darc 25

DECORATIVE LIGHTING IN ARCHITECTURE

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MAR/APR 2018

#25 MAR/APR 2018

LIGHT + BUILDING PREVIEW DARC'S WOMEN OF LIGHT LINDSEY ADELMAN

PATRICIA URQUIOLA • THE WING SOHO • CONSTANTINA TSOUTSIKOU • PRINCIPAL EDINBURGH • LADIES & GENTLEMEN STUDIO

HELEN ANKERS • EDITOR #PressforProgress With the World Economic Forum's 2017 Global Gender Gap Report findings telling us that gender parity is over 200 years away - there has never been a more important time to keep motivated and #PressforProgress. And with global activism for women's equality fuelled by movements like #MeToo, #TimesUp and more - there is a strong global momentum striving for gender parity. While everyone knows that gender parity won't happen overnight, the good news is that across the world women are making positive gains day by day. Plus, there is indeed a very strong and growing global movement of advocacy, activism and support. So we can't be complacent.

Started by the Suffragettes in the early 1900's, the first International Women's Day was celebrated in 1911. This year, celebrated on March 8, the day is not country, group or organisation specific and belongs to all groups collectively everywhere - collective action and shared responsibility for driving gender parity is what makes International Women's Day successful.

Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained: “The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.”

In support of all the incredible female designers darc has had the pleasure of working with over the years, our March/April issue is dedicated to the ‛women of light’. Unfortunately there aren't enough pages to include every female designer we've encountered, but what you will find is a snapshot look at some of the amazing talent out there - whether it's in the form of design leaders, or names you might be less familiar with.

A must read is my exclusive interview with Lindsey Adelman. Arguably a leading lady of light, she has broken the mold when it comes to lighting and continues to push the boundaries of design, inspiring both men and women along the way. Read more on page 54. Elsewhere, Emma spoke with designer Patricia Urquiola on her experience of being a woman in the design world and further explores her work with light. This can be read from page 80 onwards. We also have comment from interior designer Constantina Tsoutsikou of HBA, who shares her thoughts on the importance of light within interior design from page 70 onwards. Project wise, from page 76 we look at the work of Nulty's Anna Sandgren on the Ritz Carlton, Astana and page 62 profiles The Wing Soho in NYC - a dedicated work space designed by women, for women, where no woman is left behind.

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Cover image: Kilian Blees | Pearls Double Suspension

+ Ziggy Starwater Vase by Formagenda

Welcome

darc awards / decorative 2018 entry: Dali Light by Deadgood Studio

darc awards / decorative 2018 ENTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED 12 Categories covering Hospitality, Leisure & Entertainment, Residential, Retail, Commercial and Products

Don’t miss out - enter today!

For more info and full criteria visit: darcawards.com/decorative Entries close: 15 March 2018

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DETAILS

Contents

010 Formafantasma

026 Principal, Charlotte Square

Maria Oberti talks past, present and future with the design duo.

REGULARS

FEATURES

010 INTERVIEW Maria Oberti talks past, present and future with Simone Farresin and Andrea Trimarchi of Formafantsma.

016 DARC AWARDS NEWS Industry demand sees entry deadline extended!

022 FOCAL POINT EYE-D, ISTANBUL 024 FOCAL POINT

LE ROCH HOTEL, PARIS 086 FOCAL POINT

ATMOSPHERE , ROSIE LI

118 MATERIALS

ALPER NAKRI 122 DESIGN INTERVIEW

LADIES & GENTLEMEN STUDIO 152 CALENDARC

DESIGN SHOWS FOR 2018

154 SOCIALIGHT

038 The Mondrian, Doha

Goddard Littlefair and Susan Lake Lighting Design team up.

054 LINDSEY ADELMAN Celebrating International Women's Day, darc profiles some of the leading ladies of light, starting with New York's Lindsey Adelman.

070 CONSTANTINA TSOUTSIKOU The leading interior designer tells darc about her experience with light and how it is integral to any design.

080 PATRICIA URQUIOLA Known for work in product design and interiors, Emma Harris delves deeper into Urquiola's career.

092 DARC'S WOMEN OF LIGHT We showcase some of the female design talent collaborating with lighting brands.

098 COMMERCIAL LIGHTING Introduced by Gensler's Philippe Pare, our case studies focus on decorative lighting in the commercial space.

INSTAGRAM HIGHLIGHT

An intriguing mix of interiors and light from Marcel Wanders.

PROJECTS

054 Lindsey Adelman

Read our exclusive interview with one of the leading ladies of light.

ON SHOW

026 PRINCIPAL CHARLOTTE SQUARE Featuring Goddard Littlefair and Susan Lake Lighting Design.

128 PRODUCT FOCUS Martinelli Luce celebrates 50 years of the Cobra table lamp.

038 THE MONDRIAN, DOHA Interiors and lighting from designer Marcel Wanders.

130 DUBAI DESIGN WEEK Downtown Design celebrates growth in its fifth year.

045 RADISSON BLU, FRANKFURT JOI-Design takes on both the interiors and lighting scheme.

132 IMM COLOGNE REVIEW Your guide to everything presented at this year's show.

050 CLUB 120, LONDON Featuring Enigma Lighting Design and KSS. 062 THE WING SOHO, NEW YORK Looking at the work of interior designer Chiara de Rege.

076 RITZ CARLTON, ASTANA Nulty's Anna Sandgren's lighting design in focus.

088 AIR BNB, BEIJING Rebecca Ruggles' work on the latest office space.

134 M+O PARIS REVIEW All the launches and events from this year's Maison et Objet show.

139 STOCKHOLM FAIR REVIEW New products launched in Sweden.

144 LIGHT + BUILDING PREVIEW If you're visiting Frankfurt this year, this is your must-have guide to what to expect from the decorative lighting sector.

150 MILAN DESIGN WEEK A preview of the lighting events taking place.

THE MAGAZINE

DESIGN

CORPORATE

Editor | Helen Ankers h.ankers@mondiale.co.uk +44 161 476 8372

Artwork | David Bell d.bell@mondiale.co.uk

Chairman | Damian Walsh d.walsh@mondiale.co.uk

Editorial | Mel Robinson m.robinson@mondiale.co.uk

Publishing Editor | Paul James p.james@mondiale.co.uk

Assistant Editor | Emma Harris e.harris@mondiale.co.uk +44 161 476 9117 International Advertising | Stephen Quiligotti s.quiligotti@mondiale.co.uk +44 7742 019213 Editorial Contributor | Maria Elena Oberti maria@meoberti.com

FINANCE Finance Director | Amanda Giles a.giles@mondiale.co.uk Credit Control | Lynette Levi l.levi@mondiale.co.uk

Marketing & Events | Moses Naeem m.naeem@mondiale.co.uk darc magazine | Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ, UK | Printed by Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, UK | ISSN 2052-9406

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INTERVIEW

Renaissance Men Amsterdam’s Simone Farresin and Andrea Trimarchi of Formafantasma use basic principles to give new shape to light. darc sat down with the pair to talk about the past, present, and their big plans for the future.

Words: Maria Oberti | Image: Boudewijn Bollmann

“What I love about light is that it’s intangible,” says Simone Farresin of Amsterdam-based design practice Formafantasma. “Light can have such a tremendous impact on a space. Designing an object for it is interesting because it’s not really about the form of the object, but about the feeling light can create.”

Fascinated with objects and the ideas they convey, Farresin founded Formafantasma, together with partner Andrea Trimarchi, in 2009 after graduating from Design Academy Eindhoven, in the Netherlands.

Originally from Italy, Trimarchi and Farresin are paving the way for a new generation of philosophical designers. Their thoughtprovoking creations, often exhibited as humble experiments, or ‘tests’, expose the nature of things, prompting us, the collective viewer, to consider both our past and our future. From their studio in Amsterdam’s Noord district, the pair speak with poetry and passion about design and the need for progress in the field.

“I discovered design at an early age, it was something that I was always fascinated by,” Farresin tells me one early morning in January. “It was a bit different for me,” says Trimarchi, from across the table. “I come from the south of Italy, from Sicily, where there isn’t much of an interest in design,” he explains. Indeed, design schools in Sicily are extremely sparse. To study the subject, most travel north or move abroad. “There is this idea that design is only in the north, which is crazy” he adds.

Out of what felt like necessity, Trimarchi left his hometown of Caltagirone to study architecture at the Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche in Florence. It would be here, amidst the masterpieces of Renaissance art, literature and culture, that the two would eventually meet.

The pair started working together, albeit on minor projects, almost immediately.

“It was mostly for fun, something we did next to our studies”, explains Trimarchi.

“We weren’t interested in design in the beginning, we were doing mostly graphic stuff,” adds Farresin. An affinity for design, and specifically product design, grew gradually over time, as the two got to know one another. “We’re a couple, so it happened very organically” explains Farresin. Hours outside of class was spent mostly at gallery openings and exhibitions.

These early excursions proved to be profoundly formative, prompting their first dialogues about design. “We didn’t really realise we were talking about design at the time,” he says, adding that “it was through these talks that we began to see that we had a similar way of looking at the world.”

Conversation continues to play a major role both in their relationship and in their work, so much so that it’s become an integral part of the studio’s design process. “Our way of working is about discussion,” says Farresin, “it comes from words,” he adds.

He explains how having shared goals and values as designers keeps them in tune, even when their opinions seem out of

sync. “We can understand each other very intuitively, which helps us a lot” he says.

“We never have dramatic discussions about the direction of something. The struggles we face are the usual struggles of the creative process.”

With undergraduate degrees now in hand, the pair set out to explore new design terrains, outside of their native Italy. They applied with a single portfolio to Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands, and much to their delight, were soon ready to enrol. “Crazily enough, we were accepted as a duo form the very beginning,” says Trimarchi. Formafantasma, which is a combination of the Italian words forma (form) and fantasma (ghost), was a name that the two concocted while still in Florence. “We chose the name really early on,” says Farresin. “The idea was totally different back then. The idea was that it’s the process that informs the form, and not the other way around, meaning that the form can change. Our work is formalised carefully, but it’s not about form. The name is pointing to that,” he explains.

To the design industry today, the name Since establishing the studio in 2009, Trimarchi, 34, and Farresin, 37, have swiftly set themselves apart with their thoughtful and eloquent creations. More than makers of beautiful things, they are provocateurs, poets, philosophers, and dare I say it, idealists. The pioneers of a modern humanist ethos, they seamlessly fuse past with present, anthropology with

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art, and in so doing, set the precedent for a more honest and holistic discourse around the subject of design. They do not shy away from the past, but instead embrace our collective human history as a tool for shaping progress.

“Design as a discipline is in a very peculiar spot in a chain of different elements, from economy, to politics, to social science, to the everyday,” explains Farresin.

“We’re interested in that chain, and how objects in their particularity connect all these things together.” Fuelled by their seemingly boundless curiosity, Farresin and Trimarchi approach each new project from an analytical standpoint, stripping down everyday objects to their most essential elements, or truths. To do so, Formafantasma morphs into a creative chameleon, masterfully assuming the role of artisan, archeologist, botanist, historian, humanitarian, physicist, and more. They are the Renaissance Men of our time.

As young graduates determined to make a career in design, Farresin and Trimarchi saw little space for a future in Italy. “We come from a country where young people are not really considered,” says Trimarchi.

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“Seeing the graduation show at the Academy and how students here are given such an amazing platform was exciting for us, it opened up our eyes. We unconsciously knew it was our only chance if we wanted to do something in this field.”

Farresin agrees: “Eindhoven is so different from Florence. It’s a place without history, which was very liberating for us. A lot of what we do as designers is very thought through, but it’s also very instinctive. Our instinct was telling us to go there.” If life has taught me anything over the years, it’s that you should always go with your gut.

Good things typically follow.

“We first started thinking about light six years ago, around the time we presented Botanica,” explains Trimarchi. Exhibited for the first time in 2011 at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan, Botanica is a poetic study of natural polymers and plastics.

The collection, which features a family of sculptural vessels, and has nothing to do with lighting, captured the imagination of local artist and filmmaker Francesco Vezzoli, who, as it turns out, is also a close friend of Piero Gandini, CEO of Flos. “He came to see our exhibition, and was determined

to put us in touch with Piero.” Before they knew it, they were sitting at the Flos headquarters talking design and light with Piero himself. The meeting didn’t go quite as planned, however. “We weren’t ready,” confesses Trimarchi. “We went there without a product, just with ideas. We realised that it wasn’t the right moment for us. We were still in the process of shaping our own perspectives about design, and needed more time to investigate.”

Formafantasma spent the next few years developing their craft, all the while enchanting us in the process. Lighting remained on their radar, and in 2016 the pair presented their first experiments with light as part of a broader collection called Delta.

A collaboration with Rome’s Stagetti Galleria O. Roma, Delta is the fruit of the gallery’s annual Privato Romano Interno programme.

Each year, the gallery commissions international designers to create a collection of furniture pieces using the Eternal City as muse. As part of their research for the project, the pair travelled to the capital as full-time tourists. They visited nearly every museum and archeological site in Rome, documenting every detail and object along

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the way. “We found the light in Rome to be very peculiar and interesting,” says Farresin.

“So, we thought, why not use this time to think about lighting? We started developing the body of work that is now Delta, and in the meantime also began experimenting with elements of light.”

Drawing references from the rituals and ruins of ancient Rome, Delta is an elegant exercise of abstraction. Formafantasma reinterprets Roman architecture and artefacts and reduces them to their simplest and purest forms. Composed of two discs suspended by gilded guitar strings, the Eclipse lamp models the skylight of the Pantheon, while another lamp, aptly titled Helmet, recalls the shape of a centurion’s headgear. The Magnifier, Reflector and Radar lamps take a slightly more scientific approach, and instead make use of mathematics and materials to reflect and refract light. Employing natural materials endemic to Rome, such as porcelain, travertine, wood and bronze, Delta makes the old and seemingly mundane shine anew with a fresh modern aesthetic.

“We really like indirect lighting,” says Farresin. “Almost all the lights we’ve done

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are reflecting off other surfaces and things.”

Anno Tropico, which the duo presented in 2016 at a solo exhibition held by the PeepHole Art Centre in Milan, is a masterful investigation into the material quality of indirect light. Relying on as little material as possible, each ‘test’ looks at light from a specific perspective. Sculptural pieces made with dichroic glass, optical lenses and parabolic mirrors, bend and redirect the passage of light, casting shadows and projecting shapes and colours across what would otherwise appear to be plain surfaces. “The construction of the lights is very simple,” explain Trimarchi, adding that “it’s not so much about the object’s design, as what effect light can have in space.”

At last year’s Salone del Mobile, Formafantasma inaugurated the reopening of the historic gallery Spazio Krizia in Milan with a retrospective exhibition called Foundation. “We wanted to first call the project Formation, but it reminded us too much of the Beyonce song, which we love,” confesses Farresin, with a chuckle.

Dedicated solely to the study of light, the exhibition displayed pieces from both Delta and Anno Tropico. Mixed in with the

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This page 1. The Regula wall lamp. 2. The Magnifier ceiling lamp. Both Regula and Magnifier form part of the Delta Collection designed by Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin in 2016. Delta is a collection of objects born from the collaboration between the Roman Design Gallery Giustini / Stagetti Galleria O. Roma and Formafantasma. The project curated

by Domitilla Dardi, is part of the gallery’s program ’Privato Romano Interno’ curated by Emanuela Nobile Mino that since 2012 with the first collection designed by Fernando and Humberto Campana, commissions international designers to use Rome as a source of inspiration for new furniture pieces. A selection of works have been produced by Fonderia Battaglia, Milano.

3. 4. & 5. Designed for Flos, WireRing is composed of two separate elements: a custom made belt-like electric cable and a ring that contains an LED strip.

The cable, which is often considered something to hide, is the focus allowing for the transmission of energy to the ring via electrical connectors.

Disassembled, the lamp is reduced to a minimum.

When mounted, it then reveals sculptural traits.

WireRing is an exercise in reduction: stripped-back to its most essential components, the lamp delivers the most with the least. 6. The relationship humans have with light transcends a functional dimension and is elevated to an emotional one. Lamps are designed to illuminate the world with brightness, but also with the intimacy of shadow: the quality of light cannot solely be measured through its intensity.

Blush lamp for Flos makes use of an LED strip and a piece of dichroic glass to cast brightly-tinted reflections on walls to answer to the lack of colour saturation during winter months. With its sober design and meticulous use of light and colour, Blush lamp recreates the indoor memory of a long summer day.

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INTERVIEW

Images: Masiar Pasquali

old were also a few novelties, including a preview for designs being created in collaboration with Tilburg’s TextielMuseum.

Also on show in Milan were prototypes for what will be Formafantasma’s first industrially produced lights, for — you guessed it — Flos. Blush Lamp, an adaptation of colour tests created for Anno Tropico, and WireLamp, a circular wall sconce entailing just a ring of light and a cable, are scheduled for release later this spring.

Next to running their design practice, Farresin and Trimarchi teach, travelling once a week from Amsterdam to Eindhoven to run courses at their alma mater, DAE. In 2016 Formafantasma joined the Rosario Gagliardi Academy of Fine Arts in Siracusa, located in Sicily, as co-heads of the bachelor of design programme MADE. “It’s a challenge to do both, teaching and working. It can easily become too much” confesses Farresin. As with their studio work, the duo approaches education from a design standpoint. Farresin explains: “Education is a very interesting field, in fact, we’re more interested in education than in teaching. In Sicily, we have an opportunity to design education, to build a course. We’re deciding what to study, as well as when and how. In that sense it’s much closer to design.”

After all, designing ideas is Formafantasma’s

forte. Given that they’re still at the start of their career, Formafantasma has accomplished a great deal in almost next to no time. Just shy of their ten year anniversary as a studio, the pair has a lot to think about this year. “2018 will be a year for understanding and reflection” says Trimarchi. “It’s an important moment for us to think about what we’re actually interested in” adds Farresin. Like the studio, the future may also come as a pair: “We’re considering the possibility of having two studios, one experimental and the other commercial,” explains Trimarchi.

“Sometimes it’s difficult for people to understand what we do, because we do a bit of everything: interiors, fashion shows, products, exhibitions. Right now everything is on the same level. We care a lot about the experimental work we do, and we’d like to highlight that more.”

While the shape the studio will take in the future is still to be seen, what Trimarchi and Farresin know for sure is that they want their designs to make a difference. “The design industry is completely disconnected with reality,” says Farresin. “Other industries such as fashion have done some interesting things in terms of sustainability, but the furniture industry is still behind.”

Trimarchi is on the same wavelength: “Sure,

we can design a nice object for a company, but what if we can help in other ways? I think that’s how we feel we can make an impact on the industry, to bring a more holistic view on things, to advise companies on how to be more sustainable and efficient, from materials to manufacturing.

