellery, furniture or clothes… I’m attracted to lamps because of their light; they shine.” said Álvarez. His career blossomed with time and through the public’s positive reception of his work. Álvarez is now the lead designer of his own design brand, arturo alvarez,

comprised of himself and other designers.

Together they have created a laboratory of ideas, combining ingenuity, innovation and technical experimentation with the philosophical ideals of the company’s ethos.

From tactile beginnings, Álvarez has developed an ethereal and organic style, while maintaining that his products must be able to adapt to any kind of project in a harmonious way, adding value to and highlighting a project as a whole. With his signature style, Álvarez pays no attention to trends, finding them “restrictive and frivolous”. In his work, he combines functionality with beauty through the varying textures and transparencies of form and material. He absorbs and exudes a professionalism that searches for different paths and explore new languages of expression through experimentation, consequentially.

This signature style can be seen throughout his projects, a more recent and notable one having taken place in Porto, Portugal at the InSpiritum music festival. A piano and violin concert resounded through a magnificent historic building in which arturo alvarez’s

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Pic: Héctor Santos-Díez

Pic: Andrés Fraga

Pic: Xoán Piñon

lamps harmoniously blended with the surroundings and musicians. Álvarez’s work has also been displayed as visual art as part of a collective exhibition in a contemporary art museum alongside other artists.

All the accumulated experiences of his life have influenced his career to shape his work into what it is today. “The landscapes, my travels, the people I meet, animals, the marvellous textures of nature… My home and studio are full of branches, seeds, leaves, shells and stones,” he said.

Inspired by all things natural, Álvarez most admires Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí, commenting: “I’m impressed by his experimentation in different trades and how he integrated a variety of techniques in architecture.”

In his own work, Álvarez pertains to

Pic: Héctor Santos-Díez

the same ideals stemming from natural inspiration to experiment with unlimited creativity and lack of boundaries. “That for me is very important and sets an example to follow.”

Looking ahead, Álvarez aims to evolve as a creator, making pieces that transcend the utilitarian in order to create other relationships with the public, to open other dialogues and paths of reflection. Referring to pieces such as the Encontros illuminated figures, or the use of shadow in Conversas, “I see myself going deeper into this field in years to come,” commented Álvarez.

As part of this development, a recent project saw him patent his own material, SIMETECH, a handmade material composed of a stainless steel mesh with a silicone covering application. Álvarez continues

to explore textures and delve into new materials, “an aspect of my work I truly enjoy.” Seeing infinite possibilities in all his projects, Álvarez thrives off unpredictable exploration and expression of light. “I will go on working, researching and exploring, just like when I was a child.” www.arturo-alvarez.com

Top Left Caos collection lamps in “dezanove house” by architect Iñaki Leite. Poboa do Caramiñal, Spain. Top Right Encontros, consisting of antrhopomorphic figures that glow internally with LED illumination. Above Left Conversas. Exhibition “Ef facta est lux”. MAC. Gas Natural Fenosa Museum. A Coruña, Spain. November, 2014. Above Right Arc, table lamp, in the remodeling of the restaurant at the mines of San Finx designed by 2es+ architects. Lousame, Spain.

International Interior Design Exhibition Zurich-Oerlikon 18th to 22nd November 2015 ABB event hall 550 www.neueraeume.ch

Media Partner

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Rack to the Future On a mission to modernise the traditional Chinese noodle restaurant, Lukstudio has combined tradition and originality to create a contemporary design for the interior and exterior of Changsha’s The Noodle Rack, including its bespoke centrepiece and namesake.

Noodle soup is a common street food all over China. While most of these noodle eateries spend tremendous effort to win customers over with taste, some have started to add attractive store design to their branding recipe. A good example is LongXiaoBao, a newcomer which set foot in Changsha with an ambition to spread the local ShaoYang style rice noodle to the rest of China. Commissioned to conceive a contemporary identity for its first restaurant, Lukstudio integrated the tradition of noodle making into the spatial design by reinterpreting a noodle rack.

Nestled along an outdoor shopping promenade nearby the Xiangjiang River, the 50sqm noodle restaurant exudes a calm yet mysterious presence with its bamboo-cast concrete storefront. Two rustic steel boxes penetrate through the solemn exterior: the taller one cladded with rusted steel panels and its shorter neighbour built like a metal scaffold. These three elements together orchestrate a journey of discovery, illuminated by Tons exterior strip lights and ODL003P in-ground luminaires.

Walking past the entry box, customers are greeted by a composed counter design lined with the bamboo mold used for casting the exteriors.

Continuining on towards the halo surrounding the grid structure, the interior layers start to reveal themselves. Firstly, the original wall has been stripped down to its structural blocks to resonate with the rustic metal grid; secondly, wooden boxes have been carefully placed within the rack to showcase selected porcelains, illuminated

by Tons DA-501AD display case luminaires.

Finally, a series of metal wires are draped across the dining room to create the focal lighting feature created by 85 custom-made pendants. Included in each luminaire’s design, the bespoke metal casing was made to hide the upper plastic part of the LED dimmable lamps. These lamps were ordered directly from the factory by the contractor according to the specifications in size, wattage (7W), and 2,700K colour temper-

Pics: C

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Pics: Courtesy of Peter Dixie for LOTAN Architectural Photography

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Above The restaurant’s bamboo-cast concrete storefront is washed with a warm glow by Tons exterior LED strip lights and ODL-003P in-ground luminaires. Left Morning bamboo table lamps from Sozen provide a gentle contrast with the interior’s rustic concrete walls.

ature. Balancing the rustic interiors, these reflective strands create a poetic notion of dining under a noodle rack.

Additional decorative elements include jiu wall lamps from Bentu, used to create atmosphere at the restaurant’s counter and Morning bamboo table lamps from Sozen, providing warmth in the concrete space.

Playing with the duality between rustic and refined, eastern tradition and western representation, Lukstudio has introduced a crossover between fast food chain and upscale diner. The Noodle Rack differentiates itself from the stigma of kitsch fast food ‘hole in the wall’ available on every street of China. It demonstrates how Chinese eateries have the potential to be reborn into hip gathering spots comparable to the new trend of cafés. www.lukstudiodesign.com

PROJECT DETAILS The Noodle Rack, Changsha, China Client: LongXiaoBao Architects: Lukstudio Design Team: Christina Luk, Alba Beroiz Blazquez, Cai Jin Hong, Pao Yee Lim Lighting Suppliers: Tons, Bentu, Sozen

PROFILE

Shades of Sensuality Designers have a message they work to expose. They don’t do what they do for nothing. Whether they aim to access a certain space, be it physical or theoretical, designers create with a purpose that their products exude.

So what is it? What do they want to say beneath material? In the case of Moroccan feminist and lighting designer Hind Rabii, it is some delicate core between technology and sensuality that coats the shades of her designs.

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As a girl, a woman, an engineer, Hind Rabii has found herself in the world of design discovering solutions to lighting problems.

With a focus on soft lighting, she translates her gender and Moroccan heritage into a distinctive brand defined by a timeless amalgamation of culture and femininity.