That’s where I see a potential for change.” www.formafantasma.com

For the 2017 Salone del Mobile, Studio Formafantasma was invited to occupy and re-open the Milanese venue Spazio Krizia, after several years of vacancy. Known as one of the most prominent locations of the ‘Fuorisalone’ (the independent design scene that grew as a alternative to the furniture fair), the space has previously hosted presentations from designers such as Ingo Maurer and Ron Arad.

Formafantasma presented a selection of objects from their ‘Delta’ collection, developed for the gallery Giustini Stagetti, Galleria O. Roma, and a series of experiments with light, developed for Peep-hole, an independent art centre in Milan. ‘Foundation’ also previewed part of an upcoming collaboration with the TextielMuseum in Tilburg. Presented as a companion to the launch of the studio’s first industrially produced objects with the lighting company Flos, ‘Foundation’ offered a deeper insight into their thinking. The show was conceived as a display of studies and the groundwork for current and future developments in the field of lighting.

martinelliluce.it a.d. e. martinelli ph. m. cardelli

COBRA

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ELIO MARTINELLI 1968

03 - DARC - MARZO 2018 - COBRA.indd 1

27/02/2018 10:38:59

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DETAILS | DARC AWARDS / DECORATIVE

PLAY | Glovers Alley by Andy McFadden, Ireland Submitted by: Foundry Lighting A combination of statement lighting to add scale, richness and interest to the interiors was required for this scheme. The feature lighting was designed and developed in collaboration with Project Orange, with Foundry taking on responsibility for detail technical design. The central feature fitting required millimetre perfect coordination with fixings through the mirrored ceiling in which the fitting is reflected, seemingly doubling in height. The fitting consists of a series of individual glass tubes wrapped in Japanese shoji paper.

LIVE | Shades of Grey Show Apartment, China Submitted by: pfarrĂŠ lighting design The lighting design idea for this residential showroom was based on the atmospheric concept of the interior architects; enhancing their concept of openness, transparency and layering - overlapping with the use of light. Distinguished lighting moods have been created, matching with the usability and atmosphere of the particular spaces, while underlining their impact in space. Light objects and decorative luminaires complete the overall identity of the apartment. With a DALI light management system, pre-set scenes can also be selected.

WORK | Plexal Technology Innovation, UK Submitted by: Light4 The client’s brief for the workplace was that the space should match the dynamic nature of those companies who will occupy the space. Lighting must provide instant flexibility, new technologies, new ideas which make people stop and think, and a space that makes those that use it want to spend time there and innovate. The atelje Lyktan hoods over the individual desks support the sense of being in a more private area, a space for contemplation and thinking. At the same time the space is open to allow quick and easy access to other people and their skills.

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BREAKING AWARDS NEWS: ENTRY PERIOD EXTENDED TO MARCH 15, 2018!

In typical awards fashion, we have been inundated with requests for an extension on the entry deadline for this year's darc awards/ decorative and so, we have - because we're nice like that! We want as many of you as possible to benefit from the global exposure that THE ONLY awards dedicated to decorative lighting, can offer. So, you've got two more weeks to get those entries in. Did you launch a new product at Euroluce, LDF, Maison et Objet? Did you work on a stunning residential, commercial or lesiure project? Then we want to know about it... Entering is easy and all done online! To give you a taster of the kind of thing we're looking for, over the next few pages you'll find a selection of just some of the stunning project entries we've had in so far.

Head to www.darcawards.com/decorative for more information and good luck!

PLAY | SOHO Coffee Co, UK Submitted by: Enigma Lighting The styling of this Soho Coffee Co. features a lot of wood and texture in the space.

Using industrial style fittings, Enigma’s LED filament lamps create a warm and inviting space. Enigma bespoke surface mounted ar111 LED spots were used to highlight tables, menu boards and pay areas, ensuring both comfort and easy use of the space for staff and customers alike.

The balloon cage clusters create the window show piece which looks both inviting from the outside and stunning to see on the inside.

WORK | The Department Store, UK Submitted by: StudioFractal As you walk through these renovated offices, you are guided by fluted glass pendants selected for their period style.

These bespoke globes, supplied by Original BTC, are used throughout the interiors via pendant, wall and freestanding arrangements. Limited edition, handblown glass pendants by Czech glass studio Lasvit also hang above the bespoke haberdashery style reception des, while a Flos pendant system developed with Atrium, provides ambient and accent lighting throughout workstations, meeting rooms, event spaces, cafĂŠ and terrace bar.

PLAY |Izakaya Bar, Belgium Submitted by: maiDesign Izakaya Bar is the newly built annex joined to the award-winning Brasserie Latem, in Sint-Martens-Latem, near the city of Ghent, Belgium. The bar's massive glassfront design contrasts with warm materials used inside. Wenge wood and an intricately processed splashing bright green floor help create a speakeasy atmosphere with a polished regal touch. Black lacquered GRID-cubes suspended at different heights create soft intimate downlight above small round tables. Random holes in the honeygrid structure of the lamps create a dimmed spectacle at night by bursting out subtle dots of lighting ambience.

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DETAILS | DARC AWARDS / DECORATIVE

PLAY | The Peacock Room, China Submitted by: The Flaming Beacon Paying homage to the original Peacock Room in Boston, USA, the Shanghai counterpart distils the key elements of the original to create a dramatic spatial re-construction.

The design brief was to push even further, the already overtly decorative Anglo-Asian original, into its new context, without reverting to cliché. A semi-private dining space anchors one end of the main space and a large bespoke glass and brass chandelier, partially coated in dichroic film, referencing the iridescent peacock feathers, creates a cascading tiered solid form.

LIVE | Chamberi, Spain Submitted by: DCI Melian Randolph and DCI strived to transmit the comfort that can be achieved with artificial lighting, by using warm temperatures and by integrating the lighting into the actual ‛skin’ of the space.

Light fixtures that are made of natural materials,were used along with indirect lighting and mechanisms that regulate the intensity of the artificial light to the different everyday scenarios of the home user. At the same time, the lighting highlights the capricious hues that appear from the decorative light fixtures and from the candle light.

WORK | 484, USA Submitted by: Concept Lighting Lab CLL’s studio space in Arizona takes on a previous residential adobe structure, transforming it into an open and up-to-date creative studio environment. New lighting elements had to be of the highest quality and precision; inherently functional; plain yet strong in expression; and minimal in aesthetic. The lighting had to be state-ofthe-art and contemporary, without feeling alien to the space. A playful character is added through the neon sign that references the studio logo and welcomes everyone when entering, as well as through the primary colour triangle pendant.

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DETAILS | DARC AWARDS / DECORATIVE

WORK | Green Sand Foundry, UK Submitted by: Enigma Lighting The concept behind the studio space was for the lighting to unite the different work settings and spaces below, each of which has a distinct function and style. The lighting installation is the constant and creates a web effect. The exposed style of the suspension wires and zig-zag joining cables is very true, simple and functional.

The opportunity to select a diverse range of lamp styles and colours also represents the client's cross over between commercial workplace and hospitality design.

SHOP | Hunke Jewellers & Opticians, Germany Submitted by: pfarré lighting design Hunke Jewellers and Opticians is a family business with a long tradition in the town of Ludwigsburg, Germany. The interior design of the new store is a fusion of past and future elements. The aim of the lighting concept was to underline and sharpen this approach and present all products in perfect light. Random arranged spheres of diffuse glass complete the ambiance and serve as illumination for the facial area.

The centre of the store is the two-storey lounge area - dominated by a golden ceiling setback with a bundle of 40 custom made glass pendants in a random arrangement.

BESPOKE |Redwoods Nightlights, New Zealand Submitted by: David Trubridge Studio Redwoods Treewalk and David Trubridge Design have partnered to create an iconic nocturnal tourism experience: the Redwoods Nightlights. Incorporating unique creations; the Nightlights is New Zealand’s first design-led tourism experience. The new nighttime experience offers visitors the opportunity to explore Rotorua’s majestic Redwood forest under the shroud of darkness; illuminated by David Trubridge's bespoke creations to create an immersive and captivating environment. Thirty custom-made creations and a network of lights sees the forest magically come to life.

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FOCAL POINT

focal point EYE-D ISTANBUL, TURKEY Eye-D, designed by Ofist interior designers, is not just designed to be a premium optical shop... It is an art gallery... Or a music venue..

Or a coffee shop.. A meeting point.. More importantly a human experience-based space.

It is welcoming, extraordinary, distinctive and eye catching. It is cosy, user friendly, close to human proportion, easy to relate oneself to and develop an affinity. Based in Istanbul, Turkey, the space makes use of iron frameworks and panels, creating a multi-purpose background that allows for easy arrangements of art, products and more.

The lighting used in the space focuses on functionality to highlight the products or exhibition on show. As part of this, 550 cork yoga blocks hang from the ceiling, with 90 of them including LED light sources, making an even bigger impact in the space.

Image: Ali Bekman

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FOCAL POINT

focal point LE ROCH HOTEL & SPA PARIS, FRANCE The interior design of Le Roch Hotel & Spa was conceived by local Parisian designer Sarah Lavoine as ‘classical luxury with inspired contemporary design’. The restaurant builds the core of this exclusive 5-Star hotel in harmony with the round skylight, while the centre of the room revolves around benches in navy blue velvet, also arranged along the walls.

The skylight is complemented by eyecatching clusters of Formagenda’s Pearls suspension lamps; the elegant brass-ring details of the lights match the brass-rimmed glass tables spread across the room, surrounded by benches and Gubi’s Beetle chairs in blue velvet, green and powder pink. The art of simplicity rather than ostentatious splendor is both the designer’s and the hotel’s conception of luxury. www.sarahlavoine.com www.formagenda.com Image: Francis Amiand

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PROJECT

An Exotic Blend Interior designers Goddard Littlefair worked with Susan Lake Lighting Design to create the perfect mix of vintage travel references and modern-day amenities at the new Principal Hotel, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh.

Image: Gareth Gardner

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Interior design studio Goddard Littlefair has just completed a £25m, top-to-toe transformation of the Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square, formerly The Roxburgh Hotel. The new hotel joins the Principal family of standout, city-centre hotels, each with its own unique treatment and personality, entirely appropriate to its historic building envelope and location.

As the second Principal hotel to be established in Edinburgh, following the opening of Principal Edinburgh, George Street, the remit for the Grade-II listed Charlotte Square covered a complete revamp of all the hotel’s public spaces, including the reception, lounge areas, ballroom and meeting rooms, plus the stunning central ‘Garden’ all-day dining area. All of the hotel’s 181 rooms and 18 suites, plus linking lobbies and corridors, were also completely redesigned.

The scheme also included the creation of a new bar and restaurant offer – BABA, a

new destination hotspot for Edinburgh, masterminded by the culinary team behind Glasgow restaurant Ox and Finch, featuring a Levantine-inspired design feel and menu.

Jo Littlefair, Goddard Littlefair Director and Co-founder, commented on the overall design approach: “Like a cosmopolitan clubhouse, the scheme for Charlotte Square is eclectic, intriguing and full of references to travel – from set-dressing with vintage suitcases, hats and canes to The Map Room, where walls are lined with historic maps from around the world. The interior feel is plush and elegant, with interesting and varied furniture and tactile, high-quality fabrics, such as richly coloured velvets and leathers, all set within a series of stand out individual spaces.”

“Charlotte Square had to differentiate from the newly-opened and already successful sister hotel at George Street, while at the same time, adhering to the key brand principals.” adds Goddard Littlefair’s Creative Director, Richard McCready-Hughes.

“The new Charlotte Square project was therefore given its own aesthetic language to appeal to a slightly different market. We adopted a slightly ‘hipper’ more masculine ‘town house’ vibe and even developed a fictional owner – a well travelled, slightly eccentric Scottish gentleman with a taste for the finer things in life – who informed many design decisions along the way. He became a much-loved mascot for the design, construction and project management teams by the end of the project. It was a fun way of working!”

Guests enter the hotel via a classic original arched entranceway, refurbished with a smart, black-painted door set into a white-painted glazed arch. The sense of being welcomed into a grand old Georgian townhouse prevails. Once inside, a spacious, glazed vestibule provides an area to wait or lounge in. Over to the left, an original fireplace, floor lamps, small tables and Ercol chairs upholstered in rich mustard velvet,

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along with a sisal carpet runner, provide a sense of warmth.

The vestibule space is freshened and contemporised by white marble, herringbone mosaic flooring, which cedes to an ebony timber parquet floor, as guests move into the reception area through a second set of glazed timber and bronze doors. Immediately beyond, hangs an opulent 1.1m-diameter, bespoke pendant light, designed by Goddard Littlefair and produced by A Shade Above in pale, coffee-coloured silk with elaborate black trimming.

The walls here are painted a soft milkchocolate colour, creating an immediate feeling of warmth and intimacy. The space is further softened via the use of full-length deep green velvet curtains, which cleverly subdivide the space and provide a sense of privacy and exclusivity.

“The hotel is made up of several Georgian townhouses that have been knocked together,” continues McCready-Hughes.

“As such, there was a wealth of existing architectural features and eccentricities, which provided us with a very characterful canvas on which to work. The decorative lighting has been used to highlight and in some cases, contrast with the building’s character and reinforces the sense of elements acquired organically over a period of time. We hope they also appear to be a manifestation of someone’s personal style and taste, rather than being part of a uniform and ultra co-ordinated approach so often found in hotels.

“In the public areas the decorative pieces remain eclectic and have been used for more dramatic effect. For example, the bespoke silk pendant fitting already mentioned manages to reflect and be entirely in keeping with the Georgian architecture, but hints at the well-travelled, experienced and exotic.”

The brief for the lighting was to create a considered scheme that was subtle yet emphasised the richness and vibrancy of the

interior finishes, allowing the decorative lighting to take centre stage. For lighting designer Susan Lake (SLLD), working within a Grade II listed building, in a UNESCO world heritage site, gave her team a lot to think about when it came to the internal lighting, using the constraints of the building to their advantage.

“As with the interior design, we designed a scheme that complemented and emphasised the existing historical architecture,” she tells darc. “The Georgian architecture was a wonderful base to work with; it's both dramatic and elegant when lit well. The building has sensational Georgian ceiling plaster moldings in the Salon, Map Room and Library and wonderfully tall windows looking onto leafy Charlotte Square from the front of the Library.

“The decorative lighting works harder than it seems to at first. We wanted it to look like curated items, as if the furniture had been collected by someone over time.”

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Moving over to ‘The Garden’, the hotel’s courtyard, a canopy of assorted light fittings, hang beneath the glazed ceiling and provide a sense of warmth and magic, not unlike candle light. The new garden space is immediately visible from the moment you enter the hotel. Located in a space previously used for pre-function drinks or as a breakout area, The Garden serves as a destination all-day food and beverage space, creating an oasis for local Edinburgh residents, as well as hosting breakfast service for hotel guests.

Originally open to the elements, the central courtyard space has now been reclaimed as part of the hotel’s interior space with the addition of a new glazed roof. With open views of the sky, the space provides the hotel with a much-needed heart and allows comfortable all-year round use. The design for The Garden was inspired by the great hothouses, orangeries and nurseries of grand historic country estates and the

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space has been sub-divided to provide guests with a sense of privacy and intimacy, using reclaimed glazed doors, fretwork screens and metal gates sourced from architectural salvage yards.

In the evening, the space takes on a magical feel, thanks to the ambient lighting scheme, which includes periphery wall lights with an intimate candle-lit feel, while the extensive use of wicker shades reinforces the sense of being in an indoor-outdoor space and casts playful patterns across the walls and floor.

Pretty glass-jar lights with metal floral fittings, multiple-string ‘festoon’ lighting and antiqued metal chandeliers all add to a garden-party vibe. A particularly notable element are the eight, over-scaled drum lampshades around the edges of the space, dressed in a black and white palm tree fabric from Tissues d’Helene.

“We cast the net wide when it came to searching for the right accessories to dress the space with and add personality,” says

Opening spread The Map Room features a stunning lighting display from Janie's Knitted Textiles.

Previous page 1. Once inside, a spacious glazed vestibule provides an area to wait or lounge in, where a 1.1-metre dimaeter bespoke pendant light designed by Goddard Littlefair and produced by A Shade Above hangs. Image: Image: Gareth Gardner.

2. An original fireplace, floor lamps and small table lamps complement Ercol chairs upholstered in rich mustard velvet. Image: Image: Gareth Gardner. 3.

Guests enter the hotel via a classic original arched entranceway, refurbished with a smart, black-painted door set into a white-painted glazed arch. Image: Gavriil Papadiotis 4. The brief for the lighting was to create a considered scheme that was subtle yet emphasised the richness and vibrancy of the interior finishes. Image: Gareth Gardner.

This page 1. The Garden has an array of seating options and features various oversized pendant and floor lamps. Image: Gareth Gardner. 2&3. A deliberately eclectic and varied approach has been taken with all the furnishings in The Garden to give the impression of pieces acquired by the owner of the 'house' over a period of many years. Images: Gavriil Papadiotis. 4. In the evening the space takes on a magical feel thanks to the ambient lighting scheme, which includes periphery wall lights, with an intimate candle-lit feel, while the extensive use of wicker shades reinforces the sense of being in an indooroutdoor space, casting playful patterns across the walls and floor. Image: Gareth Gardner.

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McCready-Hughes. “Extensive trips to antiques markets and dealer fairs provided one-off planters, jardinières, benches, cabinets and garden tools, all of which add to the fashionably eclectic feel of the space.

“Hanging the lighting beneath the glazed roof of The Garden was quite challenging because often there wasn’t a structural support available where we wanted it. It’s an informal space intended to evoke the sense of conservatory and potting shed and so we managed to get around this by hanging ladders transversely between the cross beams and wrapping flexes and chains around these. This enabled us to get the decorative fittings exactly where they are needed to be for maximum effect.”

Lake adds to this telling darc: “We worked around the challenges of the glazed ceiling in The Garden by incorporating mini downlights into the pendants designed by Goddard Littlefair, this compensated for the lack of light in the centre of the room.”

Directly behind the bar area of The Garden, is the pre-function space, which shares

some of the same glazed roof and benefits from a soft glow of light, created by midcentury-inspired table lamps, sitting on the bar counter, while glass and metal lanterns continue the outdoor feel.

This space can be sealed off for functions as it leads directly into The Gallery, where grey-toned woodwork acts as a backdrop for gallery-feel art displays featuring local artists.

Moving on to the new restaurant and cocktail bar – BABA, Goddard Littlefair was asked to provide a step change in terms of the look and feel of the space and this change in approach is immediately apparent. With its own street entrance, signalling the unique identity of the space within, a speciallycommissioned mural of the ‘host’ Mr Baba, based on a vintage photograph, provides the backdrop to the bar counter.