Born in Rabat, Morocco, Rabii moved to Belgium to study engineering, where she felt she was at a crossroads with the many ancestral cultures and struggles of the world. “This prohibited me to be indifferent,” she tells darc, “so it has become critical for me to position myself within the feminist debate and on the topic of social justice.” Rabii felt the need to provide answers that would satisfy both herself and her customers, leading her to the conclusion that function generates form; this is now the basis of her brand, practice and technique.

Rabii’s lifelong love affair with the way light filters through fabric has been a continuous source of inspiration to her, leading to what she terms “the technical transcription of the lyricism” of her life as a young girl and as a woman. This approach has led to her exhibiting collections such as Belle D’I (pictured) at events such as Euroluce, marking a new stage in her career as she continues to march ahead with the development of the Hind Rabii brand.

As a self-aware, independent woman, Rabii is conscious of the role that she can and will play within contemporary society.

Between technology and authenticity, her collections testify to an inexhaustible desire of creation to achieve the essential: emotion. To illustrate the importance these attributes hold in her heart, and their relevance in contemporary society, she presents her emotion and practicality in design through elegant and sober lines that create a signature of their own. www.hindrabii.net

Pics: Nicholas Schimp

Belle D’I To exemplify her sensual and intelligent design ethos, the Belle D’I collection has been created in collaboration with designer Luc Vincent, who also finds inspiration in iconic timeless shapes from both Morocco and Europe. “By changing the proportion of the lights, it not only helps you focus on the aesthetics but also to achieve quality lighting,” comments Rabii.

The Belle D’I collection is a harmonious combination of glass, textiles, aluminum,

colours and materials, and was also the beginning of a large and varied range that has gone a long way in defining the brand’s aesthetic. “My collaboration with Luc Vincent has encouraged me towards this direction,” says Rabii. “Together we analyse my aspiration for the brand as well as designing the catalogues and the brand’s website.”

Rabii and Vincent have created a graceful design in glass with a timeless air of

Moroccan culture and heritage. “The sensual hips of this model make it quite unique,” described Rabii, with the basic shape defining its prioritisation of use and material. Available in two sizes, there are four Belle D’I collections for 2015; Belle D’I, Belle D’I Chic, Belle D’I Tech and Belle D’I Pleated. Each of these collections exhibit the technicality and intelligent feminism that is integral to the Hind Rabii brand.

IN FOCUS

Reduce, Reuse, Reflect ESI Design's The Beacon begs a moment of enironmental reflection in an ecocentric embodiment of PNC Financial Services Group's Tower building at PNC Plaza, Pittsburgh.

Created by design firm ESI Design for the PNC Financial Services Group, the Beacon is a data-driven media installation located in The Tower at PNC Plaza, Pittsburgh, US. The installation pulsates with shifting light, colour and sound patterns, expressing environmental concerns in its motions that allude to energy and water consumption, water recycling, use of artificial light and

other environmental building indicators.

The Beacon is a 24ft high installation suspended from a central ring on the atrium ceiling comprised of 1,584 transparent liquid crystal polycarbonate panels backed with a grid of eight LED lights. Drawing on real-time data from the building systems, the installation expresses in real time how the building uses fresh air and sunlight

to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels to create a comfortable and healthy work environment. Creating a striking and unique media canvas, the installation also shows how the building is recycling water and how much of The Tower’s waste is being diverted from landfill.

As specialists in experience design, to encourage the public’s engagement with

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The Beacon, ESI Design created a website accessible on any digital device located in The Tower lobby. Visitors to the site can explore the meaning behind The Beacon’s light and sound displays, as well as more about the building’s state-of-the-art technology and design.

According to Vice President of Creative Strategy for ESI Design, Gideon D’Arcangelo, The Beacon sets a new model for how green buildings can engage and educate the public about sustainable design, green technologies and the role that tenants and visitors can play in water and energy conservation, recycling and composting.

“Our goal in designing The Beacon was to transform the way people experience the building and communicate the invisible things the building does, behind the scenes, to maximise resources,” said D’Arcangelo.

“The Beacon is a dynamic, data-driven media installation that is intriguing and beautiful to look at and hear. It also rewards the curious, by explaining itself and encouraging people to dig deeper to learn how the building works and how it is performing at any given moment.”

ESI Design deployed the same design philosophy it uses in producing engaging experiences for retailers, cultural institutions, museums and other public spaces under the leadership of interactive pioneer Ed Schlossberg. ESI drew upon the team’s experience and design expertise in a variety of specialised disciplines, including interactive, visual, and website design.

This empowering installation is more than just a structure to admire for its aesthetics.

It serves a thought provoking and imperative function in its service to reflect what The Tower itself aims to achieve for environment. Undoubtedly, it will be admired for both its inner and outer beauty. www.esidesign.com Pics: Andy Ryan

PROJECT DETAILS The Beacon, The Tower, PNC Plaza Client: PNC Financial Services Group Installation Design: ESI Design

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Shibui Danish lighting brand Watt a Lamp is new to the world of decorative lighting, having showcased its collection at Maison et Objet Paris in September, featuring a selection of products from Danish designers Rikke Hagen and Andreas Lund.

Each carrying with them influences of Japanese-inspired Danish modernism, Hagen and Lund’s own designs and externally selected works for Watt a Lamp convey an unobtrusive beauty, where simplicity delicately ensures timeless and intriguing design.

With Scandinavian style trending at the forefront of current design, new lighting brand Watt a Lamp, for which Danish designers Rikke Hagen and Andreas Lund have created the Adjustable and Mould pendants, caught darc’s attention at Maison et Objet in September. With a memorable pun for a brand name representing their clean and playful designs, brand founder Michael Waltersdorf selected Hagen and Lund as curators to nominate a team of designers, including themselves, and to ensure the coherence of the first Watt a Lamp collection.

Discussing the duo’s work with Waltersdorf, Lund commented: “The collaboration with Watt a Lamp has been very close, with Rikke and I picked out to be consultants in developing the brand. It has been a great pleasure to work with Waltersdorf, who has been willing to challenge the market of lifestyle lighting – only through open minded playfulness throughout the entire creative process can one stand as unique.”

Establishing a position in the international design scene with a new lamp brand is not something that happens overnight, and often does not involve designers in shaping the brand until a late stage in the development process. Hagen discussed how their involvement with Watt a Lamp so far has differed: “Our role has been to define the basic parameters and tools for the design process between Watt a Lamp and the designers that we selected for this first collection.” Having been involved from the very beginning, there is a certain tenderness; a conversation between clean lines and gentle curvature that is evident in Hagen and Lund’s individual work and also emanates throughout the entirety of the Watt a Lamp brand.

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This modernist, simplistic style has been instilled in each of the designers from a young age, having both spent their childhoods surrounded by definitive pieces in design.

Hagen’s childhood was lit by Panton’s Globe lights installed on hessian-covered walls, as an Anglepoise lamp with its flexible and functional arm shed light on her father’s worktable. In the quiet residential neighbourhood in Denmark where she grew up, houses were based on Japanese-inspired Danish modernism with daylight pouring in through large windows and wood cladding as the new black, accounting for the minimalist lines seen across the selected designers’ works for the Watt a Lamp collection.

Having been exposed to the simplicity of Japanese design from an early age, these features are also apparent in other areas of Hagen’s career. After making a start in the world of fashion and textile, she moved towards industrial design based on her fascination with the technicalities of glass design, notably that of Danish glass designer Michael Bang. Shortly after graduating from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, School of Design, Hagen established a glass workshop with an emphasis on craftsmanship and form. Concurrent with this, her industrial design career began to take off; in 2004, she founded the design studio copen hagen, from which launched HAGEN ETC., her own brand combining design strategy, idea development, product development and production.

One of the first pieces under which Hagen’s passion for lighting design flourished was the Steam table lamp. Designed for Danish glass factory Holmegaard in 2008, the main feature of Steam is a bold turquoise cable snaking its way out from inside the lamp’s translucent lower half. Hagen commented on what it is about lighting specifically that appeals to her: “To me, a lamp is especially successful when the technical and functional aspects are implicitly present in the lamp. When you are not in any doubt about how to operate it; when the aesthetic design qualities are prominent elements that shape the mood in the room, and the functional aspects follow naturally.”

Hagen now works on her own designs under HAGEN ETC., while continuing to work on product development for Holmegaard and other Danish brands such as Normann Copenhagen. Wanting to design products that speak to the senses, she has several new product designs in the pipeline, including

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one for Georg Jensen due to launch next year.

Similarly, Lund was surrounded by a varied profusion of creativity from an early age.

Growing up in a family of architects, artists and craftsmen, he played as a child with wooden blocks from his father’s workshop, focusing on balancing constructions, which sought innovative solutions driven by a childish curiosity, an approach he has carried through to his designs in adulthood. After a carpentry apprenticeship, Lund received a scholarship to study traditional Japanese craftsmanship in Kyoto, Japan, “which ever since has been a great inspiration and leading path.” Highlighting the natural bond between the two artists, this Japanese-inspired Danish modernism stands at the core of Watt a Lamp, and resonates amongst the designers chosen by Hagen and Lund for the brand’s debut collection.

In addition to his collaborative work with

Hagen, Lund independently designed the Play pendant for Watt a Lamp, based on the familiar analogue board game Ludo, and has also worked with Danish designer Jacob Rudbeck to create the Bell ceiling pendant for Normann Copenhagen, as well as pieces for premium modern living store Illums Bolighus.

“The pendant is spectacular as a hanging sculpture,” Lund said of his partiality to the lamp form. “In working with a pendant, you also have the chance to make an iconic, graphic-like sign, hanging perfectly at eye level.” Lund’s attraction to lighting design lies in its unification of constructive sculpturing and functional needs in an everyday object. “Lamps are neither furniture nor objects; the human body does not relate to lamps like it does to furniture, but light creates a space, which in a very basic way, affects our body and behaviour.”

With a material preference towards steel and aluminium in lighting design, Hagen and

Lund aim to make their designs affordable for ordinary people, with porcelain also capturing their attention for its “tactile quality”. Hagen and Lund’s main focus when designing pendants is to combine playfulness and graphic qualities that people need in modern homes. The lighting in a room is crucial for the way people use the space, how they move in it, and what sort of mood they perceive. “These are all elements that need to be considered in the design process for a new lamp,” commented Hagen. The pair maintain a focus on modern living, pertaining to the notion of simplicity and cleanliness that they have each been exposed to throughout their design careers and beyond.

As a result, Watt a Lamp is characterised in the same modernist light, irrefutably begging users to exclaim “wow, what a lamp!” at the first simple and satisfied use. www.wattalamp.com Pics: Anne Mie Dreves

ON SHOW

Pic: Axo Light

Visibly Invisible Partner of the Within Light / Inside Glass exhibition in Lisbon, Portugal, Axo Light collaborates with Amsterdam-based artist Richard Meitner and Vicarte ceramic research unit over the course of the exhibition.

Axo Light and Amsterdam-based artist Richard Meitner created the Spores sculpture lamp (pictured) for the Within Light / Inside Glass exhibition, exploring the relationship between light and glass with the support of Lisbon glass and ceramic research unit Vicarte. Held in two stages, the first leg of the exhibition took place in Venice, Italy at the Istuto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti from February to April. The exhibition and evolution of works are now displayed at the Galeria Millennium in Lisbon, Portugal until January 2016.

With light as opposed to darkness as a source of consciousness, glass works as a light-like material that can create shapes with reflections and refractions. Promoted

by Vicarte and curated by exhibition manager Francesca Giubilei, Within Light / Inside Glass presents the works of fifteen international artists who explore the mutual influences between the two materials. Using multiple types and technologies of light, glass and various applied arts, the artists bring the spaces of Galeria Millennium to life with experiments that use light to place the visible and invisible properties of light

and glass in contact.

The collaboration between Axo Light, Vicarte and Meitner developed over the course of these two exhibitions, with the artist creating seven prototypes of luminous sculptures, bringing together the technologies and processes connected to the industrial design of Axo Light and the experience and research of Vicarte in the use and processing of glass.

Meitner developed a prototype that has the ability to inhabit both the worlds of art and design that can remain as a unique and unrepeatable experiment, while also being subject to serial reproduction by those in the lighting industry. Each element of blown glass, made without the use of a mould, is a unique and irreplicable element that serves as an intersection between art, science and industry, while offering the additional functionality of a table lamp.

As is often the case, art and design are mutually influenced, and come together in an enchanted space that Axo Light continuously aims to build and develop. www.richardmeitner.com www.axolight.it

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“Natural light exists in so many beautiful ways. I don’t believe you can ever imitate light in this way and we should consider ourselves very lucky if we are able to capture one of these beautiful moments.”

Michael Anastassiades

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LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL SPECIAL REPORT

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String Lights - Pic: Giuseppe Brancato

This year’s London Design Festival saw the Atrium showroom open its doors to the international design community for the launch of a new FLOS collection, including lighting pieces from renowned designers Michael Anastassiades, Jasper Morrison and Piero Lissoni. In this exclusive interview with Michael Anastassiades, darc discovers a man that is humble in both his approach and achievements, finds inspiration from the arts world and is very much “enjoying the moment.”

With no one in his family involved in design, as a child, there was little opportunity for Anastassiades to be creative. Growing up in his father’s home country of Cyprus, having moved from Central Africa when he was five-years-old, it was here that he went to school and later completed military service; once old enough, he embarked on a journey to the UK that would see his career in design begin to take shape.

With no previous encouragement to pursue a career in design, Anastassiades began his life in the UK with a civil engineering degree at London’s Imperial College. “This seemed

appropriate at the time,” he tells darc, “but half way through the course I discovered the Royal College and it was a completely different world to me.” Having been inspired by what he had seen, Anastassiades set himself a personal goal that after graduating at the Imperial College he would pursue a Masters at the Royal College, “this is where I really became exposed to a design education.”