The bar itself has been refurbished with a refinished, dark-stained, timber bar front and re-used zinc bar top, replete with the signs of aging character from its previous life. The bar ceiling is painted in a rich teal tone, with

multiple antique framed mirrors attached to it, reflecting the activity beneath. In terms of lighting, four wall lights with timberpanelled shades from Graypants add further interest by casting shadows and playing with the light; two further examples are also used in the restaurant.

Guests move from the bar to the restaurant via a glazed platform, which allows views over the space before stepping down into it.

At the base of the steps is the restaurant’s show kitchen and dining counter, which is the first in a series of dining spaces that also includes The Map Room, The Salon and The Library, each with a different emphasis.

In the main restaurant space, striking feature lighting includes five sets of bespoke, handforged lights with metal chandelier casings from Made by the Forge, along with 20 pendant lights made up of fret strings along the inner and window sides of the restaurant - these continue into the bar area. All designed by Danish designer Alexandra Raben, there are three more of her designs along the restaurant’s back section and one

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super-sized light in burnt orange over the ‘snug’ seating area.

The Map dining room is characterised by an artwork collection of framed map and vintage travel posters. This is a colourful room, building on the peacock blue anchor colour with oranges and a burst of dark red.

A lighting feature by Janie Knitted Textiles features in the space and is made up of a cluster of twelve lights in three different shapes, with dip-dyed wool shades in blue, orange and grey. The room is ‘clubby’ in feel, but the dining tables are at proper dining height so that the room is also very appropriate for dining.

Moving upstairs to the guest rooms and suites – no two rooms are the same, with bedrooms spread across three locations, the old block, new wing and the ‘wee hoose’. The design treatment for all, centres on comfort, colour and character, with fun and eclectic 'salon hang' artwork in each room.

“Our primary concerns in lighting the guest rooms was to ensure the lighting was both practical and restful and that this could

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be simply and intuitively controlled,” says McCready-Hughes. “We had quite a varied style of rooms to deal with and many had very high ceilings, so decorative pieces were specifically developed to provide scale and interest – particularly in the older parts of the building.”

The old block guestrooms make the most of period details, such as refurbished listed detailing and cornicing. The overall design treatment is a balance between tradition and a more youthful, contemporary feel.

The new wing guestrooms are more uniform in layout and considerable effort was made

by Goddard Littlefair to ensure they had the same sense of character and uniqueness present in the more historic areas of the building.

The ‘wee hoose’ is like a mini hotel-withina-hotel and is spread over four storeys. It has bedrooms with a similar feel, but with a unique bathroom treatment featuring roll-top baths, marble washstands and tiles.

There are two central staircases in this section of the hotel, which both feature a

Previous page 1. The new Baba Restaurant and Bar has a vibrant colour scheme and an industrial, distressed design treatment. Lighting in the space comes from Made By The Forge. Image: Julian Franklin of Franklin + Franklin. 2. The bar has been refurbished with a re-finished, dark-stained, timber bar front and re-used zinc bar top, replete with signs of aging and character from its previous life. Image: Gavriil Papadiotis. This page 1. Lighting brings to life a rich teal ceiling with multiple antique-framed mirrors, reflecting activity beneath. Image: Julian Franklin of Franklin + Franklin. 2&3. In the centre of the restaurant space, a row of banquettes have moveable divider screens, so the seating can be set up in variables of groups of ten. The restaurant's window and back wall features free standing tables with seats upholstered in either a turquoise or aubergine-coloured leather. Huge, shop-front style windows face out from the restaurant onto George St. Lighting again, comes from Made By The Forge.

Images: Gavriil Papadiotis.

Next page No two bedrooms are the same at The Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square. The design treatment for all, centres on comfort, colour and character. All of the guestroom lighting was designed in-house by Goddard Littlefair and produced by Heathfield Lighting. All images: Gareth Gardner.

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bold wall covering by Timorous Beasties, with a light well at the top.

Looking back at the redesign of Charlotte Square, for McCready-Hughes the decorative lighting elements, “add to the sense of character and individuality of the property.

We also hope that some of the them are memorable and create a talking point among guests,” he says. “There was huge pressure to demonstrate the financial viability of this project initially and that meant working in a very collaborative manner with our client to maximise the value of the design as a whole, without compromising the guest experience in any way.

“We’ve always embraced individualism and a sense of eclecticism in our work, but with this project we also had the opportunity to inject some quirkiness and humour too. We love the end result and I feel it perfectly demonstrates our ability as a practice to interpret our client’s brief on an individual basis and deliver a range of aesthetic styles in a fresh and unique manner.”

Lake adds to this, saying: “The decorative lighting is integral to the atmosphere we created throughout. Different layers of light add to the opulence and richness of the interior finishes and furniture; overall, we’ve achieved a subtle, considered scheme

that delicately balances the decorative and architectural lighting aspects.

“The architectural lighting adds soft washes of light in places, bringing the vibrant finishes to life as well as focused and dramatic lighting to architectural features in others. The decorative lighting adds warmth and striking focal points in the spaces, adding charm and personality to the interior.”

Marcello Ventisei, General Manager at the Principal Edinburgh Charlotte Square, commented on the process: “It’s been an incredible journey for the entire team here at the hotel, but we’re incredibly proud to be able to reveal the results of our refurbishment. The new space focuses on bringing one of the city’s most impressive buildings back to life, offering guests the perfect blend of heritage and modernity. The refurbishment allows us to continue to push for excellence in the design and service we provide in one of Edinburgh’s most desirable locations.” www.goddardlittlefair.com www.slld.lighting

design details PRINCIPAL HOTEL CHARLOTTE SQUARE, EDINBURGH, UK CLIENT: STARWOOD CAPITAL ARCHITECTS: 3DREID INTERIOR DESIGN: GODDARD LITTLEFAIR LIGHTING DESIGN: SUSAN LAKE LIGHTING DESIGN

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Mesmerising Mondrian The Mondrian Doha in Qatar is a five-star destination designed by Marcel Wanders and operated by global hospitality company sbe. The interior draws on local knowledge and exhibits innovative materials and techniques, while using bespoke designs and Wanders' signature style to create a truly holistic, sensual and memorable experience.

The Mondrian Doha is the first of three hotels set to open in the Middle East from lifestyle hospitality company sbe.

Introducing the Mondrian brand to the region for the first time, the lavish 270-room hotel has been designed in collaboration with world-renowned Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, along with South West Architecture, which was responsible for the design of the building.

Guests can choose from five distinctive room categories including a penthouse suite, studio suites, one and two bedroom suites and a range of standard guest rooms, all of which share the universal design details of Swarovski crystal chandeliers and sumptuous bespoke furniture hues to mirror the desert.

The hotel incorporates bespoke Marcel Wanders design features with influences from the beauty of local patterns, ornate Arabic writing and historic souks. Standout

elements include giant columns with golden eggs, a ‘tree of life’ comprised of flowers, falcon video art, giant shisha patterned carpets, ornate stained glass and intricate mosaic tiling.

Speaking with darc about his involvement in the project, Wanders says: “I was approached by sbe and Sam Nazarian and they were very involved in the process and clear in what they wanted from the start.

When working so closely with a client you have to position yourself in a unique way.

It has to be totally collaborative, with as little hierarchy as possible. In the case of this project, it was particularly challenging because we were bringing so many elements of the culture and we had to agree on what would be the best representation of the region and the best ways to feature it.

“The opportunity set before us was to create an incredible destination for international and local travellers alike. They

wanted a luxurious destination hotel where all of the guests’ desires would be catered to, as well as a fantastic destination for the locals to experience the culinary venues.

With eight restaurants and bars – some of which are entirely new to Qatar, Middle Eastern cuisine is at the heart of Mondrian Doha’s food and beverage offering, along with internationally renowned chefs.

“The client worked alongside us to help design within this thriving artistic region, brimming with innovation and possibilities.

The challenge was to get people to be on the same page… I allowed everything in the local culture to influence and affect me in a personal way – from customs to clothing styles to architecture and even language.

The region is so rich with heritage that it brought a heightened sense of reverence and responsibility to this project. Design is all about passion and there is no creation without emotion… The end result is a

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destination where guests never have to leave because all of their desires are met.”

The essence of One Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales and stories, has influenced the design of the space, which is detail-orientated and complex, with a number of facets, levels and layers. Structurally the building is shaped like a falcon, with many references to the national bird of Qatar also found inside.

“The client helped us define how the city has grown immeasurably over the past few years, transforming itself from a modest fishing village into a global visionary capital.

With the concept of One Thousand and One Nights storytelling as our guide, we created a hotel that is sensitively rooted in local Arabic culture and the embodiment of Arabia as experienced through a lens that mirrors the modern reality of Doha.”

Within the hotel, guests discover two types of decorative lighting, Wanders and his team included bespoke lighting elements such as the oversized bell lamp in the lobby and the oversized Pillar lamp, alongside this, most of the crystal chandeliers are custom made especially for the project. “As an interpretation of the local culture and art,

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the design includes a custom made local lantern with a modern touch,” continues Wanders. “The project would not be complete without the touch of luxury spark sprinkled throughout the hotel. Aside from providing mood lighting, they are also part of the main feature of the interior space.”

Four main decorative lighting suppliers were partnered with in the design of the Mondrian Doha; Preciosa created most of the customised crystal chandeliers, Moroccan Bazzar furnished all of the local decorative lanterns and lighting; general decorative lighting throughout was created

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by Moooi; and Sia & Moore Architecture were responsible for the Pillar lamp base and shade.

“Regardless of the space in which we are designing, every piece of lighting extends the overall concept,” says Wanders. “This particular project called for a signature feel with international and modern twists. We brought a local feel to a layered experience of beauty, poetry, transparency, complexity and surprise.

“As a whole, the lighting in any interior space we design is meant to guide the guests’ experience. The lighting brings

mood and direction – a visitor’s feelings are informed by the colours, brightness and shadows created. This helps to make guests feel connected to a space and the concept.

Lighting can draw your eye, letting you know what to focus on and what to take away from a room or area experience.

“We crafted the Mondrian Doha to be a contemporary classic, with interior settings that feature everything from locally-inspired fabrics and materials to bespoke items that connect to local culture. Conceptually, we have married local culture with a modern design aesthetic. It is a great feeling when

Opening spread The Mondrian Doha entrance features a custom designed, oversized bell chandelier from Marcel Wanders.

This page 1. The Pillar Lamp by Marcel Wanders greets hotel guests in the atrium. 2. Bespoke made chandeliers adorn the lobby lounge space. 3. One of the standard guest rooms at Mondrian. 4. The female changing room that leads to the hotel's Espa spa.

Next page 1. The pool area continues the hotel's aesthetic. 2. Lee Broom Decanter lights bring the Smoke & Mirror bar to life. 3. The conference hall featuring bespoke made chandeliers. 4. A second look at the Smoke & Mirror bar lighting elements.

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the work is finally completed and you have carried a concept from beginning to end.

“This project was about guests creating their own collection of a thousand stories during their stay. To help them do that, in the lobby they discover an oversized gold leaf bell with a crystal chandelier that celebrates their arrival.

“In the lounge, we’ve placed a surreal white forest highlighted by giant white ‘Trees of Life’; then in the multipurpose hall, three colours adapt intriguing atmospheres. We placed a striking, custom-designed four-level high spiral staircase in the atrium that leads guests up to a viewing platform. In other places, there are giant columns with golden eggs, falcon video art, ornate stained glass and intricate mosaic tiling placed to inspire feelings of nostalgia.

“I’m so proud of the entirety of the project

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and what it means to the people of this region. In staying true to our design and the Mondrian ethos, this hotel has been created to be a fantasy-like environment and a multi-layered sensory experience that at times feels abstract. Each day in this luxury hotel destination will offer a new discovery and the creation of a new memory.” www.marcelwanders.com

design details THE MONDRIAN HOTEL, DOHA, QATAR CLIENT: SBE ARCHITECT: SOUTH WEST ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR DESIGNER: MARCEL WANDERS

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High-End Hygge Interior designers JOI-Design explore high-touch, high-tech hygge at the Radisson Blu Frankfurt.

Images: Simone Ahlers for JOI-Design

Following their previous success creating two signature suites for the Radisson Blu Cologne, interior designers JOI-Design were again commissioned to partner on another exclusive design project, the creation of two high-style companion suites for the brand’s hotel in Frankfurt.

Working together with German design

magazine Wohnidee, JOI-Design’s aim was to create one-of-a-kind hotel suites that would reflect the trends for individual style and residential comfort. Both 80sqm suites have a contemporary, residential feel and an elegant flair - conceived to show how two utterly different ‘on-trend’ design directions, one more traditionally

recognised as feminine and the other more traditionally recognised as masculine, can indulge guests in high-touch, high-tech hygge.

The Modern Serenity suite is awash with powdery shades of pastel blue and antique pink. Soft forms and contemporary Nordicstyle furnishings calm the mind and soothe

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the soul, while a plush sofa and wingback chair beckon guests to snuggle under a blanket with a book, or soak up the thrill of the Frankfurt skyline through full-height glazing. Flooded with natural light, the suite is an ideal nook for working from window seats stretching the width of the rooms. For the decorative lighting elements, JOI-Design chose to use a mixture of pendants, floor and table lamps from various lighting brands including Louis Poulsen; Brokis and Le Klint to add a deeper level of sophistication to the suite.

The Classic Monochrome suite has a ‘handsome’ feel suggestive of a wellappointed haberdashery within an urban loft. Architectural forms and beautifully grained timber combine in furnishings such

as the writing desk and its moulded chair.

As an expression of precision tailoring in its finest form, carefully proportioned patterns like plaid, houndstooth, herringbone and woven linen adorn the chaise lounge, sofa, headboard, rug and floor. Faux fur fabrics and a curvaceous pendant light above the dining table offer a counterpoint that softens the serious ‘suit fabric’ palette of tobacco, cognac, navy and charcoal. The decorative lighting elements in this suite come in much more monochromatic tones and are supplied again by the likes of Le Klint, Louis Poulsen, Brokis and Gubi, to name just a few.

“We were truly lucky that our client, Radisson Blu, trusted us to meet their expectations and provide something ‘out of the box’,” JOI-Design’s Peter Joehnk tells

This page The Modern Serenity suite pictured left is awash with powdery shades of pastel blue and antique pink. Soft forms and contemporary Nordicstyle furnishings calm the mind and soothe the soul, while in the Classic Monochrome suite pictured right, has a handsome feel suggestive of a well-appointed haberdashery with an urban loft.

Next page 1. In the Classic Monochrom suite, carefully proportioned patterns like plaid, houndstooth, herringbone and woven linen adorn the furniture, while faux fur fabrics and a curvaceous pendant light above the dining table offer a counterpoint that softens the serious 'suit fabric' palette of tobacco, congnac, navy and charcoal. 2. In the Modern Serenity suite, the bathroom sees clean and crisp black and white design marry couture with industrial touches. Classic houndstooth wallcovering and clever art frames are complemented with barelamp pendant lights and black iron fixtures.

3. Oligo PL RIO pendant luminaires in copper adorn the bathroom in the Modern Serenity suite. 4. A Louis Poulsen AJ floor lamp brings a soft touch to Modern Serenity. 5. The Brokis Lightline table lamp brings warm pink tones to the Modern Serenity suite.

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darc. “They were quite open-minded, even when we expected to face concerns about practicalities, they either didn’t challenge us and if they did have questions, they were minimal. For example, our wall-mounted newspaper holders were accepted – even though there was a risk that ink and hands would smudge the wall and need to be cleaned and repainted more frequently.

“As the suites were integrated within an existing building, our aim was to change as few electrical points as possible, which meant our designs included several decorative lamps whose plugs could be connected to existing sockets. Having individual, free-standing fixtures also helped us achieve the personalised home-like cosiness we envisioned for our concepts.

In this specific case, we were responsible for the lighting design, where as we would normally work with a lighting designer.

“Our primary focus was to choose stateof-the-art light fixtures whose modern,

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individual designs would help the rooms feel more like comfortable private residences versus conventional hotel suites. We treated the lamps as decorative features that helped bring our overall vision for the design to life. Our focus for the suites was to create a highly specialised design that truly came from our imaginations and with very little client influence.

“Usually we present our design concept and then a debate follows in which we make compromises – not only for practical and functional reasons – but also for the personal tastes of other people who can’t differentiate a hotel guest’s specific requirements and what they want for living rooms in their own homes.

“I would be a bad designer if I said there wasn't room for improvement. but overall I am happy with the results - the final atmosphere is exactly what we set out to achieve.” www.joi-design.com

design details RADISSON BLU, FRANKFURT, GERMANY CLIENT: RADISSON HOTELS ARCHITECTS: HP DEVELOPMENTS INTERIOR ARCHITECTS & LIGHTING: JOI-DESIGN

lighting specified - MODERN SERENITY BROKIS LIGHTLINE TABLE LAMP HARTO NINA TABLE LAMP LE KLINT CARRONADE FLOOR LAMP LE KLINT CARRONADE 260 WALL & TABLE LAMPS LOUIS POULSEN CIRCUE PENDANTS LOUIS POULSEN PH5 PENDANTS LOUIS POULSEN AJ FLOOR LAMP OLIGO PL RIO PENDANTS OLIGO TUDOR SURFACED MOUNTED CEILING OLIGO KUULA TABLE LAMP - CLASSIC MONOCHROME LE KLINT UNDERCOVER PENDANTS GUBI GROSSMAN COBRA WALL LIGHTS TINGOLIVING TRIPOD FLOOR LAMP LE KLINT 354 MUTATIO TABLE LAMP BROKIS MUFFINS MINI TABLE LAMP LE KLINT CACHE FLOOR LAMP LOUIS POULSEN NJP WALL LIGHTS OSRAM LEDVANCE PENDANT LUMINAIRES

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New Goals in Hospitality Designers KSS worked with Enigma Lighting to provide a high-end interior and lighting design for the prestigious new members only club, One Twenty at Wembley stadium.

Images: Adrian Lambert

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Opening spread Ebb & Flow Lute pendants supplied by Holloways of Ludlow in complementing colour ways make a statement in the One Twenty members lounge.

This page 1.Big Gary Floor Light by Porada. 2.

Bespoke brass/ocean blue finish tubes from Enigma Lighting + Coolfin suspended fittings in Ocean Blue from Dark.be 3. LED filament lamps by Enigma Lighting. 4. A second installation of the Lute pendants from Ebb & Flow. 5. Marble Light SV5 & SV3 pendants by &tradition, supplied by Holloways of Ludlow. 6. Bespoke pendant supplied by Portview Ltd using Enigma Lighting LED filament lamps.