Anastassiades really wanted to get involved with something creative at this time, having felt frustrated for a long time by the lack of opportunity. “This exposure to the creative world was overwhelming. It didn’t matter

to me at the time what I was doing and so a general design course seemed like a balanced option. It was more of a natural progression from what I had done before, for me it was more about the exposure to that world rather than the details.”

Reflecting on some of his earliest designs, Anastassiades tells darc how he felt everyone around him had been in the design world for so much longer than him, completing bachelor degrees in design and so on.

“It really was my first opportunity to learn about design and there were some great ideas out at the time. My degree project

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Copycat - Pic: Germano Borrelli

‘Message Cups’ was interesting and I actually developed it into a limited edition piece.”

It was the early ‘90s, well before the widespread use of mobile phones and SMS communication and ‘Message Cups’ was a product designed for communicating in the domestic environment. “I was very interested in the role of electronics and how these affected our lives, the cups were used for the exchange of messages and obviously at the time, it was a very experimental project.”

Anastassiades’ designs have naturally moved on since these early days, including everything from chairs, to mirrors, tables and of course lighting among many other product ranges. But what is it that keeps him inspired? How does he continue to reinvent himself?

“I wouldn’t say that I ever had a role model I aspired to,” he says, “it was more that I was inspired by anyone that had something different to say. While I value the work of

a lot of designers, I relate to the work of artists much more, as I find it so free and interesting.

“The creative process is an interesting one and I have been able to create a platform that is free in terms of creating products, but I also think great designs can come from a place of discomfort and restriction.

“Sometimes when finances are tight (and back then things were) it makes you creative in a different way – not necessarily better or worse, just different – the results are equally interesting. I feel lucky to now be in the position where I’m free to produce and create in the way that I do.

And through his collaboration with FLOS Anastassiades has learnt what it is to work with light; designing beyond the structural qualities of the object and looking at what happens when you turn the light on and off.

“It has to work in two very interesting scenarios. When you turn a light on what happens is something completely different and

you have to work to the perception of what you’re seeing is different. The light, the actual space that it occupies changes; the shadows its casts; how you move and how it relates to the space, all of these things are kind of powerful and there’s something quite magical about them – this is what attracted me to light.”

Lighting does not come without its challenges though and for Anastassiades it is necessary to distance himself from technology in order to design.

“You need to see the object from the poetry it has to offer and as soon as you don’t restrict yourself by technology I believe you can produce something great.

“I get frustrated by some of the developments in lighting technology. Lamps that have been discontinued to make way for LEDs; certain discontinued light sources were really beautiful and poetic in terms of their qualities. It had to happen of course, but the rate at which it has happened, has

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IC Lights - Pic: Giuseppe Brancato

resulted in such drastic development of lighting technology that at times I feel frustrated, because it’s difficult to find the right light source for the designs.”

Anastassiades first met FLOS CEO Piero Gandini in 2011 during Milan Design Week - also the first time he had taken part in Euroluce, presenting his designs. Anastassiades was working on the String light design independently at this time and it was from here that the pair decided to collaborate…

The rest is history, as they say! “It was one of those unexpected moments, there was no intention from either of us to pursue a collaboration in that direction, it just happened – the timing was right. I was also operating from a place of freedom in that I had my own company and could easily produce my own designs but I was interested in working with a bigger company that could realise certain ideas in a different way.”

Three new designs from Anastassiades were presented during London Design Festival: Captain Flint, a multipurpose, free-standing luminaire – the head of the fixture rotates through the vertical axis around the stem, allowing for ambient uplighting or a directional light source for reading. The notion of balance is prominent in this fixture, with the cone shade resting delicately on the stem; Copycat follows on from the success of the IC Light family, drawing further inspiration from the spherical shape. It is a sophisticated, simple piece, ideal for very different interiors and décors; a table lamp providing diffused light, it is made of two touching spheres that hold each other up in a delicate and poetic balance; Extra represents the purest form of elegance and is available in gold, brass, dark steel and polished aluminium to create mystery and depth in any interior.

IC Lights - Pic: Giuseppe Brancato

“I would never consider working with anyone else in lighting,” Anastassiades tells darc.

“Once you have a platform and freedom to create it’s superb to be able to operate in this way.”

Looking ahead for Anastassiades, while he doesn’t have aspirations to change the world or design a spacecraft, he is very much enjoying the moment and where he’s at right now. With some great collaborations and companies to work with, he comments: “I feel very lucky and excited to have the opportunities I do. Light exists in so many beautiful ways in nature, it’s something that’s always existed, even before humanity.

I don’t think in artificial lighting you can ever imitate this beauty and we should consider ourselves very lucky if we are able to capture one of these beautiful moments.” www.michaelanastassiades.com www.flos.com

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Marble Spindles Design studio Feix & Merlin Architects celebrated the launch of its Marble pendant collection with a buzzing party during this year’s London Design Festival.

London based design studio Feix & Merlin Architects hosted a special preview evening at London Design Festival to celebrate the launch of its F&M Marble pendant family.

The young brand, co-founded by Julia Feix and Tarek Merlin in 2006, has always been interested in what has gone before, with its aesthetic seeking to echo tradition and craftsmanship whilst looking forward towards innovative design. With a boutique design studio in London and an office in São Paulo, the pair have worked on a variety of projects around the world from educational

and artistic institutions to progressive lighting collections.

Remaining distinctly contemporary yet familiar, the F&M Marble pendant family is handmade in Italy by marble specialists, who carefully crafted Calacatta marble to create a gentle translucent glow. Offcuts of this process are recycled and re-used to create other smaller objects, minimising material waste in production. The pendants come in three profiles all inspired by the forms of traditional English spindles – the Dorchester, Wentworth and Charlotte.

Pics: Edward Bishop

F&M also have a glass pendant collection in the same three profiles as the new marble collection, available in four finishes; Dorchester in clear glass with a ribbed finish, Wentworth in a smoky grey glass, Charlotte in clear glass with a diamond finish and in a simple clear glass.

The F&M Marble pendants were on show for the entirety of LDF, with a special preview evening held to officially launch the collection at Glassworks women’s clothing store in Shoreditch, London. www.feixandmerlin.com

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LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL SPECIAL REPORT

Decorex Synonymous with luxury, Decorex Interational showcases collections from 400 hand-selected exhibitors in the thriving world of design. With a rich heritage of 38 years, this year’s show in September saw visitors discover an edited selection of renowned names in British craft, encouraging them to delve into and be inspired by a world of craft juxtaposed with working features using traditional

crafting methods.

The Future of Luxury theme was well represented in bold statements and previously unseen creations from all who showcased their collections. With promises to evolve even further in subsequent years, take a look at darc’s selection of what this year had to offer within the decorative lighting products section. www.decorex.com

Atomic DelightFULL A contemporary descendant of retro sphere lighting, Atomic suspension lamp is an interpretation of the atomic age design. A set of glossy black and gold plated round shades are aligned by an asymmetric composition to enhance non-conventional molecular forms.