7. The Mami table lamp by Penta Lighting, supplied

by Chaplins & Latitude.

UK-based architecture and design company, KSS was recently armed with the task of creating an exclusive members club experience within Club Wembley at England’s national football stadium, delivering a new benchmark in football hospitality.

With just 120 members One Twenty is the most prestigious club in Wembley’s history.

A new hallmark in football hospitality where members can expect service and experiences like no other. Whether members choose to relax in the luxury of the lounge, grab a drink in the bar or enjoy a memorable meal in the restaurant. These stylish, contemporary spaces are there to be indulged in.

Curating the complete guest experience – right down to the menus – ensured a ‘one of a kind’ experience. The ‘club within

a club’ is the first hospitality upgrade at Wembley in ten years and was delivered while the stadium remained fully operational throughout construction.

From the beginning, KSS engaged in extensive consultation with Club Wembley to design a space that takes the traditional hospitality experience to a new level. From the rich tone of colours used throughout the lounge, the scale and presence of the bar area and the small, intimate dining rooms in the restaurant, One Twenty is truly an exploration of the visual senses.

In terms of the lighting throughout the space, having previously worked with KSS on a number of hospitality projects, including the successful lighting design for Liverpool FC at the new Main Stand concourse areas, Enigma Lighting was brought on board to

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produce a scheme that provided general and decorative lighting within specific areas of the members club.

“After spending time to fully understand the design vision of KSS and the inclusion of bespoke and decorative lighting, our task was to produce a lighting design that met the challenges of this prestigious project,” says Enigma’s Paul Shoosmith. “Working closely with KSS, we agreed there needed to be a good balance of general and decorative lighting and good communication enabled effective installation of the right products, with key choices of individual fittings made

by KSS.” Along with bespoke lighting pieces from Enigma Lighting, decorative lighting products specified for the members club included the Lute pendants from Ebb & Flow and Marble

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collection from &tradition - supplied by Holloways of Ludlow; as well as Mami wall and table lights from Penta Lighting; and the Long John pendants from Rubn, which were all supplied by Chaplins & Latitude.

Belgium-based lighting company Dark.be supplied their Coolfin suspended fittings and a Big Gary floor lamp from Porada features in the lounge space.

“We were delighted with the overall final impression. The balance of the two lighting elements worked superbly well in creating a stunning environment. While it involved many people in the decision process, it was a positive experience as everyone was working towards delivering an exceptional project.” www.kssgroup.com www.enigmalighting.com

design details ONE TWENTY CLUB, WEMBLEY STADIUM, UK CLIENT: THE FA INTERIOR DESIGN: KSS LIGHTING DESIGN: ENIGMA LIGHTING

lighting specified FEATURE BESPOKE LIGHTING BY ENIGMA LIGHTING &TRADITION MARBLE SV3 & SV5 PENDANTS DARK.BE COOLFIN SUSPENDED FITTINGS ENIGMA LIGHTING LED FILAMENT LAMOS EBB & FLOW LUTE PENDANTS PENTA LIGHTING MAMI WALL LIGHTS & TABLE LIGHTS PORADA BIG GARY FLOOR LIGHT RUBN LONG JOHN PENDANT

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An Emotional Relationship In celebration of International Women’s Day, Helen Ankers spoke exclusively to one of the leading ladies of light, Lindsey Adelman about her influences and career to date.

Since the start of her career in 1996, New York native, Lindsey Adelman, has been considered one of the leading ladies of light. After founding her own studio in 2006, she has expanded to over 40 employees and to this day continues to be both challenged and fascinated by the elusive quality of light. In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, darc spoke exclusively to Adelman about her career to date, her influences and current trends in lighting.

Growing up in the suburbs of New York, Adelman’s exposure to art and design was limited to her Marimekko bed sheets and knowing who artist Morris Lewis was and so, the idea of working in industrial design didn’t come until much later.

“I wasn’t really aware of designers growing up,” says Adelman. “It was the 70’s and there weren’t that many compared to today – now in New York it seems everyone is a designer. When I was younger, I knew what an artist was and so I thought that’s what I would be when I grew up.”

Influenced in many ways by her friends and family, Adelman tells darc how her best friend’s unconventional home life had a strong influence on her: “Her dad was an art dealer and there were a lot of Morris Lewis paintings in their home and I think that unconventional home life and career

influenced me in a way that I’m not fully conscious of… I think that by osmosis, it affected me. They had about six dogs, snakes and guinea pigs and my home life was very different - everything was very neat and tidy and we were expected to be well behaved and quiet.

“From a design perspective, my mom was an interior decorator, so I understood the industry a little bit. She would go to the D&D building (Decoration and Design building) in Manhattan and come home with fabric samples. I had an idea of what that meant, so I think that exposure was also really informative.

“I didn’t really know much about industrial design until after my English Literature degree. I thought it sounded like such an interesting career because it was similar to sculpture but more employable and I thought it would be a much more predictable way to make a living. I liked that I could interact with an audience compared with being an artist, which felt much more risky and lonely.”

After realising her passion for industrial design, Adelman applied to the Rhode Island School of Design in her 20’s, where she studied industrial design and found herself influenced by designers such as Ingo Maurer and his idea of using light and matter. After graduating Adelman moved to Seattle with

her now husband where she started her career in lighting before moving back to New York to begin working with notable designer David Weeks.

“We founded a company together called ‘Butter’, which did really simple origami inspired light fixtures,” she continues.

“They were really affordable so it was great for us in terms of exposure. We got to a place where we were going to have to start manufacturing overseas to make a living and we didn’t want to do that so we closed the company.”

It was at this point in her career that Adelman made the decision to take a step back from the industry and start a family.

“I had my son in 2004 and didn’t work for a couple of years,” she says. “I was really doubting if I wanted to stay in design at that time because I wasn’t really enamoured with the industry and I was motivated by competition, which felt really unhealthy. I wanted my work to come from a much purer place.

“When I re-entered the industry with my own studio, I kept my intentions in check, honoured my ideas, was doing my best work and didn’t rush. I wasn’t putting a lot of work out there just because I could… It was really about whether I could quality check everything and I ask myself, ‘Can I really be good to my clients?’, I didn’t want to get

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ahead of myself and go too fast.”

By taking time out and disconnecting from the industry, Adelman was able to develop a new perspective on lighting and design.

“It’s so good to constantly step back and ask questions,” she says. “Why does it have to be this way? How else could it be? How do I want to live my life? How do I want my design experience to be? What am I curious about? It’s always really good to question that stuff and even if you don’t know how you can change it, just know that you want to change it.”

For Adelman, lighting has always been her chosen form of design, enabling her to combine her interest of quantum physics and mechanics with her passion for creating innovative pieces by experimenting with different materials and form.

“When I was starting out, I saw so much possibility to invent something that I hadn’t seen before in lighting and that was the draw. I’m able to dream bigger now… I’m still challenged by the elusive quality of lighting - grains of light, particles vibrating faster than the thing that’s holding it. When you’re working with something like glass as a light fixture, it’s about how that reflects and refracts the light. You’re looking at this immaterial substance, how to place it and the idea that one fixture places points of light and kind of reinvents the formula to get it there. I find it endlessly creative.

“Light affects the quality of life in the room and I’m deeply and emotionally affected by light without a doubt. I find that I am emotionally depressed in a room that feels like a hospital or an office, it doesn’t

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matter what the room is. My favourite light comes from candles – they are definitely the most magical.”

Having worked in lighting design for more than two decades, Adelman has observed many reoccurring trends, telling darc: “A lot of lighting looks as though it’s influenced by a handful of designers. I love the work of Michael Anastassiades; the standards he sets for himself are so high and his original collections are so masterful, that we see so many people trying to emulate that work. And they can’t get it… they’ll never get it. They’re not topping what he’s doing - they’re not going to top what he does. As well as this, an emerging designer that I get to work with every day and love, is Mary Wallis. I love the tragic beauty and a feeling of self-

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destructive diva drama in her work.”

Adelman also insists that lighting design isn’t always as straight forward as it seems and that designers should spend more time discovering their own voice. “I think when people look at a light they think ‘that doesn’t look hard, I could become a lighting designer’ and they try and they do, but I think all of these designers have the potential of really discovering their own voice, thinking about their original authenticity and what they want to bring to this world of lighting.

“Even after 20 years, my work is still really challenging me and I still have ideas that I can’t nail yet. I still haven’t got exactly what I want yet and this is probably true for all designers.”

When asked about her experience as a

woman working within the world of design, Adelman reveals her experience has been nothing but positive and in some cases has even worked to her advantage, saying: “It’s a terrible thing to say but I think if anything it’s helped me... there’s been times where I know a curator might have a handful of male designers and I’ve been picked because they need a female designer as well!

“The statistics that you see about fewer women heading up design companies comes down to this… and it may be controversial to say, it may not… but I believe it’s true that women are still the ones who are primarily raising children and there are a lot of women out there who want to raise children. I look at my fourteen-year-old and I see my role as raising a leader of the future - that’s my priority.

1&2. Lindsey working in the hot shop. 3. Branching Burst Chandelier in oil rubbed bronze in clear colourway. 4. Detail from The Edge of What We Know exhibition at Design Miami. 5. Custom Branching Disc Chandelier in brushed brass with porcelain shades.

All images: Lauren Coleman.

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“In my career I’m not looking for accolades or external accomplishments, I’m not under the illusion that around the next corner there’s going to be something to improve my quality of life because that happens when I’m experimenting and being hands on with materials... collaborating with different artisans and having a breakthrough moment in the process.

“You can’t ‘job out’ motherhood. There are lots of things you pass on because you want to be at home in the evenings, you don’t want to travel as much… It’s hard work being a mom and a wife but I want to spend my time doing it and it’s deeply satisfying

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and I know that I would regret it if it were different. I think that’s one of the reasons there aren’t as many women heading up companies, but they’re affecting leadership on a much deeper level by being mothers.”

In terms of a ‘design eye’ and how men and women differ in the workplace, for Adelman she sees that men and women do have different design approaches and the way in which they experience light.

“I read some really interesting articles about how women experience light differently to men,” she says. “It said women are more sensitive to the spectrum of light and I’ve experienced that personally… My comments

1. Cherry Bomb Fringe installation - interior by Claude Missir. 2. Agnes 10 Chandelier in bronze with white glass. Image: Lauren Coleman. 3. Ceramic vessels by Lindsey Adelman. Image: Lauren Coleman.

4. Catch Chandelier in brushed brass with milky glass. Image: Lauren Coleman.

LAB EDITION

BY NAO TAMURA

Italian Made I London Based Fuorisalone 2018 – Istituto dei Ciechi, Via Vivaio 7 | 17th / 22nd April wonderglass.com

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about light quality are completely different to a man talking about the same light in the same room. I find women are also motivated by different factors, there’s a tonne of community and collaboration among women.

The process is more subtle and more of a spiral rather than a line.”

In terms of notable projects, while for the outside world looking in, there have been many, for Adelman it’s about what’s next, rather than what’s been before: “I’m working out of my home studio looking up at this mobile light… It’s a prototype piece and I would say this is the one this is the stand out moment, because I haven’t made the next one yet… I’m always thinking about the next piece and about work in progress.

I don’t have a relationship with work that’s finished.”

Continuing to look ahead, one of Adelman’s next launches will be at Salone del Mobile

in Milan in April. Sharing a space with Calico Wallpaper, the designer will launch the lighting system Drop, which can be specified by interior designers and architects for different feelings or rooms. “It can be very minimal for one configuration or it can feel super over the top and elaborate but using the same system,” she says. “It took a while to figure out so I’m super excited to launch it.”

Constantly engrossed with her next project and always forward-thinking, Adelman will continue to inspire the men and women of design, constantly pushing boundaries through experimentation and innovative use of light. www.lindseyadelman.com

Renderings of Drop System Chandelier, which will be showcased at Salone del Mobile this year, in antique brass and verdigris. Designed to be anything from a minimal configuration of one to an over the top and elaborate lighting piece, it makes use of the same workable system.

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No Woman Left Behind The Wing was born out of the belief that women need and deserve a multi-purpose space designed to make their lives easier, and that magic is created when women gather together. darc spoke with interior designer Chiara de Rege about her involvement in this very special project.

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Founded in 2016 and built upon the Women’s Club movement of the 19th Century, The Wing’s mission is to create a space for women to advance their pursuits and build a community together.

Interior designer Chiara de Rege has been involved since the beginning of the project and with a new location just opened in Brooklyn and one set for Washington later this year, darc spoke with de Rege about her work on the SoHo, New York location.

Originally built in 1890 as a manufacturing warehouse, the SoHo location allows for even more women to join The Wing community in a space three times the size of the original Flatiron location. The Wing SoHo offers the same flexible working environment that the brand is known for: open layouts, private nooks and a light-filled atmosphere and is infused with bolder jewelled-tone colours throughout, designed by an all-female team as a tribute to the fierce feminine

powers that will fill the space. Alongside de Rege, the women who led the project include architect Alda Ly and a team of graphic designers led by Emily Oberman at Pentagram.

“When I met the guys at The Wing I loved their vision and we really connected,” de Rege tells darc. “At the first location – Flatiron – it felt more like I was curating different creative directions they both had, while at the second location in SoHo I was out on my own more and I drew inspiration from things I had seen during Milan Design Week. The architecture of the space in SoHo also really informed the design, I was lucky that the founders trusted me to just get on with it.”

The space at The Wing SoHo combines many elements and with conference rooms named after favourite fictional female characters such as Ramona Quimby and The Golden Girls’ Blanche Devereaux, the 10,000sqft

space also offers half-a-dozen phone booths and private offices, which are all available to rent. Designed with women’s needs in mind, the amenities include showers, lockers, a nap room and a beauty room, featuring custom wallpaper by illustrator Joana Avillez and Flat Vernacular’s Payton Turner - both founding members of The Wing.

Elsewhere in the space, The Wing has partnered with the founders of Strand Bookstore to curate an all-female lending library with over 2,000 titles, ranging from feminist theory to contemporary women’s fiction, and includes a collection of new works from The Feminist Press, one of The Wing’s literary and programming partners.

There is also a gallery of works by prominent female artists curated by Wing member and collaborator Lolita Cros. Artists include Alba Hodsoll, Alice Lancaster, Angelica Hicks, Carly Burnell, Devra Freelander, Esther Sibiude, Kim McCarthy, Lana Barkin, Leanne Shapton,

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Linnéa Gad, Louise Parker, Marilyn Minter, Pamela Hanson, Rebecca Dayan, Sophia Narrett, Taryn Simon and Tschabalala Self.

The Perch is the in-house café at SoHo, offering an extended seasonal menu featuring food, wine and cocktails made by female chefs, sommeliers and mixologists.

“When you enter Wing Soho it is flooded with light and I relied heavily on the lighting to define the different areas – what was a work space and what was a more elevated glamorous living room,” says de Rege. “So we used lots of layers of lighting just in the first room…not only defining commercial and residential spaces but formal to informal.

“The decorative lighting elements at The Wing are pretty fun because, true to the vision of SoHo, there’s a lot of workspace with lounge like living space and so obviously, we wanted to be certain there was accurate lighting for all the big tasks people would be working on. We worked with Bold Lighting

who helped us figure out all the task lighting and the recessed architectural lighting, which creates a really pretty wash of light up against the wall.”

Decorative lighting pieces used throughout the space come from the likes of Atelier de Troupe, Tom Dixon, Lindsey Adelman, Roll & Hill, Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, Cedar & Moss and Schoolhouse Electric.

“Lighting can really create such an important ambience,” continues de Rege. “And the decorative lighting elements were really fun to work with because we were trying to create this elegant residential feel to certain areas in the space. The decorative elements were all really important to warm the spaces up and make it more home like and less commercial.

“The Wing is such a fun project! The clients are two very strong interesting women with a great aesthetic and I was very inspired by the project and enjoyed the process immensely

– it was very different to residential or hospitality projects that I’m used to working on.

“The architecture at SoHo was so special and really stood out to me, it made the project what it was. It has these massive skylights and loft windows that just let the light pour in.

“What’s been so much fun about this project so far is that although it’s the same women’s club, with the same ethos and there’s a common thread – each location has it’s own identity with lots of layers and lighting has been a very significant aspect for each of the locations.” www.alda-ly.com www.chiaraderege.com

KNOT by Chiaramonte Marin, 2016

PURO SPARKLE MINIMALISTIC DESIGN OPULENT IMPACT

Caroline Calvert contact for UK caroline@calvertagency.uk +44 777 923 8778

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BROKIS +420 587 211 517 info@brokis.cz www.brokis.cz

The multiple tubes of matt opal or smoke grey glass radiate outward in diffuse light for a magical interior ambience and dynamic. The Sparkle pendant light come in 3 sizes and the in the larges composition create an amazing lighting object reaching almost 2,5 m.

Design by Lucie Koldova

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design details THE WING, SOHO NYC, USA ARCHITECT: ALDA LY INTERIOR DESIGN: CHIARA DE REGE LIGHTING CONSULTANTS: BOLD LIGHTING GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: EMILY OBERMAN, PENTAGRAM

lighting specified ATELIER DE TROUPE CEDA & MOSS CRAFTCODE LADIES & GENTLEMENT STUDIO LINDSEY ADELMAN STUDIO ROLL & HILL SCHOOLHOUSE ELECTRIC TOM DIXON

Images When you enter The Wing SoHo, New York, it is flooded with light. Interior designer Chiara de Rege relied heavily on the lighting to define the different areas - what was a work space and what was a more elevated glamorous living room.

Layers of light were used to define the commercial and residential spaces and the formal and informal.

The architecture of the space in SoHo also really informed the design, which combines many elements - conference rooms, private offices and so on, that can all be hired out.

Designed with women's needs in mind the amenities include showers, lockers, a nap room and a beauty room.

Decorative lighting pieces used throughout the space come from the likes of Atelier de Troupe; Tom Dixon; Lindsey Adelman; Roll & Hill; Ladies & Gentlemen Studio; Cedar & Moss and Schoolhouse Electric.

CHIARA DE REGE Since establishing her Manhattan based firm in 2010, Chiara de Rege is recognised for creating an impressive range of residential and commercial interiors. She brings a detail-oriented focus to every aspect of her projects and enjoys working with different aesthetics, tailoring her designs to create consistently unique environments. de Rege's appreciation for interior design was sparked while travelling between New York City and Italy during her childhood. Her first career at Vogue magazine, where she worked as an editor and stylist, allowed De Rege to seamlessly transition to interiors, working at such design firms as Molly Isaksen Interiors, Nickey Kehoe, and Suzanne Rheinstein. During this time, she gained invaluable experience and exposure to a vast resource of internationally acclaimed craftsmen, artists and dealers.