Inspired by a 50’s legacy, each shade evokes a petrifying effect, suitable to a modern living room or lobby. www.delightfull.eu

Core Terzani Core, designed by Christian Lava, is reminiscent of the natural energy at the heart of our world. Like bright lava seeping through the earth’s crust, vibrant spheres of faceted crystal break through the iron surface of this pendant, resulting in a vibrant exchange of LED light and shadow. www.terzani.com

Matrix Martin Huxford

Keates Lyngard

The Matrix is constructed from geometric brass or bronze modules, which can be extended to create a customised latticework of light.

Designed to hang over a dining table, as a series of repeated Chandelier modules, or assembled as a major centrepiece constellation of light, they present an abundance of possibilities. www.martinhuxford.com

Part of the Lustre Bone China pendant collection, the Keates in sunset red is translucent and glows in a dark room.

Each piece of the collection is unique and change tones throughout the day depending on the light emitted. www.lyngard.com

Petite Toh Veronese Conceptualised for Veronese by designer and architect Raphael Navot, who is known for his work with David Lynch on the Silencio project in Paris, Petite Toh redefines the traditional shape of the chandelier. Consisting of 302 pieces of handmade and stretched Trihedron Murano glass, it appears as if each piece radiates its own light. www.verone.se

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Beetle Creative Mary Designed for Emotional Brands, Beetle wall is a lamp with a minimalistic taste for details. Borrowing the name from the living creature, Beetle’s structure is designed in gold plated brass finish with a customisable lacquered aluminium shade. www.creativemary.pt

Cherry Petite Friture

Oval Le Deun

Australian duo Daniel To and Emma Aiston designed Cherry, a simple and minimalist pendant lamp, comprised of an aluminum cone with a bottomed sphere. It expresses a subtle light, enhanced by the plexiglass and the shimmering cherry at the bottom, inspired by novelty erasers that both designers collected as children. www.petitefriture.com

Part of the new collection from Le Deun luminaires is the Oval table lamp, available in bronze with ultra warm LED light. Ideal as a desk lamp, the touch dimmer switch creates a light that transitions easily from day to night. www.ledeun.com

Mico Baroncelli Mico explores the concept and experience of pure light. Available as a ring or baton, the warm and natural LED radiates throughout each framework, bound by strands of cristallo glass beads, finished with either satin gold or matte white clasps. www.baroncelli.com

Charlotte Curiousa & Curiousa Named and designed after the Duchess of Cambridge, the Charlotte chandelier is a hand-blown glass pendant, suspended in an eclectic cascade.

The colours reflect the calmness of autumnal afternoons, warm with a blush of summer, golden globes and dusky greys as the evening shadows draw in. www.curiousaandcuriousa.co.uk

Coral Serip Inspired by nature, Serip’s collection stands out for its attention to detail and unique design. The new Coral sconce is handcrafted and made of pure bronze; a one of a kind chandelier with a unique and bold design. www.serip.com.pt

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Spine-tingling SPINE is an interactive light installation, drawing a parallel between our own physiology and the technological environment in which we live.

Electricity carries and translates human intent into action‌ both around us and within us. Externally, it fuels an extensive network of manmade lighting that unbinds our activity to all hours of the day. Internally, it generates synapses through our spinal neural network that bring our thoughts into action and translates them into movement. To celebrate the launch of the 002 LED lamp, Plumen teamed up with Studio Ini to create an interactive light installation SPINE. Located on the Stamp Staircase of Somerset House as part of London Design Festival, this interactive light installation draws parallels between our own physiology and the technological environment in which we live. Electricity is an inherent part of our anatomy as human beings. Neurons encode information with electrical signals and transmit that information through synapses across our spinal cord. The electrical signal involves a voltage change of many tens of millivolts travelling at 268 miles per hour through our neural pathways. In this way, motor neurons located in the spinal cord carry signals from the brain to the muscles to produce movement. In this interactive experience visitors are invited to discover a new way of perceiving electricity and its consumption. www.plumen.com

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Tent & Super Brands

Intriguing product launches, a line-up of interactive experiences and live ateliers, a multidisciplinary Super Talks programme, and a showcase of contemporary products, lighting, furniture and crafts came together under one roof at this year’s Tent & Super Brands London. The show aimed to offer the most current insight into trends taking place in international design, covering over 29 countries. According to official figures provided by the event’s organisers, this year’s show attracted 25,482 visitors, of which 73.9% were trade visitors. The majority of visitors came from the UK and represented 79% of the total, while 12% came from Europe and 9% the rest of the world. www.tentlondon.co.uk

Diamond NEO/CRAFT

Stick in Mirror/Mirror Lightwork

Clean lines and a hexagonal, laser-cut geometric shape lend the Diamond a unique silhouette, its form shifting when viewed from different angles.

Available in a number of colours and made of laser welded, powder coated aluminium, at Super Brands, a third new size was presented. www.neocraft.com

New lighting company Lightwork introduces Stick in Mirror/Mirror, made of craft nickel, it is a wall mounted coloured lamp that spreads a large and warm light radius. It is a beautiful lamp that runs along the wall and stretches its lampshade into the room in an elegant curve. www.lightwork.nu

Otis Nocturne

Mercury Preciosa Lighting

The hand spun polished aluminium shade has three rolled lines running around it and is supported by an elegant nickel-plated solid brass frame with the base made from oiled and waxed oak. Handmade to order with bespoke finishes available. www.nocturneworkshop.com

In collaboration with Umprum Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design students, Preciosa presented the Mercury chandelier. Its shape inspired by a man who is tough, strong and confident, the variable structure allowing vertical and horizontal silhouettes. www.preciosalighting.com

Moirai Rezzan Hasoglu Moirai lamps reinterpret a cultural heritage as a new language form and function as a lamp. The Ottoman Empire adapted the Venetian filigree glass technique during the Sultan Selim the Third and translated the technique into Çesm-i Bülbül glassware, which had a typical style in white and blue stripes. www.rezzanhasoglu.com

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100% Design

100% Design 2015 attracted over 27,000 visitors and was attended by record numbers of architects and designers with a spending power of £340m, according to official figures. The number of exhibitors also rose to a total of 610, a 35% increase from 2014. The show occupied over 22,000sqm of its new home, Olympia London, taking over its dramatic Grand and West Halls. Overall, 71% of attendees to 100% Design were architects and

designers, illustrating the relevance of the show to the design community. Show director, William Knight commented: “Not only did the magnificent surroundings of Olympia London allow us to embrace the hall’s natural light, it enabled us to revisit the show layout and maintain the ideal balance between an easy-tonavigate show and a series of features to be discovered and experienced.” www.100percentdesign.co.uk

San Jose Modern Mullan Lighting

Oval William and Watson

Inspired by 1940's industrialism, the San Jose Modern chandelier embodies charm and style. With eight adjustable arms and shades extending from a central column, this modern chandelier has a bold, sculptural presence. Its unusual appearance and functional configuration make this modern chandelier difficult to ignore. www.mullanlighting.com

The large sized industrial vintage oval shape is a popular design that goes well with almost any interior design. This retro vintage bulb can be used with a lamp shade or look stunning just on its own. With its spiral filament, the XL Oval bulb creates an astonishing look, that forms an ambiance that takes you back in time. www.williamandwatson.com

Padellone Tramonti

Trophy Sé

A floor lamp with a steel three-legged structure, adjustable lacquered aluminum shade and chromed shield on the inside, Padellone is available in different colours and can be customised. Named after traditional fishing houses, the shade of the lamp recalls the shape of a net full of fish. www.tramontiartdesign.com

Part of the brand's Collection III by Slovenian designer Nika Zupanc, Trophy is available in a range of glossy or satin ceramic glazes with a pink gold interior.