Whether designing a celebrity’s home in the Hollywood Hills, a polished Upper East Side apartment, a contemporary urban loft, corporate offices in both New York city and Los Angeles, an all women’s membership club, retail stores or several upscale city restaurants, she delivers unparalleled service and superior design acumen. All of her projects share a timeless sensibility brought to life with a mix of modern and traditional furnishings - many custom-designed for each project. de Rege often goes well beyond the normal scope, by designing custom stationary, linens, amenities, dinnerware, flatware and libraries, and also works extensively on branding concept and design for each of her commercial projects. De Rege has clients across the US, including California, Connecticut, New York, and Washington, D.C.

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The Wonder of Working with Light Constantina Tsoutsikou has worked on award-winning projects around the globe in her role managing the creative direction of HBA London’s hospitality interior design projects, here, she shares how light fis both fascinating and integral to her designs.

Constantina Tsoutsikou manages the creative direction of HBA London’s hospitality interior design projects and began her career as a designer for Estée Lauder’s beauty brands. Australian-born and raised in Greece, she holds a BA (Hons) from the Technological Educational Institute in Athens, Greece, and an MA in the Built Environment, Interior Design, from University of the Arts London.

Since joining the studio twelve years ago, she has worked on award-winning projects around the globe. From luxury hotels to exclusive spas, her talents have been integral to the success of destinations such as the Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, which garnered widespread praise for its innovative approach in establishing a new benchmark for airport hotels.

In addition, Tsoutsikou’s passion for wellness has infused her concepts for esteemed luxury spas throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia. From spaceplanning to meticulously designing the finest details, she has created nurturing environments at the Raffles Istanbul Zorlu Center; the ESPA RitzCarlton Macau and the ESPA at The Europe in Killarney, Ireland.

Currently, the studio is working on the design of the St. Regis Marrakech, Piramal Aranya luxury residences in Mumbai and the Waldorf Astoria Doha; the renovation of a celebrity restaurant in London’s Marylebone; and, in Croatia, the conversion of an historic bank in central Zagreb into a boutique hotel. In addition, the team has just completed The Orient Jerusalem by Isrotel Exclusive Collection.

Here, she talks darc through her experience of creating atmosphere with light...

The ability of light to inspire emotional reactions has always fascinated me. As an interior designer, it’s a vital part of my ‘toolkit’ that, like pattern and texture, brings richer dimensions to hospitality and residential spaces. Together with form and colour, illumination completes the essential framework of spatial design and is one of the first things I consider when imagining how an atmosphere will make people feel.

Understanding how to create the right mood is a high-tech team effort between lighting designers, architects, engineers, façade specialists and interior designers.

A cooperative coordination of services and engineering leads to a stronger process for bringing a shared vision to life and results in a higher quality of design, operations and user experience. I feel fortunate to have worked on international projects with toplevel partners, in settings where expertise is valued regardless of gender. Internally, HBA also has a culture where strong, creative women and men have equal opportunities to bring their talents to project teams.

Our London-based studio approaches interior design as a journey - a sequence of events, moods and atmospheres that flow seamlessly as guests move from one area to the next, and from the activity of the public spaces to the quieter calm of the guestrooms. Lighting effects always amplify the feelings we aim to instil. I like to use light to balance or accentuate special finishes and architectural lines, and focus it to create pathways that invite people to explore. When it comes to functional fixtures, my preference is to hide or disguise the sources whenever possible, and for large-scale decorative installations, to treat them as part of the overall ‘choreography’

that brings movement and rhythm to the ambience, as seen for example in the threestorey chandelier that hangs in the centre of the dramatic spiral staircase in the lobby of our recently completed project, The Orient Jerusalem by Isrotel Exclusive Collection.

With the ESPA at the Raffles Istanbul Zorlu Center, we found inspiration in the Bosphorous strait that weaves together the city’s Occidental and Oriental worlds, and used the concept of flowing water to connect various zones within the spa. One of the highlights is a long swimming pool within a soaring atrium framed by windows and a skylight. We designed a vast ‘floating’ light installation made from handblown iridescent glass discs and cubes hung at varying lengths from the ceiling. The sunrays that filter through create a sparkle and emphasise a sense of freedom and airiness, as if guests are swimming amongst the swirls of bubbles in flowing water currents.

Whenever I start a new project, my goal is to make the best use of any natural light available. You can never completely recreate the warmth, the sense of joy and the life that sunshine brings to a space, so I always try every possible avenue before completely blocking out daylight. In fact, prioritising this can inspire the direction for a space’s entire design concept. At The Orient, two exquisite 19th Century Templar houses were restored and reinvented as a collection of luxury guestrooms, with the addition of a modern, nine-storey building, which features an elegant rooftop pool and bar. For the subterranean guestrooms in the heritage buildings, we realised that the sunlight streaming through the tiny, black iron-framed windows at street level would create a ‘monastic’ feel that

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emphasises the history of this special place.

This helped shape our decision to use a neutral, understated palette that lets the architectural form stand out and creates a sense of serenity.

Conventionally seen as a feminine trait, the concept of ‘wellness’ is increasingly accepted as beneficial for everyone, and is now an essential consideration when designing a space. Getting light levels right in hotel bedrooms is particularly important because it affects people’s circadian rhythms. Sleeping and waking at the right times is crucial to giving business travellers and holidaymakers - who may already be fighting jetlag - enjoyable experiences.

Disturbing these patterns can have a

profound effect on mood, productivity and health, and being able to wake up and start the morning in natural light helps people feel their best. We like to allow ambient natural light into the bathroom whenever possible, and then use artificial light for focused tasks. It’s important that lighting helps people feel good about themselves. For instance, at The Orient, sheers covering a large window next to a freestanding bathtub provides privacy and soft, flattering illumination for easing into the day.

In this hotel’s spa, we combined natural light with textures to create a tranquil atmosphere that feels modern yet connected to the ancient landscape. Picking

up on the angularity of the rough-hewn lava stone feature wall next to the indoor pool is a sculptural skylight with crystalline facets, some glazed and others with golden metal cladding. The effect is a gentle, diffused quality of light that accentuates the irregular, staggered wall surfaces during the day, and at night, reveals the moon and twinkling stars. Dimmed illumination levels automatically slow down the body so it relaxes, a technique that works well in spas like this one, as well as in corridors where at night guests shift from high-energy public areas to quiet bedrooms, and during early mornings, transition into their busy lives.

The shape and style of decorative fixtures

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bring personality to a project, too. Examples of this can be seen in a project we’ve just completed, a Sales Pavilion for Piramal Aranya, a new, 62-storey prime residential development within a 60-acre historic botanical garden in the heart of Mumbai.

In the three-bedroom show apartment, stylish statement pieces reflect the natural, organic feel of the lush tropical surroundings, as seen for instance with the brass floor lamp whose three large ‘leaves’ sparkle in the sunshine to create a dramatic flair. We also included the iconic Dornstab luminaire designed by J.T. Kalmar in 1947 to have a gracefully curved black ‘stem’ that allows its shade to be positioned at different heights.

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lights are specified, we can often customise them to introduce a distinct, tailored look.

While working on the Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol I had the pleasure of designing from scratch the small SL01 series of lamps carried by rewired.dk, the independent brand under the helm of Danish lighting maker Frandsen Project.

The collaboration resulted from many hours of work, sketches, mock-ups and onsite installations we did for other fixtures in the hotel. We started with a few variations of existing designs in their portfolio and then one bespoke piece after another, which resulted in numerous unique installations throughout the 433-bedroom hotel.

My vision for the SL01 collection was to create a design that encourages

1. The ESPA at the Raffles Istanbul Zorlu Center, finds inspiration in the Bosphorous strait that weaves together the city’s Occidental and Oriental worlds, and used the concept of flowing water to connect various zones within the spa. Image: Eric Laignel.

2. A three-storey chandelier hangs in the centre of the dramatic spiral staircase in the lobby at the recently completed, The Orient Jerusalem by Isrotel Exclusive Collection.

3. The sales pavilion for Piramal Aranya, a new, 62-storey prime residential development within a 60-acre historic botanical garden in the heart of Mumbai. It features stylish statement pieces that reflect the natural, organic feel of the lush tropical surroundings. This is seen through the brass floor lamp whose three large ‘leaves’ sparkle in the sunshine to create a dramatic flair.

Next page 1. The Hilton hotel, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, The Netherlands features a series of unique installations of lamps designed by Constantina Tsoutsikou in collaboration with rewired. dk. Image: William Price.

2. One of the guest rooms at The Orient Jerusalem by Isrotel Exclusive Collection.

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contemplation, a lamp that works best in cosy spaces with a calm, silent ambience – perfect for the guestrooms in an airport hotel where people want to retreat from the commotion outside. The collection has a Nordic aesthetic with clean lines, good, sturdy craftsmanship, and even switched off, it emanates a quiet aura.

Of course, designing with light is also playing with shadows. On the one hand, they inform our brains about shape, distance, position, texture, and other physical and tactile qualities. And on the other, shadows are mysterious, organic, romantic, fascinating... they make us dream! I wove this idea into the design of the ESPA Ritz-Carlton Macau, particularly its dimly lit relaxation and reflexology lounges. Our aim was to convey the languid aura of a clandestine, old-world opium den, with theatrical shadows created by carefully concealed spotlights in the ceiling and the pagoda frames, which amplify the ethereal ambience. A Japanese author I admire, Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, has inspired my appreciation for the power of shadows to create moody drama and atmosphere. In his book In Praise of Shadows he says: “If light is scarce then light is scarce; we will immerse ourselves in the darkness and there discover its own particular beauty.” The wonder of working with light and shadow is their power to paint a dynamic atmosphere that can completely transform according to factors such as the time of day, the weather conditions or the mood to be created. The only boundary is a designer’s imagination! www.hba.com

One Product, Multiple Mesmerising Effects MADE IN THE UK vexica.com

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Luxurious Light Based in the exclusive Talan Towers, a high-end, mixed-use development in the capital of Kazakhstan, Nulty recently completed work on Selfie and MOKKI, two restaurants located in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Astana.

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ANNA SANDGREN Anna Sandgren is originally from northern Sweden – where the summer months see almost round-the-clock sunlight, while during winter you’re lucky if you get even a smidgen of Vitamin D. Growing up in this sort of environment, Sandgren has almost an innate appreciation of the effects of light on people’s experiences and emotions.

She also happens to have an instinctive sense of style and design – supplemented with years of study towards some of the country’s most highly regarded arts qualifications.

At Nulty she’s known for emphasising the importance of “function” in its lighting designs, and for keeping the bar exceptionally high.

Situated on the left bank of Astana, in the heart of the business district, forming the background of the main square, the Talan Towers have become an iconic landmark for the city, setting a new hospitality benchmark and providing a world-class destination for business and leisure.

Working alongside UK-based design studio Blacksheep, lighting design practice Nulty has created two individual lighting design concepts: one for the all-day dining destination, Mokki and the other for the exclusive sky bar, Selfie.

“We worked on this project for three, almost four years,” Nulty’s Associate Lighting Designer, Anna Sandgren, tells darc.

“Our clients were the property developers and were very much involved. With the brief being quite strict; Ritz Carlton know what they want and what defines their brand so it was very much tailored to them, hospitality areas use light in a very different way.

We created a bright and welcoming space within MOKKI, highlighting surfaces and playing with textures and finishes, whereas the Selfie bar and restaurant needed a scheme that created mood and drama

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adding to the exclusivity of the space.”

The final result is a warm, luxurious, highend restaurant and sky bar boasting stunning views of the Astana skyline.

All-day restaurant MOKKI is located on the third floor of the luxury development and features a large open space encompassing different zones such as a bakery, deli and grill. The bakery space is adorned with gold Italian marble with brass inlay details and a bronze mirror front façade perfectly complementing the theatrical charcoal-burning grill visible from the hotel’s entrance. The elevated main dining area at the heart of MOKKI is characterised by a curved timber dropped ceiling in millennial pink illuminated by trackmounted spotlights, positioned within the soffit above, which allows the light to graze through the timber fins creating movement and intrigue whilst highlighting key areas of the restaurant and providing a striking focal point. A feature wall wraps the perimeter of the space with carefully positioned LED lights integrated behind, washing light up to create a subtle perimeter horizon.

Low-level lighting has been added to the

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shelves within the bakery and deli, with integrated LED’s in the joinery to illuminate the produce. Complementing the clean architecture of the various spaces, a brass through trough is incorporated into the ceiling to form a grid system, allowing a consistent design aesthetic to flow throughout. Surface mounted spotlights are nestled within the trough to provide general illumination, whilst suspended brass rails allow beams of soft light to graze the marble counters below.

The exclusive Selfie bar and restaurant is located on the 18th floor of the tower, where the space boasts spectacular panoramic views of the city’s skyline, framed by floorto-ceiling windows.

The extraordinary ambience is created through a rich palette of jet-black marble, mahogany wood, velvet and copper, which continues throughout the space. The dark interior design is lifted by high ceilings that feature deep recessed downlights to provide an intriguing dining space. The lighting is purposely refined throughout to encourage intimacy and emphasise the breath-taking views.

The back of the restaurant features a slate marble wall installation trimmed with copper edges and illuminated by integrated LED’s to pick up the texture in the interior and provide additional depth to the space.

Mahogany wood columns punctuate the external wall of the restaurant and have been washed with light from above to highlight the rich material palette while decorative copper pendants are suspended throughout the dining space to create additional drama and contrast, while exuding a warm intimate glow for guest sitting below.

The bar has been backlit by illuminated light sheets to create a stunning backdrop that picks up the glint in the wine bottles and provides a visually exciting display.

The result of this thoughtful and measured design is two distinct spaces with two different personalities, Mokki serves the daytime guests and the casual evening diner while Selfie with its exclusive, members only feel and stunning backdrop, draws in the night crowd. www.nultylighting.co.uk

design details RITZ CARLTON ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN CLIENT: RITZ CARLTON INTERIOR DESIGN: BLACKSHEEP LIGHTING DESIGN: NULTY

lighting specified Precision Lighting Lightgraphix Osram Kreon Lucent Lighting

Opening spread Nulty bespoke decorative pendants adorn Selfie Bar located on the 18th floor of the towers, boasting spectacular panoramic views of the city.

1. MOKKI's bespoke lighting track and integrated wall lighting provide functional illumination in every retail zone and dining space. 2. Nulty Associate Designer Anna Sandgren 3. A closer look at the restaurant's soffit where integrated lighting allows light to graze through the timber fins creating movement and intrigue whilst highlighting key areas of the restaurant.

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DARC’S WOMEN OF LIGHT | INTERVIEW

Emphatic Design Patricia Urquiola talks to darc about her illustrious design career, her collaboration with Flos and what’s next for a designer who’s seemingly done it all.

Image: Stefano Galuzzi

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Patricia Urquiola’s designs are unconventional, emphatic and experimental, blending humanist sensibilities with technical expertise – qualities that also inform her work as an architect. Born in Oviedo, Spain, Urquiola studied architecture in Madrid before graduating from the Milan Politecnico in 1989 where she is now part of the school’s advisory board.

Milan had a huge impact on Urquiola; here she met renowned Argentine painter, designer and thinker Tomas Maldonado, Italian architect Marco Zanuso, and Italian designer Achille Catiglioni who made her fall head over heels in love with design.

She designed her first project with Vico Magistretti and shortly after worked with famed Italian Entrepreneur and founder of

de Padova, Maddelena de Padova.

“I have been very lucky to have worked with some of the most important names in design,” she tells darc “Vico Magistretti and Achille Castiglioni were fundamental to me, both on a professional and personal plane.

From Magistretti I learned the courage to put myself to the test, to truly believe in myself as a designer. He was a true model of elegance and understatement: an example of how to go from one level to another, giving the fullest attention to every aspect of the creative process.

Castiglioni taught me the value of design back when I still believed that architecture was a superior art – as well as the pleasure of envisioning an object. The irony, the fun, not taking yourself so seriously, even when you take what you’re doing very seriously.”

Urquilola’s partnership with Patrizia Morosa in 1998 led to the design of the Step sofa, which debuted at Salone Milano and catapulted her into the spotlight.

In 2001 Urquilola decided to open her own studio, walk her own path, make some mistakes and try again, a bold step that paid dividends and attracted many high profile clients and collaborations includingAgape, Alessi, BMW, Foscarini, Louis Vuitton, Ritz Carlton Marriott and more recently Flos.

“Working with Flos has always been a dream from the beginning of their relationship with Castiglioni,” she says. “Then getting to know the company from the inside, I’ve appreciated the collaboration with other designers, the dialogues that develop beyond the design, the courage to take

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risks and technological abilities. Call it an elective infinity.”

In 2015 Urquilola designed Serena in collaboration with the lighting brand, a popular table lamp lauded for its unique and dynamic design, the piece features a reflector that can be directed to obtain an intense, precisely reflected task light.

Serena is inspired by the natural world, by leaves of different colours and shapes. I love the magical, fascinating and animated mirror effect and its continuous variation according to the angle of the light source and the vantage point.”

Urquilola finds her inspiration in everyday life, there is, she says “a symbioses between my work and personal life,” each feeds into the other. In this way, I take inspiration from everything I do, I’m lucky I have the

opportunity to travel to many different places and meet interesting people who inspire my work.”

Her work has in the past been described as feminine, a descriptor she finds fair in a certain context. “Design is still a male dominated world, but women are very open to change, we practice being adaptable in our jobs. I want to think that nowadays we are in a phase that goes beyond any form of prejudice. I think that if you love your job, it is just a question of choosing the right way to put yourself forward. I think for women to advance to positions of leadership it’s about choosing which compromises to accept and which not to.”

For now though she is looking to the future, “It fascinates me - technology and virtual reality, I’m have number of different

projects in mind and I’m currently working on an exhibition dedicated to Achille Castiglioni that will open in October, here in Milan. I feel honoured to be chosen to honour this great master that influenced my life and career.” www.patriciaurquiola.com

Opening spread Patricia Urqiola puts the finishing touches to Tatou.

1. Sketches, materials and renderings for Urquiola’s latest collaboration with Swarovski. 2. Urquiola works on an early protype of her latest collection for Atelier Swarovski, a range of a range of flexible containers, using an innovative crystal mesh material that allows each crystal piece to be moulded into different forms and shapes.

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TATOU | FLOS After Chasen, the famous suspension light designed for FLOS in 2007, the East was once again Patricia Urquiola’s source of inspiration. Japanese armour becomes a model of resistance and strength, but also of dynamism, lightness and flexibility.