Collection III brings Zupanc's aesthetic together with Sé’s craftsmanship and signature feel, subtly introducing symbols and motifs associated with the power of sport. www.se-london.com

Chromatic Charles Lethaby Chromatic from UK-based Charles Lethaby is a chandelier comprised of eight hexagonal droplets hung from an octagonal frame at individual lengths to suit their environment. It is available in burnished steel or a choice of hand-cut coloured glass. www.charleslethabylighting.com

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designjunction designjunction 2015 welcomed a record breaking 26,000 visitors through the doors over five days during London Design Festival, presenting more than 180 brands, shops and a host of striking installations. Held across two cenral London locations, designjunction 2015 was the largest and most challenging edition to date.

This year's lightjunction - dedicated to decorative lighting, took place on the ground floor of The College, former home to Central Saint Martins school of art.

The show transformed the old Dean's office and staff quarters by presenting a curated selection of international lighting brands alongside pioneering design-led lighting installations.

Have a browse through the decorative lighting products that captured darc's attention at this year's show. www.thedesignjunction.co.uk

Workshop Made by Hand The Workshop lamp is a recreation of the type of lamp used for generations in public areas, workshops and private homes. The solid and industrial look in many ways represents urban and minimalistic Scandinavian lifestyle décor. www.madebyhand.dk

Volée FontanaArte Volée, the LED task light by Odo Fioravanti for FontanaArte, switches on with a simple wave of the hand under the head of this lamp, activating an electronic device that switches the light on or off without contact. A touch sensor over the head allows the flow of light to be regulated to three different levels of intensity. www.fontanaarte.com

Blum arturo alvarez Blum expresses a subtle, ethereal and translucent beauty that illustrates the designer’s reflection on the many possible interpretations of objects.

Made of painted stainless steel thread, the Blum collection is comprised of table, ceiling and floor lamps, using the cloud-like structure in different ways to suit the stance of the lamp. www.arturo-alvarez.com

Balloons Brokis

Cumulus Made In Ratio

Designed by Lucie Koldova and Dan Yeffet, Balloons is a collection of simple yet timeless lamps based on a transparent, nearly invisible balloon.

With a hovering reflector to serve as an elegant and stately source of light, the natural beauty of the quality handblown glass is underlined by the clean appearance of the transparent balloons. www.brokis.cz

Formed by Italian master glassblowers and finished with mirror polished details, the Cumulus is an illuminated flower bud-like sphere. Through a merging of modern technologies with traditional techniques, a digitally simplified representation of nature navigates the surface with a sculptural orbit. As a floating suspension light, a diffused, ambient glow is dispersed. www.madeinratio.com

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Ginger Marset

Pebble Ă–rsjĂś

Ginger, designed by Joan Gaspar, is comprised of sheets of wood and paper pressed together under high pressure, achieving a laminate that appears almost entirely flat, which discreetly lights up spaces with indirect light.

An expansion of the Ginger collection introduces two standing versions, two wall versions with movable arms, table and pendant lamps. www.marset.com

Designed by Swedish designer Joel Karisson, Pebble in spun steel with its narrow beam spot, and the glass version with its gleaming mood light are suitable for hotel lobbies, or to delicately brighten a living room.

Perfect as a stand-alone lamp, or placed in a cluster, Pebble is a flexible pendant lamp, available in round and tall versions. www.orsjo.se

Birdy Northern Lighting Re-launching a classic Norwegian design lamp dating back to 1952, Birdy marks an iconic lamp series after its original launch as part of the postwar democratic design wave from Scandinavia. Available in white and metallic, or black and brass finish, this grey and metallic edition adds a simple and contemporary look. www.northernlighting.no

Turn On Wrong For Hay

Mineral rothschild & bickers

Turn On’s base is a faceted cylinder that works as both the light switch and the stem that holds the spherical glass light in place. Turning the base in a clockwise direction clicks the LED light on, with further rotation increasing the lumen output. The base comes in four anodised finishes: orange, black, green or natural. www.wrongforhay.com

The Mineral range was created in response to the growing trend for organic materials. Marble finishes have been popular in recent years, while the liquid nature of glass makes it ideal for recreating delicate veins and intricate patterns. A mix of solid and powder pigments produce a range of colours from rusted reds to celadon greens. www.rothschildbickers.com

Unit (pendant-C) ango In these pendant lights an atomised structure of silk cocoons is created in an ovaloid form. Assembled on a core structure of hand-soldered wire, the silk cocoon material magically refracts and reflects the light from the light source, making use of the natural white material. www.angoworld.com

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Five Sense Store British designer Tom Dixon appeals to all the senses in an alternative shopping experience in the Selfridges Multiplex pop-up department store during London Design Festival.

A multi-sensory pop-up department store of the future held in the Old Selfridges Hotel, London, Tom Dixon’s Multiplex brought together design, technology and fashion to explore how the future of retail might look, sound, smell, taste and feel. Put together in just eight weeks, Multiplex coincided with monumental events on London’s creative calendar including London Fashion Week, London Design Festival, the FBI London Film Festival and the Frieze art fair.

Multiplex hosts a new kind of retail space where powerful experiences, bespoke services and unique products come together in the raw energy of the west end rush, shrouded in that inescapable London grit.

The 25,000sq.ft site attached to the Selfridges department store in central London hosted a range of events, installations, pop-ups and interventions, acting as a magnet for Londoners and the creative who flock to the capital across this month. Entering into what was once the lobby of the Old Selfridges hotel, the walls were shrouded in silver emergency blankets, lending an air of photographic

glamour to the space. Visitors then continued up the staircase where the light from Tom Dixon’s Etch Shade Black pendants glisten against the metallic walls, leading up to the open plan department store space. With Fin Round pendants illuminating the gift-wrapping space to the right of the stairs, the floor opens up into the Tom Dixon display section in the centre, surrounded by fashion, print, technology, and media areas, as well as other experiences for the senses.

The newest of Tom Dixon’s releases included the Lens pendant, an additional brass finish to the Etch collection, and the Etch Web pendant. Lens is the latest output in Tom Dixon’s fascination with geometry and luminosity. A 60cm clear polycarbonate globe made of twelve pentagonal components subdivided into five prismatic triangular lenses explode and project the light source in all directions.