Hence the idea of a luminaire made up of four identical elements, interwoven to form a unified dome which diffuses direct light either upwards or downwards, as well as allowing light to pass through and discretely out of it, so creating a harmonic play on light and shadow through the pattern’s perforated sections.

SERENA | FLOS A sophisticated table lamp characterized by an oval leaf-shaped diffuser, where the light source evokes the pistil of a flower.

Conceived in refined materials and finishes like copper and polished aluminum.

“Serena is a light that wants to fit in.

Neither brash nor imposing, it is domestic by nature. It is lightweight and plays with the diffusers, reflecting or allowing the light to pass through,” Patricia Urquiola explains.

“It is pure, calm, dry, light and flexible.

Serena is inspired by the natural world, by leaves of different shapes and colours.”

PATRICIA URQUIOLA Patricia Urquiola was born in Oviedo (Spain) and now lives and works in Milan. She attended the faculty of architecture of Madrid Polytechnic were she graduated in 1989. From 1990 to 1992 she was assistant lecturer to Achille Castiglioni and Eugenio Bettinelli both at Milan Polytechnic and E.N.S.C.I. in Paris.

Between 1990 and 1996 she worked for the new product development office of De Padova with Vico Magistretti.

From 1993 to 1996 she ran an associate practice with architects de Renzio and Ramerino. In 1996 she became head of the Lissoni Associati design group.

Her products were selected for the Italian Design 2001 exhibition and for Intenational Design Yearbook 1999 and 2001. In 2001 she was chair of the jury for the 19th CDIM Design Awards.Her Fjord armchair is now part of MOMA New York’s permanent collection.

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DARC’S WOMEN OF LIGHT | FOCAL POINT

focal point ATMOSPHERE BY AMY LAU NEW YORK, USA For its 2017 edition, The Salon Art + Design invited an interior designer to exhibit for the first time in its six year history. Atmosphere by Amy Lau envisions a living room environment titled ‘The New Nouveau’. This installation is conceived as a unified whole, featuring the natural forms and curved structures inspired by an array of international designers embracing a vast range of mediums – ceramics, glass, metal, minerals, textiles, and wood. At the heart of Atmosphere is Michael Coffey’s sculptural walnut fireplace facing, paired with a bespoke bronze and porcelain fireplace screen by David Wiseman and brought together by The Gingko Blossom chandelier from Rosie Li, which brings the best of the studio’s hand hammered technique to a new Gingko tree inspired fixture. Wind-swept brass leaves are fixed to a polished stem via bud ball clusters and seed bulbs, spreading a warm glow throughout. www.amylaudesign.com Image: Daniel Kukla

ROSIE LI Rosie Li is a Chinese-born American designer focusing on sculptural lighting. Lifelong interests in drawing and sculpture led her to attend Rhode Island School of Design, where Li graduated in 2011 with a BFA in Furniture Design. Shortly after graduating, she launched her design career by partnering with Roll & Hill to produce ‘Stella’ – a series of Op Art-inspired mirror sconces.

Li’s love for lighting design eventually grew into her eponymous studio practice, where she blends geometric forms with organic elements. Her work challenges visual perception and blurs the lines between product and sculpture.

“Good lighting design should include illumination – that should go without saying but a lot of the time decorative lighting is just a sculpture that illuminates itself,” Li tells darc. “Even though it’s decorative it has to be functional. I’m a pragmatist so I always want things to be functional but I don’t want to compromise on the structure or the quality and it can be hard to play that juggling game.”

Founded by designer Rosie Li and engineer Philip Watkins, Rosie Li Studio forgoes traditional lamp design for building systems driven by science and mathematics, constructing fixtures using modular parts with a focus on simple geometry and pared-down forms. This adaptability allows light fixtures to achieve a sculptural quality by consciously responding to their environments and seamlessly integrating into the surrounding space. www.rosieli.com

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DARC'S WOMEN OF LIGHT | PROJECT

A Global Design Community Airbnb’s lead interior designer Rebecca Ruggles transformed an old office space for a new community of Airbnb staff and clients.

Images: Courtesy of Airbnb

American company Airbnb host's an online marketplace and hospitality service for travellers looking to rent short term accommodation. Having successfully expanded its operation to China, the company was looking to expand again, this time into a larger office.

Rebecca Ruggles, lead interior designer at Airbnb was tasked with transforming the new space for a global audience. “We secured the lease in January and moved in at the end of July,” Ruggles tells darc. “It was a very fast process. The initial brief was to create a larger office, the existing team had been divided between two separate buildings, some employees were transferring from other Airbnb offices and a great deal of new employees were being hired.”

The brief was clear in that the new design needed to bring people together, connect them to the company mission as well as building culture and a sense of community in an authentic way. The office also needed to serve as a space to host guests and explain to them who Airbnb is and what their goals are, to achieve this the office merges key elements of Chinese culture with modern architectural practices.

The office is divided into four ‘neighbourhoods,’ each with adjustable desks, a communal table, a project room, phone rooms, and a lounge area, the multilayered office has a variety of workspaces and configurations, giving the employees a choice of places to work.

Taking inspiration from traditional Chinese philosophy, the Beijing office plan represents the five elements of wood, earth, water, fire and metal. Certain functions were specifically located in parts of the building according to the ideal element for that cardinal direction, for example, the tea station, ‘Chaguan’ is located in the North where water is the corresponding element. Additionally, each

part of the office uses materials and colours that best represent that specific element.

For the pendants above the island at the Chaguan tea station, the designers opted for Niche Modern’s Stamen Collection. “The traditional Chinese element for this area is water, which is one of the reasons we chose to locate our tea station here. The blue coloured glass pendants help emphasise that theme,” says Ruggles.

The reception area and café forms the primary gathering point of the office.

Coined ‘The Greenhouse’, it uses elements of wood, combined with its corresponding primary colour, green. Wood represents family, creating a genuine sense of unity and home as a communal space that helps employees stay connected. “The pendants above the reception desk from More or Less are a more modern take on traditional Chinese lanterns,” Ruggles explains. “They set the tone for the space and draw your eye as you walk in the front door. They bring a sense of warmth, and also utilise wood as the primary material which is the traditional element that we wanted to highlight in this area according to the cardinal school of Feng Shui.”

The pendants above the cafe counter from Bentu TU are made from recycled concrete terrazzo that complements the outdoor/ garden vibe of the café and adds great texture and interest to the space.

Working with local employees, the team wanted to incorporate several Chinese traditions within the office culture – one being the ritual of taking a nap after lunchtime, and the other being the idea of removing ones’ shoes and wearing slippers instead. In response to this, the Environments Team created a dark, quiet, contemplative space for employees to relax in, as well as providing storage for footwear as part of the personal storage solution in the open office - these features

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REBECCA RUGGLES Rebecca Ruggles is the Lead Interior Designer at Airbnb. Prior to this she worked at Gensler in the hospitality sector on brands such as Fairmont Raffles, Marriott, and Hyatt.

Ruggle’s work particularly focuses on guest experience and wellness features.

She has worked internationally, living in both France and China.

As part of her work in the Airbnb’s Environments Team, she has led the interior design for offices in Tokyo, Singapore, Dublin, Paris, Beijing, and San Francisco and she has also helped to develop Airbnb's unique Employee Design Experience program.

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are part of the custom office design. The office also houses alternate workspaces, such as a wellness area for yoga and other such classes, in order to harness a flexible and creative work environment. Light cage pendants from Zaozuo are located in the alternative work area which features designed inspired by the rice terraces in Yunnan province. Fishing is a big focus in the area and the mesh material around the pendant reminded the designers of the fishing nets you see being cast in the rivers in Yunnan.

Airbnb’s ethos supports local firms and businesses to ensure the concept and components of the space were as authentic as possible. The furniture within the office was sourced from Chinese practices like Fnji, More or Less, and Zaozuo that produce high quality traditional pieces and designs with a more modern look. Sourcing inspiration for the design concept by local brands helped to achieve the mix of ‘old meets new’.

The office is located in a corporate office tower with low ceilings and a typical dropped acoustic ceiling, the space didn't fit with the homey aesthetic of Airbnb offices, so Ruggles had to strategise creative ways

to use decorative lighting to mitigate that corporate feel. Ceilings were removed in certain areas and cove lights were added to wash the walls. “We added decorative drop pendants above the desks for more focused task lighting and each meeting room has their own unique decorative pendants that reflect the style of the Airbnb listing they were inspired by. They really help transform the space," says Ruggles.

The designer’s biggest challenge was delivering a unique, high quality space on such a tight deadline. To do so required hands on approach, as she explained: “We took many trips to the project site in China as well as keeping constant communication through apps like WeChat. We have a unique situation since we work as in-house designers, working internally allows us to have an intimate familiarity with the company’s goal and operations, we can also work in the spaces we design and gather direct feedback for how to make future projects even better.”

Any major changes to the brief would have jeopardised the schedule, so the team had to settle quickly on a brief and stick to it.

There were however, design details that

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continued to develop up until the last minute – in particular the screens that separate the open office and the meeting rooms had many different forms before the team decided on using real bamboo as planters. According to Ruggles it was critical that the open office authentically represent the local Beijing culture, which can be a real challenge for a remote design team, she says: “We leaned heavily on our local Airbnb team to share important aspects of Beijing culture that we should include. We also reached out to our larger network of designers and vendors to help get connections in Beijing and find new and exciting materials and furniture to use on the project.”

Sourcing a wide variety of furniture and material styles for the meeting rooms was a challenge for the team. Each room had to represent the breadth of design visible in Airbnb’s around the world.

“Each room is like a separate design project. We sourced as much as possible from Beijing and supplemented that with items purchased in Hong Kong where there’s a larger diversity of global style options.”

Furthering Airbnb’s global narrative the Environments Team engaged with local

employees in an Employee Design Experience (EDX) programme to help add the finishing touches to each meeting room, features of the programme includes a wall decorated with artwork painted by the employees that replicates a listing in Provincia di Limon, Costa Rica and sketches from guest around the world to mirror the listing in Burlingame, USA. “Beijing has many layers. You have to dig a little deeper, you have to ask people, you have explore and quickly discover its rich culture, incredible people and drive to change the world. Hutong’s in particular are synonymous with Beijing and they have that same-layered effect. The word literally translates to the path between and they have become a symbol of community and new discoveries hidden around every corner into our office. The Hutong inspired spaces become a gathering point within the neighbourhoods of the office, China has a rich past that dates back thousands of years and it is now entering a new, modern era.

We wanted to pay homage to that incredible history, while still celebrating the groundbreaking ideas of a new generation.” www.airbnb.com

design details AIRBNB BEIJING OFFICE, BEIJING, CHINA CLIENT: AIRBNB INTERIOR & LIGHTING DESIGN: REBECCA RUGGLES

lighting specified MORE OR LESS LANTERN PENDANTS BEUNTU TU PENDANT ZAOZUO LIGHT CAGE PENDANT NICHE MODERN STAMEN PENDANT

Opening spread Niche Modern Stamen Pendants represent the element of water above the counter in the office's tea room. The designers worked hard to harness a fexible and creative working environment in a communal space.

1. Airbnb's lead designer Rebecca Ruggles. 2. The Park view meeting room represents wood as an element, evident in its floor to wall pannelling. 3.

The Repose nap room offers employees a chance to re-charge in a warmly lit, cosy environment. 4.

The Jaipur meeting room mereges residential with industrial design. 5 More or Less pendant lights illuminate the reception area, a more modern take on chinese lanterns.

DARC’S WOMEN OF LIGHT | PRODUCT FOCUS

WOMEN OF LIGHT

Creative and innovative, Laura Scelfo has always been focused on the research of original and innovative materials in the furniture field.

After graduation Scelfo started work in different fields until 1992 when she decided to bring her know-how to the family business, a traditional Florentine workshop of wrought iron lighting products.

As the only heir of her father’s mastery, and lighting company Eurolampart, she actively started to work and experiment, bringing technical and formal contributions to the company’s aesthetic.

The designer stands out thanks to her spirit and curiosity, typical, always looking for renewal she combines tradition with research and innovation. It’s not by chance that she uses new and unusual accessories and fashion fabrics in her collections, as a matter of fact it stems from the great love that Scelfo has for beauty and luxury. Materials such as Swarovski crystals and chains, porcelain and gold elements decorate every piece she creates. www.eurolampart.it

IN HONOUR OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY HERE AT DARC WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER A COLLECTION OF NEW AND ESTABLISHED FEMALE DESIGNERS TO LOOK OUT FOR. WHETHER BLAZING TRAILS OR TREADING NEW GROUND, EACH DESIGNER’S CONTRIBUTION TO LIGHT IS INNOVATIVE , DIVERSE AND MEMORABLE.

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Bec Brittain is a New York-based lighting and product designer driven by a love of luxurious materials, intuitive forms and forward-thinking technology.

Brittain began her career designing and producing bespoke door hardware. Handcrafting hardware allowed her to unify her diverse interests and discover a love of metalworking. She continued to hone her craft while acting as Design Director for the renowned Lindsey Adelman Studio from 2008 through 2011. In 2011, Brittain opened her own studio in Brooklyn, where she developed her signature product, the critically acclaimed SHY Light, a past piece which continues to inspire newer pieces. Picture is the Resolute series, commissioned by The Future Perfect, is Brittain’s first solo show with the gallery since 2013. Characterised by a new sense of confidence, Brittain’s work is at once harmonious and instinctive. The pieces in Resolute were all initially inspired by existing pieces in the collection: SHY Beams and out glass diffusers. The goal was to take these simple yet elegant pieces and use them as building blocks for more complex or sitespecific installations. ‘Tension Beams’ take the idea of the standard beams, but with the addition of a new mounting mechanism and configuration, transforms it into an architectural intervention, which can be a site-specific install. www.becbrittain.com

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Studying film at the Swedish Film Institute and an early working experience in the advertising industry has influenced her working method.

“That’s where my interest in storytelling and the visual experience developed,” she tells darc. “Telling a story is the inspiration in all my work.” While designing the Stockholm head office for property developer cooperation HSB Beata designed the light fitting ‘Street Life’. “We needed a good and even light above a large touch down area that was to be used for checking of drawings. The design for the lamp was derived from an upside-down city block”. The lighting brand Blond, loved itso much it is now among their commercial products. www.psarkitektur.se

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Having studied architecture in Stockholm and London, Beata Denton qualified with a master’s degree in Architecture, and has played a leading role in the development of the interior design studio for pS Arkitektur in Stockholm. In this role she has been involved in designs of award winning interiors and clients include Skype, RedBull and Microsoft. The designs have been developed with strong brand identities where lighting plays an important role. Denton is presently working in London gaining experience in exterior lighting at Studio-29.

Lighting design became part of Denton’s career some 15 years ago, “I just became interested in how much it changed and affected the interiors I was working on. I have learned by working with great lighting consultants and engineers and by asking, asking and asking…Also by attending workshops, seminars, talks, everything I can find.

Lighting is really my passion.”

Designer, entrepreneur and established university lecturer, Carlotta De Bevilacqua is one of the major players in the world of contemporary architecture and design. Vice President of Artemide and President of Danese,Milano, she is responsible for brand strategy, vision and strategic futures, as well as product design innovation. As an experienced designer she has led important research in the field of lighting design. She has developed many new generation LED products for Artemide and Danese which have been recognised with several patents, as well as introduced new technological scenarios in terms of performance, environmental impact and sensitive experience. A great example of her innovative work is Harry H designed for Artemide and pictured here. This hybrid optical device, represents a change of the light design paradigm. “Different scenarios demand different features in a light and so a good all-round light should be flexible,” De Bevilacqua tells darc “Sustainability is certainly important and that is why I believe that OLED technology is the future.” . “Unlike an LED, an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) produces a natural light with minimal glare, whilst they also consume very little energy making them an environmentally-friendly alternative. Our Harry H light combines OLED and LED technology, showing that they’re not mutually exclusive.” www.artemide.com

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Jette Scheib studied industrial design at the University of the Arts, Berlin and since 2005 has worked as an independent interior and product designer specialising in home accessories. Her work can be plain and pure or narrative and playful, but often with a little twist that adds a new context or dimension to a functional object. Inspiration is everywhere for Scheib, whether it is art, music, people and their stories, habits, clichés or simply life itself that feeds her creativity, Herring also collaborated with innermost on the Membrane pendant, her latest creation for Oblure takes inspiration from childhood visits to the circus, Trapeze is as much a single pendant as it is an endless system of possibilities. The square tube has a built in connector, which makes it easy and fun to mount multiple lamps together. The idea of a system of lamps came before the solitaire Trapeze pendant and has been an important cornerstone during the design process. After you have mounted the lamp in the ceiling you can still direct the light up, down, to the side or in two directions at the same time. www.jettescheib.com

Inma Bermudez studied at the School of Industrial Design at the University Cardenal Herrera CEU in Valencia, as well as one year of practical studies at the School of Applied Sciences and Design of Pforzheim, Germany.

She began her professional career in industrial design working for German design studio’s Idea, Busse Design and Prodesign.

Every summer since 2002 Bermudez has also collaborated at the Vitra Design Museum and Centre of Georges Pompidou workshops in South West France.

In 2006 she entered into a contract with Swedish brand IKEA and formed part of the internal department of Design in Almhult, Sweden. She has since strengthened her affiliation with IKEA as a freelance designer working on a variety of products yearly.

Since 2007, Bermudez has been a part of the internal design department at the Valencian porcelain company Lladro where she develops, along with the rest of the design team, pieces for the more classic porcelain product line. More recently Bermudez collaborated with Marset to design the popular, FollowMe table lamp. Portable and rechargeable, FollowMe is a table lamp that is small, warm, and self-contained, with a swinging lampshade made of white polycarbonate with an oak handle. www.inmabermudez.com

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In 2010, Lucie Koldova created the distinguished glass lighting collections Muffins and Balloons for traditional Czech manufacturer Brokis. She spent several years in Paris, where she transformed and honed her influences, inspiration, and motives arising from the city’s diverse culture into her charismatic, elegant style and sensual formal language.

Currently based in Prague, she continues working for international clients creating furniture pieces, glass sculptures, and timeless lights. Her work encompasses daily products, poetic gallery objects, and limited series. Her creative interest mainly focuses on glass and lighting design, involving ever more novel and exciting themes as well as technological and formal solutions in the field. In 2014, Lucie was appointed Art Director of Brokis and has since produced a range of successful designs for the company.

Koldova uses classic craftsmanship

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and cutting-edge technologies with primary focus on the pure beauty of materials such as wood and glass.