Inspired by the Fresnel lens used in lighthouses to concentrate and cast light over vast distances, the result is an object that is reminiscent of science fiction and geological rare crystal, engineered to stand

alone as a statement piece.

The Etch Web is a space filling shade made from photo-etched sheets, designed to cast atmospheric angular shadows when lit. Another experiment in the Tom Dixon affair with geometry and mathematics, the pentagon shape of Etch Web is repeated 60 times across the body to create a total sphere. Also available in stainless steel, the pendant is best featured in a central position to make the ultimate shadow play pendant.

Amongst the other brands displayed at Multiplex was UK lighting design consultancy Elektra. Utilising a series of event light fittings to add drama to the space through contrast, Elektra enhanced the industrial character of the hosting space while bringing in the foreground the products on display. The developed scheme encompassed moments of light and darkness to intensify the purposeful multi-sensorial experience.

New Zealand designer Resident also embarked on the month long exhibition with Multiplex, presenting their Openhouse

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Pics: Peer Lindgreen

Far Left Mirror Ball Gold pendants adjescent to food hall Above Beat Collection suspended in the foreground, while Melt pendants feature behind.

Left Etch Web, Etch Shade, Mirror Ball, Melt Chrome and Plane chandelier are all suspended from metal framework to illuminate the space.

exhibition within the department store.

Openhouse was a bold representation of Resident’s most progressive lighting designs, all of which were characterised by bold materiality and fabrication. Special features included their first major unveiling of the Mesh Space Pendant and Mesh Space Wall Lights. These perforated aluminium lights are constructed around a seamless floating halo of LED light which, when arranged in series produced a spectacular scene. Other highlights included the popular Geometric Hex, Cross and Tri Pendants, creating a conversation with the geometric shapes found in Tom Dixon’s pieces.

This the third occasion that Resident and Tom Dixon have collaborated on international events, thus reinforcing both brands shared passion for bold and innovative lighting design.

An essential element in any desirable department store, Multiplex also featured a food hall, described as the ‘take-away takein’ restaurant where food could be ordered from 30 different restaurants and delivered from food delivery company Deliveroo.

Guests enjoyed dining in the Tom Dixon food hall in a sophisticated take-away dining environment under the illumination of Tom Dixon’s Beat pendant collection.

The Multiplex department store truly did appeal to all the senses, reinventing what it means to shop in an age when the virtual retail world is rapidly encroaching.

If Multiplex is the future of shopping, the internet cannot compete with the pull of a glorious scent, the shadow play of a geometric lamp shade, or the physical immersion of walking through spaces into which designers have expelled the creative contents of their inspiring minds. www.tomdixon.net www.resident.co.nz

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Wildfire This year's designjunction proved a huge success for lighting studio Luum as it featured it's largest installation to date.

Based in London, Luum is the brainchild of Chris Fox and Andrew Watson, combining years of knowledge and industry experience in the conception and delivery of inspiring lighting installations for distinctive interiors. The 20-metre tall designjunction installation of Flame, floated up through the venue’s dramatic seven-storey stairwell, creating an inspiring focal point that captured visitors’ imaginations. The old College building proved the perfect venue for the latest version of Flame with the mid-century architectural interior surrounding contrasting effectively with the Flame’s highly contemporary form. www.byluum.com Pic: Ruth Ward

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LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL SPECIAL REPORT Lee Broom’s The Flower Shop featuring Carousel Chrome, Crescent Light, Tube and chamber amongst his Podium vase collection in flagship London store.

Oh So Floral-Lee To celebrate the launch of his Podium collection of vases, Lee Broom transformed his flagship Shoreditch store housing his lighting and furniture collection into The Flower Shop during London Design Festival.

To celebrate the launch of British designer Lee Broom’s first collection of vases, Podium, his flagship store transformed into The Flower Shop for the week of LDF. While guests enjoyed floral cocktails and champagne topped with petals, Broom’s lighting, furniture and accessories were presented in glass display cases on marble plinths surrounded by a sweeping show of fresh flowers inspired by Broom’s collections.

The Podium collection glistened under Broom’s Crescent table lamps, Crystal bulbs, Decanter lights and Fulcrum chandeliers featured throughout the store. Broom’s illumination showed off the lush greens of surrounding flora and other furniture pieces

including the Hanging Hoop chair.

The Podium vases play with the sculptural quality of balance and asymmetric silhouettes. Combining heavy weight marble with transparent glass, the collection extends Broom’s fascination with opposing materials brought together to create playful yet elegant pieces.

The basement of The Flower Shop featured The Flower Shop Kitchen where Pip McCormac, acclaimed food writer and Lifestyle Director of Red magazine, created edible floral treats for guests as they mingled amongst Broom’s new 25-piece collection. www.leebroom.com

Pics: Luke Hayes

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Pristine Products A selection of the latest product releases.

305 Series alp The 305 luminaires are designed by Swiss born, London-based interior architect Annick L Petersen. It comes in three, five or seven pods or as a single pod, with each made of copper wire, giving an industrial look. The larger 305a,b and c, also in copper wire, comes with a leather weave in white (pictured) or natural tan. It offers an elegant look whilst maintaining its industrial feel. The 305 range is ideal for residential or commercial projects. www.alp-design.co.uk

Kerflight Series graypants Inspired by tried and true handcrafting techniques, the Kerflight series is built to accommodate any situation. Powder coated steel frames provide a distinct shape and character for each lamp, while the unique kerf pattern of the shade panels cast intriguing patterns onto walls and table surfaces. www.graypants.com

Enna Family Astro Among Astro’s variety of bathroom, decorative and exterior lighting, Atelier and Enna both highlight the company’s design ethos of elegant simplicity. Enna is fully adjustable and uses a 3W LED, deeply recessed to prevent glare. www.astrolighting.co.uk

PLAY Watt a Lamp

Frezoli Lott TierlanTijn Frezoli Lott is a ceiling lamp made of cast aluminium. With its rugged appearance, it has an industrial character suited to both contemporary and loft styles. It's also suitable in large scale projects, weighs approximately 30kg and can be delivered with five filament LED lamps. www.frezoli.com

Mountain View Axo Light The Mountain View suspension lamp

by Russian designer Dima Loginoff is suited to both domestic and contract environments. Made of transparent blown glass, it's available with a chrome-plated or golden structure, combined with an amber mountain for a warm light effect or in a grey version, with the chrome-plated frame for a colder light. With its LED light source, it provides a pleasant and long-lasting, natural light. www.axolight.it

PLAY, designed by Andreas Lund, takes the iconic typology of the board game Ludo into a new context. A playful and functional pendant lamp that works as a cheerful accent at home or a softening detail in a formal office setting.

Its cone serves as a light reflector that produces a focused light and creates a warm sense of space in a room. www.wattalamp.com

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Downtown Design Making up the largest element of the inaugural Dubai Design Week, Downtown Design celebrated its third edition in October. Doubling in size from last year to 6,000sq.m, the fair saw over 86 exhibitors participate and hosted emerging design brands from six international Design Weeks.