Her emotive style is based on the breath-taking use of colours, unusual proportions, and vibrant formal contrasts, and her objects often overcome limits of the impossible, which is made immediately clear in viewing her work, such as Capsula or the stylish imposing lights Whistle and Mona with dimmable tubular LED light sources developed by Brokis. Her latest designs embody a gentle poetry, BIG ONE, pictured above is a new large-format light with a matte core, was created for the prestigious Das Haus project of the 2018 imm cologne international interiors show. Within a protective outer shell of glass, a ray of light emanates from a smaller glass sphere and passes freely through the air. www.luciekoldova.com

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Odile Decq graduated in 1978 with a degree in architecture from Ecole nationale superieure d’architecture de Paris-La Villette.

After running her own agency for a number of years she partnered with Benoit Cornette in 1980, establishing the architectural firm ODBC. Other than just a style, an attitude or a process, Decq’s work materialises a complete universe that embraces urban planning, architecture, design and art. Having first collaborated with Luceplan in 2010 the designers are now retracing the phases of their successful partnership with a series of lights designed by Decq and developed for specific, ambitious architectural projects.

The company has collaborated to create aesthetic-luminous scenarios of great impact, like the addition to the MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome in 2011. Experimental research on acoustic comfort forms the basis of the Pétale lamp pictured here, initially created in 2012 for the futuristic headquarters of GL Events in Lyon, France and now an exclusive Luceplan product capable of spreading light while reducing noise, making it an ideal solution for lighting and acoustic comfort in offices and large public areas for hospitality and entertainment. www.odiledecq.com

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Nao Tamura is a designer in the most modern terms.

Her talent’s cross cultures, languages, disciplines, concepts and styles with consistency of smart thinking always at the heart of her work. She is truly global in her insights and execution. As a product of Tokyo and New York City creative communities, Nao defies the kind of categorisation that the industry status-quo often insists upon. Her unique solutions are more than simply design and possess a rare balance of innovation and beauty. Tamura has recently been pushing the boundries of creativity, surprise and imagination in the ‘cabinet of curiosities’ installation by Wonderglass. Fusing surrealist photography with glass objects, Tamura designed Lab edition, inspired by the moment the sun hits the surface of a lagoon and how this action creates a lens effect in water. Lab edition captures a moment of ephemeral beauty; a ripple of light, a droplet hitting the surface of calm water. www.naotamura.com

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Shari grew up in Australia, running around barefoot in a furniture workshop, and has loved solid timber ever since. She is now a qualified industrial designer who wears shoes and runs a company called Fluxwood Lighting. Shari designs lighting for commercial and home interiors, using beautiful Australian hardwoods and high-quality lighting components. Every pendant is available in bespoke timbers, sizes and lighting specifications, making each light a unique and sustainable showcase of minimal design and natural materials. Before starting Fluxwood Lighting, Shari worked locally at design studio’s in Australia and abroad in London. She studied at the Queensland College of Art, Griffith University and currently works there as a teacher in product design. www.fluxwoodlighting.com

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Born and raised in Krimpen aan den IJssel, a suburb of Rotterdam, Sabine Marcelis is Dutch by nature but a Kiwi at heart. At age nine she and her family left their native Holland and emigrated to Wellington, New Zealand. It was there that, as a teen, she discovered her passion for sport, and first learned to channel her creativity into the physical world. Soon after Marcelis enrolled in a local design program, and was instantly hooked, she eventually moved back to her Native Netherlands and opened up shop in 2011, working first as a freelance designer before devoting herself full-time to her personal research and projects.

Marcelis’s body of work is varied, ranging from custom interiors to ticking clocks, the shining theme that unites them all is, as she explains: “This fascination with light, both natural and artificial, and how, when combined with other materials, light becomes a tool for seeing something other than you’d normally see. It’s all about creating a moment of wonder. Resins and glass are the perfect materials for that, for Voie (pictured), I wanted to see what would happen if you added another material to neon. Then at some point it evolved into the light being completely encased in resin.” www.sabinemarcelis.com

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Verena Hennig is an internationally working Creative Director and Designer from Germany. She studied Graphic Design and Visual Communication at the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg, alongside directing at the London Film Academy. Hennig went on to work for renowned practices such as Sagmeister & Walsh in New York, Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin in Munich and Pernilla Ohrstedt Studio in London. In 2012 Hennig opened the design practice, Studio Verena Hennig followed by her own product brand in 2015.

This year Hennig founded design brand AKTTEM creating unique, functional and minimalist furniture and lighting, such as Rope Light, a piece which draws an illuminated line through space, inviting the buyer to create their own unique product by playing and shaping the flexible pendant into any graphical form and silhouette. Hennigs’ work has won numerous awards, she was named one of the ADC Young Guns 2017, Top 50 Best German Designers in 2016, by Architectural Digest and was nominated for the German Design Newcomer Award 2016. www.verenahennig.com

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COMMENT | COMMERCIAL LIGHTING FEATURE

Work. Illuminated.

Philippe Pare, Principal at Gensler discusses lighting as a key dimenson when considering the architecture and design of office and commercial spaces.

Be it decorative, natural or functional, lighting is one of the key dimensions of architecture and design. When executed well it can, undoubtedly, improve, shape and inspire people, spaces and places. It can guide us, empower us and direct our attention. On the other hand, too much of the wrong kind of light becomes unwanted ‘light pollution’ and inflates our energy use.

It’s well documented that good design has a positive impact on wellbeing and productivity, so as a designer and architect,

it is imperative to understand how lighting affects people in order to shape solutions that are as positive for society as they are sustainable for the environment and for businesses.

However, as many a designer will attest, workplaces can be deceptively difficult places to light well. Many workplace lighting schemes tend to just light down to the desk, creating a ‘hollow effect’ and fashioning spaces that are not conducive to productivity.

Naturally…

Until recently, wellness in the workplace has been focused purely on physical activities but I believe that emphasis needs to be placed on the environmental factors which contribute to wellbeing, particularly lighting and daylighting. Natural light can positively enhance architecture, improving the way people feel and reducing our reliance on electricity – and at the same time the sophisticated manipulation of natural light can entrain our body’s internal circadian clock.

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But natural light isn’t gifted on every project, so it’s crucial for designers to creatively resolve this with solutions that support wellbeing and productivity. In this context, decorative lighting can be used for its optimal purpose - to enhance experiences and create an element of magic within the space. But decorative doesn’t always equate to noticeable. For me, the best lighting schemes are the ones which accentuate the architecture and interiors and draw no attention to themselves.

Responsive Another key downfall with many office lighting schemes is this sense of uniformity; no variation in lighting levels or temperature colour. For me, a more exciting approach is embracing light to define individual spaces and differing ‘neighbourhoods’ within a workplace – revealing different moods and subliminally suggesting varied types of behaviour.

Workplace lighting must be responsive to varying employee needs by offering different levels of lighting for different activities.

I recently worked with our long-standing client Hyundai Capital on the headquarters in Surrey, where we incorporated hidden lighting and provided task lights in order to produce the optimum environment, a space that would empower its employees – a highly productive setting, not just a beautiful workplace. The design has a functional and industrial aesthetic; the main light source is hidden behind expanded metal mesh along the ceiling which gives the illusion of more height and space.

This technique also creates the effect of dappled light and emphasises the industrial style and culture that Hyundai Capital strive to achieve throughout their global portfolio of buildings. The team at Gensler made the main lights dimmer and provided task lights by Anglepoise so that people can

create their own personalised atmosphere through light. Alcove lighting was also introduced which created an unexpected but comfortable and cosy environment within a workplace setting.

Day and night Accepting that the sun and light change throughout the day is a major consideration, that unfortunately is often overlooked – with many workplaces incorporating schemes that are homogenous with a tendency to ‘over light’. At Gensler, we’ve been experimenting with the ability to implement controls that allow office light to mimic daylight. We have been working with Zumtobel to create a product called Mellow Light which has the ability to monitor the colour temperature of the lights.

For example, in the morning, the office would be lit with cooler tones to create an energising atmosphere and gradually throughout the day, the lighting would

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move through the spectrum, becoming warmer in the afternoon. Gensler has also created a light which changes based on the activity of the worker, acknowledging that the office is a fluid space which the lighting must reflect. If the overall lighting can dim, this paves the way for more decorative lighting to set the tone of the interior design.

Inside out Finally, let’s not forget that all internal spaces have a connection with the outside world. The interaction of light within a building’s skin influences both the interior

environment and outward expression. Having just moved our own London headquarters to a new temporary space until our permanent home in Thomas More Square is complete in 2019, we gave ourselves a somewhat unique brief – allowing for an experimental approach to deliver an intelligent, engaging and creative workplace.

The lighting in the public events space is the key decorative feature of the room with slimline, energy efficient LED lights creating a notional datum line in the ceiling.

Weaving throughout the white linear plain is a red LED ribbon, which both represents Gensler’s corporate identity and serves as a

wayfinding indicator to the adjacent studio area. Aesthetically, it adds a pop of colour to the industrial setting and sparks interest from pedestrians who can view the space from the street. More so, the lighting system is flexible, with a control system allowing us to create various room settings depending on need. The visual and emotional impact of the lighting scheme has helped to strengthen our brand’s experience.

Light as art Light has been used for architectural effect throughout time and I am inspired by the work of artists such as Dan Flavin

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and Robert Irwin who used light to create ephemeral artworks. If we apply this theory to a work environment, we can emphasise unusual elements through spatial terms and decorative lighting can be used to highlight materials and textures used within a project. I do believe we can learn from the lighting used in museums and art galleries to create points of focus. This was utilised in the work Gensler did for Hyundai Capital’s global headquarters, where we were commissioned to design a custom assembly space atop their south tower in Seoul, Korea. Drawing inspiration from James Turrell’s light installation art, as well as

classic photography cyclorama, we created a space that had no limits, traced in viciouscut lighting that grazes the ceiling.

Moving from LA to London has made me think about light differently, I am more mindful about creating the illusion of light and a connection with the outside world. My goal is to generate an emotional experience and positively affect wellbeing in the workplace through the application of light in its purest form whilst enhancing a space’s performance and aesthetics. www.gensler.com

The Hyundai Capital headquarters in Surrey, UK, where Gensler incorporated hidden lighting and provided task lights in order to produce the optimum environment, a space that would empower its employees – a highly productive setting, not just a beautiful workplace.

The design has a functional and industrial aesthetic; the main light source is hidden behind expanded metal mesh along the ceiling which gives the illusion of more height and space. This technique also creates the effect of dappled light and emphasises the industrial style and culture that Hyundai Capital strive to achieve throughout their global portfolio of buildings. The team at Gensler made the main lights dimmer and provided task lights by Anglepoise so that people can create their own personalised atmosphere through light. Alcove lighting was also introduced which created an unexpected but comfortable and cosy environment within a workplace setting.

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FEATURE | COMMERCIAL LIGHTING

Working Light The days of flourescent lighting and ceiling tiles are thankfully becoming a thing of the past as employers are taking a more measured approach to wellbeing and productivity as the following case studies highlight.

Karma New York, USA Located in New York’s Little Italy, Karma's office was transformed by design studio FormNation into a modern space that combines Dutch and American design influences and provides transparency, communication and work-life balances for the employees.

Karma's design brief was short, but clear: Design a space with 40 desks, ample break out areas, a war room, communal lunch space for 40, that fits the brand, and they had to move in there in four weeks.

Karma is a tech start up with strong Dutch influences, that brings a clear, simple, honest and powerful wifi product to the US. Without falling into the typical start up design trap of creating an industrial chic loft design with a slide, FormNation relied on its

own Dutch background and design influences to create an aesthetic that focused on a mix of clean Dutch and American design.

The L-shaped space boasts a 14ft ceiling in an industrial loft with an abundance of natural light from large windows along one wall that overlooks Little Italy and provides the perfect environment for collaboration and communication.

The space is divided into three main areas: Work: A colourful pathway of blue and grey floor tiles welcomes employees and guests into the office. Employee desks are laid out in a clean grid, comfortable lounge seating exist in the centre aisle for conversations and the windows are visible from all desks so everyone can enjoy the view and sunlight. The large, white Delta

lights by Rich Brilliant Willing create a cosy work environment and the perfect working light. To top off the space is an oversized company logo, in iconic Dutch orange, resembling an all-American gas station.

Meet/Private: FormNation built an extension to the existing conference rooms to create an open room for meetings and brainstorming sessions in a central location.

The conference rooms offer transparency through their glass walls and functionality as the walls are often used to write meeting notes. The conference rooms are a mix of Scandinavian design with American industrial chic. www.richbrilliantwilling.com

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Bloomberg Headquarters London, UK The recently opened Foster + Partnersdesigned Bloomberg European headquarters in the City of London occupies a 3.2acre site between the Bank of England and the city’s iconic St Paul’s Cathedral. Responding to its historic context, while re-envisioning the future of office buildings, the space provides the highest standards of sustainability and wellbeing for its occupants.

The intention was to develop an inspiring, innovative, dynamic and collaborative workplace that encouraged teamwork. A key element to achieving this is the conference rooms where ideas are explored and shared around the world. The VIP dining/meeting room required multiple statement LED light fittings that would not only provide

illumination and an aesthetic contribution but would also inconspicuously house the microphones needed.

Construction contractor Sir Robert McAlpine had previously worked with bespoke lighting specialists Dernier & Hamlyn on other complex projects including Quadrant 3, the conversion of the former Regent Palace Hotel to provide a mix of office, retail, residential and restaurant space and suggested to Foster + Partners that they would be the ideal choice to propose an appropriate custom-made solution.

The original design specified eleven 1145mm long vertically hanging glass tubes. However, after analysing the fragility and also the impossible task of making such sections

perfectly straight in glass, Dernier & Hamlyn recommended high quality acrylic alternatives. They then manufactured a prototype fitting and modelled multiple scenarios for the cabling for the lighting, the microphones and suspension to determine the optimum cable arrangement that would eliminate interference, which was then encased by hand in silk. Months of extensive testing followed, the results of which informed production of perfect custom pendants that met all of the client’s criteria for sustainability, maintenance and technical performance. www.dernier-hamlyn.com

LED technology with aesthetics in mind

Zico lamps – specified by Lighting Designers for their exceptionally smooth dimming, reliability & quality.

Zico Lighting are proud to announce that Lutron Lighting Controls have requested the use of our LED vintage filament lamps for their stand at the Frankfurt Light + Building Fair 2018. Lutron required a reliable high-quality LED filament lamp with smooth dim curve to complement their dimming and controls equipment.

Visitors are welcome to visit the Lutron stand at Hall 4.1 booth C61.

CRI 90, High in-rush protection Latest 1-100% Dimmable LED Lamp Technology (Tested with Lutron, Mode, Helvar and all major dimming and control companies) www.zico.lighting For more information: Sales & Technical: jm@zico.lighting Phone: +44 (0) 207 223 3087 Zico Lighting, 3rd Floor, 207 Regent Street, London, W1B 3HH

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Avalanche Studios Stockholm, Sweden Avalanche Studios is one of Sweden’s most famous open world game developers.

They pride themselves on being an attractive employer with a unique working environment. At Avalanche the focus is on maintaining a top design office that offers a work/life balance, and strives to take care of its employees health and wellbeing. In Sweden, lighting design has to compensate for the lack of sunlight, especially during the dark seasons, Luctra acheives this by varying the colour and intensity of its light in a bid to emulate sunlight. The fact that employees can create their own light profile enables a more individualised work environment in line with Avalanche Studios’ personal approach to working. www.luctra.eu

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CASE STUDY FEATURE | COMMERCIAL | ECONOMY LIGHTING HOTEL

CH Robinson Baltimore, USA When Eric Turner of Turner Development Group secured a long-term lease with CH Robinson to develop their office in Baltimore, Maryland, he promised his client that this would be the best office in their portfolio. To achieve this, he knew that he had to deliver something truly unique and one-of-a-kind. Eric wanted lighting to play a big part in the development and so, turned to VISO in Canada to create a stunning custom fixture for this state-of-the-art office building.

The lighting for the office space is highly visible and on display at all times due to the floor to ceiling windows surrounding the lobby. “Lighting is often an afterthought, but we went into this project knowing that we had to do something big, something

special in the open collaborative area which dominates the centre of the new office,” Turner explained. The team wanted to have that wow factor for people in the office as well as for those walking outside.

To create a show-stopping lighting piece with the tight timeline attached to this project, experience in custom commercial lighting was key. Not wanting to compromise on the lighting and the value engineering that was required, Turner Development approached VISO with the challenge of designing and manufacturing three massive custom chandeliers.

Working closely with the development team at Turner, VISO design-engineered three colossal 84-ins / 2134mm custom matte black fixtures based on the VISO Ring lights.

The fixtures are lit using 3000K LED strips and create a formidable presence in the main lobby. Once quality control and final testing of the lights were completed at VISO’s Toronto facility, the chandeliers were shipped to Baltimore. VISO delivered the three chandeliers on time and on budget, much to the delight of the customer.

VISO’s custom commercial lighting capabilities and expertise ensured that everything went smoothly and also provided support on the installation every step of the way. The design, production and installation was a fantastic success and the project was awarded Best Office Interior in Maryland by the International Property Awards. www.visoinc.com

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Talvoigtai Kirchzarten, Germany This historic town hall building, located on the Osterbach and first erected in the year 1765, underwent several restorations and changes before housing the town’s council offices and the cultural centre of the small German town of Kirchzarten. Many events are hosted here throughout the year such as the Christmas market and the Summer Castle Festival, while the historic rooms can be visited and guided tours, and art exhibitions are regularly held inside them.

The original structure consists of a three-winged building with a front court surrounded by a high wall and a wide ditch of 14-meters, with an access located on the east side. The building complex is one of the youngest castles in the Upper Rhine area.

Today the building has been converted into a contemporary design office, where the original wooden beams and stone walls are combined with a modern and colourful dĂŠcor that makes them stand out even more. The lighting chosen for this project aimed to achieve a twofold effect: a look that could blend in with and somehow enhance the environment, and a technical performance that ensured the best use of the work spaces. For the lighting of the town hall offices the choice fell on Clear.

Clear illuminates the desks with diffused and evenly distributed light; its controlled UGR makes it particularly friendly to employees, who are not distracted from their tasks.

Thanks to the Optilight Technology, this lighting fixture is transparent when turned off, and thus leaves centre stage to the charming wooden beams.

Communal areas and relaxation areas are illuminated by Mr. Magoo and Tour, whose minimalistic design makes them extremely suited for the modern style furnishings, successfully blending them with the charm of the ancient building through diffuse, evenly distributed lighting. www.linealight.com

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Gardere Offices Dallas, Texas, USA Law firms are a unique challenge for the design industry. While the rest of the world is moving to an open plan workplace with public collaboration areas and, essentially, less privacy, law firms are still utilising private office and enclosed conference room spaces. Most firms are exploring ways to utilise more open ceilings, while law firms still have the need for improved acoustics.