With so much to see it was impossible to cover everything but we hope you find our selection of products both enjoyable and useful. www.downtowndesign.com

Quayside Light Assemblyroom

ORGANIC NEO

The Quayside Light draws inspiration from the simplicity and functionality of industrial pendant lights of a past era. Constructed from spun aluminium, it's available in four different colours: white, red, grey and yellow, with a corresponding coloured fabric flex.

With its elegant outline and two-tone colour scheme, this large pendant will have an impact in any room. www.assemblyroom.co.uk

ORGANIC is the fusion between cork and ceramic in a unique composition.

The dramatic draped cork leather over a glazed ceramic shell gives it expression and movement. Full of texture and depth it invites the sense of touch and gives interiors a warm and bright light.

This lighting fixture is carefully handcrafted, featuring a fabric cable and a 40W, E14 lamp. www.neo-studios.de

Lumio Lamp Lumio Lumio lamp takes a familiar form of a book and creates a sculptural light when it's open. The user has the ability to endlessly adapt its shape to meet their changing needs. It has a minimalist design with durable water resistant Tyvek pages containing highperforming LED. www.hellolumio.com

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Copper POPPER Andre Hnatรถjko Copper POPPER is an extension of the original POPPER range released mid 2012. This model takes on pure copper as a core and is hand polished until its lustrous finish is created. Also available in an anti-tarnish, the raw version is designed to age with fogging and is to finish with a patina effect after 20 years. It is available in medium, flat and small / medium. www.labdestu.com.au

The Bride mammalampa

Diamond Ring Christopher Boots

The Bride lamp, designed by Ieva Kaleja, mimics a 'dress' created from paper. Entirely handmade, each Bride has her own personality characterised by the unique pattern woven with the personal touch of the weaver. The collection is comprised of a ceiling lamp in two sizes, a kindred floor lamp and a table lamp. www.mammalampa.com

Inspired by the love of light and nature, Diamond Ring is made from Boots' hallmark materials of natural quartz crystals, neodymium earth magnets, iron and carbon. All products are hand made in Melbourne, Australia and include artisan techniques such as glass-blowing, copper smithing, ceramics, sculpting, and bronze casting. Pic: John Tsiavis www.christopherboots.com

Rough Diamond Chandelier Ben-Tovim Design Hand assembled from 66 custom 3D printed joints and 23-metres of cut and polished metal tube, Rough Diamond Chandelier mixes technology with craftsmanship. The chandelier explores complex geometry and repeating forms, with an end result intended to take centre stage in an interior. www.b-td.com

Supernova Lasvit The Supernova, an interactive glass kinetic sculpture, introduces the future into the present, magically transforming itself in both time and space. The installation is composed of clear glass elements with linear texture that creates fascinating light patterns while moving through various angles. www.lasvit.com

NO512 Saas Instruments Designed by Laura Tuorila, NO512 is a sheet of metal with one corner bent to reflect light to the surface. Although the piece is made from aluminium, the light and object has a delicate paperlike quality, and stands alone as a minimalistic artwork in its own right. www.saas.fi

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

NEUE RÄUME • ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND 18-22 November 2015 (www.neueraeume.ch)

SLEEP • LONDON, UK 24-25 November 2015 (www.thesleepevent.com)

DESIGN MIAMI • MIAMI, USA 2-6 December 2015 (www.designmiami.com)

DESIGN LIGHTING • TOKYO, JAPAN 13-15 January 2016 (www.light-expo.jp)

MAISON ET OBJET • PARIS, FRANCE 22-26 January 2016 (www.maison-objet.com)

ARCHITECT@WORK • LONDON, UK 27-28 January 2016 (www.architect-at-work.co.uk)

SURFACE DESIGN SHOW • LONDON, UK 9-11 February 2016 (www.surfacedesignshow.com)

STOCKHOLM FURNITURE & LIGHT FAIR • STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN 9-13 February 2016 (www.stockholmfurniturelightfair.se)

MAISON ET OBJET ASIA • SINGAPORE 8-11 March 2016 (www.maison-objet.com)

DESIGN SHANGHAI

• SHANGHAI, CHINA

9-12 March 2016 (www.designshowshanghai.com)

LIGHT + BUILDING • FRANKFURT, GERMANY 13-18 March (www.light-building.messefrankfurt.com)

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

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

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

Holloways of Ludlow are looking for a new showroom assistant in our West London showroom. Specialising in high end lighting brands from around the world and smaller, designer maker brands, we undertake high-end residential projects and numerous high-profile commercial projects.

The successful applicant will have the following experience:

LOOKING FOR CREATIVE STAFF? WE’VE GOT IT COVERED darc will now include a recruitment section to help you find the best employees for your vacancies. Whether you’re searching for new members of the sales team or after a new designer for your interior design or lighting design practice, darc is able to reach potential candidates worldwide, who are looking out for new roles.

- Significant experience within the lighting industry and knowledge of the main lighting brands and ranges - An ability to translate what customers say they want into creative, design-led solutions - Ideally experience of developing lighting schemes using relevant design software - A proven sales track record The successful applicant will be responsible for looking after customers in our West London showroom. They will be responsible for opening up and closing, generating sales and looking after all aspects of the showroom.

darc’s 12,000 international circulation of leading interior designers, architects, lighting designers, specifiers, product designers, manufacturers and distributors, enables you to target specific roles to be filled for your company.

The days are Tuesday to Saturday, 9.30-18.00.

Call John-Paul Etchells on +44 161 476 8394 or email jp.etchells@mondiale.co.uk

To apply please contact mark@hollowaysofludlow.com

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Minimalist. Design. Art. Decorative Pendants.

Rhythm for Spaces.

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if...

ever there was a way to get our heads around ‘the cloud’, Dan Corson’s Nebulous would be it. The intricacy of these systems eludes most software users and yet clouds of radio waves constantly transport masses of information all around us. Corson’s two pixelated cloud forms, inspired by this evolution in technology, float over the Amazon plaza in Seattle, USA with two solar lighting shadows embedded in the pavement below. Neither fully transparent nor fully opaque, these ‘low-res’ clouds have select glass discs that are electrically programmed to shift between levels of opacity, resembling calculating computers or pulsing lightning within clouds on a stormy night. Coloured, transparent and switch-glass panels, designed by parametric modelling, form the skin sculptures. There are over 350 eighteen-inch glass panels in the sculptures, leaving sunlight-projected patterns that create animated coloured shadows on the courtyard below. The pulsing patterns at night are created by the animation of the switchglass - backlit by static white LEDs illuminating them.

The computer controlled switchglass patterning content plays in a 20 minute loop that switches between static, slower and faster animations. www.corsonart.com Pic: Dan Corson

LIGHTING

LIVING PORCELAIN FEEL THE MAGICAL LIGHT OF LLADRÓ

Visit us at Maison & Objet Paris · Scènes d’Intérieur · from January 22nd to 26th lladro.com