The lighting design for this project needed to complement the unique architectural design that exploits open ceilings and open collaboration spaces to the fullest extent possible while performing all of the practical and functional aspects a lighting system needs to provide in today’s workplace.

The entry elevator lobby starts out quiet.

A backlighted flush logo and special vertical hall lanterns were designed to convey an integrated tight design motif.

Upon entering the space the occupant experiences a series of surprises that satisfies the visual palette while maintaining a level of sophistication. The combination of these lighting elements creates very special moments throughout the office space offering beautiful vignettes at every turn.

Private offices were illuminated utilising standard linear LED slot fixtures in acoustic tile ceilings. Open plan administrative areas were illuminated using linear pendant lights, hanging in between acoustical clouds.

Each coffee bar features different materials, colour and level of decoration.

The decorative light fixtures were selected to reinforce the sense of place for each level. Lounge space is softened with an assortment of decorative glowing fixtures, floor lamps and table lamps. Unique decorative pendants such as Roll and Hill’s Agnes chandelier pictured above, were used throughout all small conference rooms to anchor each one’s unique identity, such as www.rollandhill.com www.oneluxstudio.com

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CASE STUDY FEATURE | COMMERCIAL | ECONOMY LIGHTING HOTEL

BNP Paribas Lyon, France The French bank BNP Paribas opened its doors on October 5, 2017. Located in the business district of Lyon, in the building Silex1, the agency 150 Part Dieu aims to be a friendly place of exchange and information.

The architecture of this new agency concept is designed to be resolutely innovative for the customer experience, combining warm and welcoming working areas, exhibition space and conferences.

Designheure’s lights embody the essence of French elegance, which exactly match the spirit of this unique office space.

The second part of the agency, mixes materials, forms and sought-after colours, it acts like as a 'trompe l'oeil' guiding the customer to the lounge space where Nenuphar lights have been installed.

The designheure Nenuphar trio wall lamps, arranged like a gold-plated painting on a blue wall, highlight the perspectives of this open space. Nenuphar lights dress up the walls in a fascinating way, and at the same time play the role of a sculpture, an acoustic wall and a light. www.designheure.com

Casa Karman Fossombrone, Italy Casa Karman is the name chosen for the new brand’s offices recently completed in Fossombrone, the heart of the Marche region, where since 2005 the international company, has designed and produced its lights. The interiors are designed to give a warm, homely welcome to guests and clients. A comprehensive project where executive offices, convivial spaces, showrooms and production sites coexist and interact with one another by creating an exchange that feeds the creative flair that characterises Karman designs. Black and white pictures hanging on the walls tell the story of the Karman family; objects from the past occasionally appear to seal the attachment of the company to its past.

Neutral colours for the walls and furnishings are the ideal backdrop for statement lamps that become the leading characters in this story - the varied ensemble of Ceraunavolta, the animals of the Karman zoo, a thousand and one nights of Ali Babà and the minimalist chandelier Snoob are all on display illuminating the space. www.karmanitalia.it

ADOLF LOOS

Hanging on a cable with custom made length. Images shows a natural patinated Version. Designed for the famous “Looshouse� at the Michaeler Square in the centre of Vienna.

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Exploring Light In his own words Alper Nakri talks about connecting the psychogeography of found items and exploring their second life as lights.

I grew up in Istanbul, a magical beautiful city with 1,700 years of history. Growing up I used to build toys like swords and trains with the neighbourhood carpenters leftover wood at our summer house in Buyukada. I was always truly impressed with the variety of design in Istanbul and automatically built a visual sense - design in Istanbul gives you clues about the era it has witnessed and stories that have been told through the ages by numerous civilisations. This influenced my decision to study cinema and TV production at university, soon after I found myself working in the film and TV industry shooting for major networks and channels such as Discovery Channel, History Channel and the Travel Channel, I also created motion graphics for TV shows and was even nominated for an Emmy Award, but something was still missing.

After spending a lot of time in front of

screens I realised that what I really wanted to do was design real objects that people can touch and feel, objects that have the power to change people’s daily lives and their environment in a good way.

Discovering my capability for making things rather than buying them changed my vision and inspired me more and more.

My interest in lighting design is a little more than the satisfaction I feel when I look at beautifully crafted light fixtures. What really impresses me is the fact that lighting is one of the most powerful tools you can use to change peoples moods in different environments; you can make them feel good, disturbed, curious or excited. You can alter their perceptions solely with lighting, you can make the exact same place feel much more premium, warmer or calmer and that’s a beautiful feeling.

My team consists only of me, I dream, I draw and I build - from wood working to

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processing metal, collecting material to dealing with electrical components; this gives me complete freedom to express my style and my character. Spontaneity is one of the key qualities of my process; I ride a motorcycle and enjoy getting lost so I can discover new places, on one ride I came across a junkyard which I immediately approached and what I saw transported me to a different time. I walked around the broken wings of old warplanes, torn pilot seats, switches and consoles and asked myself how did that wing break? Who sat on that terribly torn pilot seat? Did they eject themselves and survive?

Did they die? Or maybe it was a test flight and he graduated because of their great

performance, who knows!

I collected many items from that junkyard brought them back to my atelier and started researching, finding out which parts belonged where, dating, dreaming and then building. Connecting the psychogeography of its past experience, from being a part of 1940’s aeronautics to a light fixture in 2018.

I have a particular routine that starts with the material itself. I like playing with the existing limits of the material, I force myself to make the best out of it, I don’t draw pages of sketches, I don’t build my designs in 3D software, I just close my eyes and make what I imagine come to life.

Spontaneity becomes my drive and the main quality that triggers my creativity, little

accidents and artefacts can transform into wonderful surprises and that excites me.

My favourite material is walnut wood, being in California definitely helps when looking for a great dark grain. I love the smell of it while I’m cutting, sanding and working.

I prefer putting myself in the viewer’s position when designing. Because walnut is dark it does not bounce any light – this can sometimes be a good or a problematic thing. Walnut is an unforgiving wood but so far hiding LED lights with heatsinks has worked out well. I don’t like light interacting with materials, I’m a big fan of directional and shaped lights, for me light colour rendering is very important, my lights are always warm, I try to get them

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between 2,200 to 2,700k.

I’m deeply impressed by the fact that something I created lives another life in someone else’s physical space. That feeling helped me figure out that making things is my vehicle to contact and connect with people - my creations are my statements.

In Aero Series for example, my lighting products don’t just illuminate rooms they literally tell stories. The world is too big and life is too precious to focus on one goal and live your entire life around it, you have to live multiple lives, by meeting new people, learning new skills and practising new methods to create - I’m constantly thinking of new, creative lighting product ideas; I make prototypes all the

time.

Sometimes a very promising idea becomes something that’s not so promising, but other times, a quick, simple idea can be converted into an exciting product with the help of little accidents and surprises. When you can enjoy the process rather than just focusing on the result you increase your chances of making something truly creative.

At the moment I’m working on a series of lights called Sense of Balance, which challenges balance and illusion. The collection will include a table lamp, a pendant lamp, a wall, and a floor light. I’m also preparing for the second Aero Series, after making its debut at Milan Design Week 2017 and receiving the ‘Best innovative

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Lighting Design Award’ from the American Society of Interior Designers, the first Aero Series has received a significant amount of media exposure and received some flattering reviews, that have inspired me to continue the series with new designs, new stories and new experiences. www.alpernakri.com

Opening spread Alper Nakri sits in front of his Aero Series 2 wall light.

1.The parts from Aero series salvaged from the remains of a WW2 plane. 2. Aero series 2 ceiling light. 3. Aero Space Series 1 wall light in post production. 4. Aero series 2 pendant light.

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Playful Austerity Jean Lee and Dylan Davis bring a balanced approach to product design, considering at all times a person’s connection with the object.

Helen Ankers takes a closer look at their work with light.

Image: Robin Stein

Ladies & Gentlemen Studio is a multifaceted design studio based in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighbourhood. Founded in 2010 by designers Jean Lee and Dylan Davis, their aesthetic and design philosophy embraces complementary opposites with an unexpected balance of warm minimalism, playful austerity and simple sophistication.

Blending resourceful curiousity with the desire to celebrate materials and functionality, the duo’s open approach to design yields an ever-evolving set of ideas and experiments collected from everyday discoveries, explorations and surroundings.

“It’s all about balance for us,” Davis tells darc. “Whatever we’re working on, we’re always exploring forms, ideas and materials and working out the best angle to express exploration in the most simple and pure form.”

“We tend to be inspired by movements with historical context or cultures rather than fleeting trends,” adds Lee, “and designs that evoke the most emotion or personality, which naturally trickles down into our own practice.”

Having started their journey together at the University of Washington, the duo met while studying industrial design; and as with most designers, the need to be creative, to ‘play’, and to experiment is something that has been ingrained in Davis and Lee from an early age.

“I’ve always been really interested in art and cars and when I was a kid I wanted to be a car designer,” Davis says. “I would endlessly sketch all these cars that were ridiculous of course, but that was the moment that I remember being really interested in design and this evolved over time. My mom always wanted me to be an architect and both my grandpa and father built their own homes, which is pretty cool. I’m from Michigan and there’s a real attitude of making things and being industrious and it’s definitely rubbed off on me. If you want to make something you figure it out yourself and just get on and do it – you learn from the process. My dad was a bit of a hippy and built his house around a chicken coop, he kept adding little additions – I really admire his attitude towards it and I try and take that on board in my own design process.”

And for Lee, it was actually her dad who pointed her in the direction of industrial design. “I was always interested in making things and being hands on,” she says. “And was always very into crafts and things like that but it was my dad who, when I was in high school, actually pointed out I could do something in industrial design… it wasn’t something I had explored but once I did, realised product design can provide a good balance of creativity while creating something useful and tactile.

“I think one of the big turning points for us was going to Italy as part of our course… it was a glimpse into what could be. There were all these artistic influences; people living their taking pride in having an item custom made; and for us to realise you could make a living out of designing and making your own products was refreshing.

“At that time in Seattle it was mostly corporate work… people would be applying for jobs under a bigger brand name or the designs were more about technology and we weren’t relating to it at all. Italy was an eye-opening experience – seeing the shops and studios working and selling, it was very inspiring.”

With other artistic influences coming in the form of mid-century Modernists, expressive 70’s Italian designers, and humorous Dutch designers, the pair find themselves most struck by designs that evoke a sense of emotional connection, which trickles down into their in their own practice to create functional, thoughtful objects with a sense of wonderment.

“A bit of playfulness always comes from within,” continues Lee. “While we explore and play around with the materials – we like to elevate the materials to the next level and I think the way in which we balance all of these different ideas gives our designs a level of unexpectedness.”

“The first light fixture we designed is a

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pretty good example of our approach,” adds Davis. “The Aura light was born from some metal rings we had lying around the studio… we discovered that when we held them up to the light a sort of simple, magical effect happened when the light reflected off the ring and from there a discussion began.”

The Aura fixture sees Davis and Lee pare down light into its two elemental ingredients – the source and its illumination (highlighted by a brass ring). The resulting pendant light is simple and versatile with the two available sizes looking just as striking hung individually at adjustable heights or in clusters and rows.

“Our explorations from there have gone in many different directions,” says Davis. “But we try to have a really elemental curiosity that drives the concept for each design.”

“For example, with the Shape Up lighting fixture we challenged the concept of a traditional chandelier,” adds Lee. “It was more about how we could create a new architecture… we were trying to create something playful yet elevated. This chandelier in particular was inspired by some jewellery pieces we had designed the year before; it was about these elemental shapes hanging asymmetrically. Lighting in some ways is like jewellery for the space,

it’s like the statement piece that often brings the space together and creates an expressive element to it so we imagined the piece that way, we really enjoy having that flexibility.”

“That’s why it’s so important to us not to focus on one product type,” continues Davis. “In the studio we’re always moving from highly functional small objects to completely non-functional sculptures – it’s very important to us to always explore these different methods because they all inform each other.”

This considered approach soon attracted the attention of the design world, specifically Jason Miller, fellow product designer and owner of New York-based lighting brand Roll & Hill. And it wasn’t long before the two studios collaborated to produce lighting collections Shape Up and Kazimir.

“Jason first saw our work during New York Design Week in 2013,” says Davis. “But it took about another eighteen months before we landed on something workable for them.

Looking back, at that point the work we were presenting was still quite unrefined and we’re still surprised now that he saw something in us back then… it really is a testament to his ability in seeing something in someone.”

“We kept producing all these ideas that we thought would be good for Roll & Hill but weren’t quite right and in the end he said to us ‘I asked you guys to design a fixture because I want a Ladies & Gentlemen fixture, not a Ladies & Gentlemen for Roll & Hill fixture’, that was the big turning point for us creatively,” adds Lee. “I don’t think we had the confidence to think of ourselves in that way at that point – offering our vision rather than just working to their vision. That moment was definitely a bit of a milestone for us, both personally and creatively.

“Jason was pushing us and wanting our design perspective on something and that was really refreshing – some companies you encounter might try and steer you to what fits within their company, but the way Jason worked with us was different – he trusted us a lot and wanted us to be more true to how we design.”

Shape Up is a versatile lighting series in celebration of geometric shapes and materials. The playful collages upend traditional notions of symmetry in favour of a dynamic spatial harmony. The collection’s abstracted lampshade forms are networked via connecting cords and hubs. The resulting modular system allows the shapes to be suspended and composed indefinitely

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Image: Joseph De Leo

Image: Brian Nguyen

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in response to a space’s architecture and function. As if connecting the dots, the cord network graphically expresses the light source’s formal and electrical connection to each other.

The Kazimir collection was inspired by the late 1800 Russian artist Kazimir Malevich who created paintings often composed of flat, abstract areas of multi-layered shapes and compositions.

The fixtures are the result of Ladies & Gentlemen’s increased experimentation with ‘complexity and layering’ and their interest in geometric abstraction and minimalism.

Kazimir explores an ‘elemental complexity’ through a three-piece collage of textured and dichroic plate glass shapes arranged around an illuminated triangular frame to create new optical dimensions and effects.

Individually, each pane is an unexceptional shape, but collectively composed they create fascinating effects that vary from each angle and lighting condition.

The resulting arrangement celebrates layering of shape, texture, colour, and effect.‘Complexity’ lies at the intersection of the three elemental forms and invites one to interact with the piece by walking around it and see how the shapes and composition transforms.

Outside of their collaboration with Roll &

Hill, Lee and Davis have been working on a lighting fixture launched last year called Float. More sculptural and minimal it captures a moment of suspension in space and implores combinations of the least, most essential elements working in concert to intimately define space with light and form. All forms exist to support and serve the other to direct soft glows and shadows into its surroundings.

“I think it’s our responsibility to make products that people own really special and something they can connect with,” says Davis. “Designers have the opportunity and responsibility to bring products to a human level and we try to reflect that in our business model and designs… I think it is a movement that’s happening right now, people more and more are seeing the negative effects of overconsumption and the throw-away culture and are becoming more aware of what they make and consume.”

“We don’t necessarily like to follow trends anyway, but as long as we can change the way people perceive and connect with objects on an emotional level that is what we will look to do.” www.ladiesandgentlemenstudio.com

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1. Shape Up, designed for Roll & Hill, is a versatile lighting series in celebration of geometric shapes and materials. The playful collages upend traditional notions of symmetry in favour of a dynamic spatial harmony. 2. Kazimir, also designed for Roll & Hill, explores an ‘elemental complexity’ through a threepiece collage of textured and dichroic plate glass shapes arranged around an illuminated triangular frame to create new optical dimensions and effects.

3. The Aura fixture sees Davis and Lee pare down light into its two elemental ingredients – the source and its illumination (highlighted by a brass ring).

The resulting pendant light is simple and versatile with the two available sizes looking just as striking hung individually at adjustable heights or in clusters and rows.

NATURE

REALIZED AS CONCEPT Serip Organic Lighting draws inspiration from organic forms found in nature.

The designs are handcrafted with artisanal time-honored techniques, luxurious materials and unparalleled quality.

www.serip.co.uk info@serip.com.pt

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The Cobra Texture initiative In honour of Cobra's 50th Anniversary Martinelli Luce pays tribute to Elio Martinella by inviting a host of designers to recreate the iconic light.

On occasion of Cobra's 50th anniversary, Martinelli Luce pays tribute to Elio Martinelli, the light’s creator and the company’s founder, with an exciting project.

Designers who have collaborated with Martinelli Luce over the years as well as a number of friends, were invited to revisit the Cobra by producing a graphic texture to apply to the lamp.

The resulting textures were included in the exhibition that took place on the 27 February 2018 at La Triennale of Milan, Italy.

Each Cobra/Texture project lamp will be produced in 30 signed and numbered exemplars in addition to three author’s proofs.

“The 50 years of a lamp as important for Martinelli Luce as Cobra, designed by founder Elio Martinelli, certainly represent an event of great significance for the company. To celebrate this anniversary,

my first thought was a new colour," says Emiliana Martinelli. "Enamel Red: a bright color, symbolic of fire, of joy, of love, of light, and weighty with emotion - a further characterisation of the lamp’s strong personality. But that’s not all. Why not experiment further with the colour and why not discover how other designers interpret it? A tribute, by all involved, to Elio Martinelli, who designed the Cobra in far-off 1968: a futuristic lamp for its era.

Thus, I invited the designers who have been collaborating with Martinelli Luce for many years now, and several friends, to revisit the Cobra lamp by creating a graphic texture to apply to its surface. The invitation was accepted enthusiastically and unanimously and now the 23 signed and numbered creations have been presented at La Triennale.” www.martinelliluce.it

Cobra Designers ADOLINI+SIMONINI ASSOCIATI LUISA BOCCHIETTO MICHEL BOUCQUILLON GIORGIO BROGI MASSIMO FARINATTI ALFONSO FEMIA CON ARTHUR SIMONY MARCO GHILARDUCCI ALESSANDRO GUERRIERO DONIA MAAOUI EMILIANA MARTINELLI ALESSANDRO MENDINI ANGELO MICHELI MARCELLO MORANDINI PAOLA NAVONE PAOLO ORLANDINI LUC RAMAEL KARIM RASHID MARC SADLER BRIAN SIRONI STUDIO AREA-17 STUDIO LUCCHI&BISERNI STUDIO NATURAL STUDIÒVO

ARCHITONIC REPORT

straight to your inbox twice a month: architonic.com/subscribe

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ON SHOW

Design Dubai Downtown Design continues to attract the design industry's attention with its fifth edition.

Downtown Design - the anchor event for Dubai Design Week - celebrated five successful years in November, after announcing its largest and most significant edition to date.

Taking place from November 14-17, 2017, in partnership with the Dubai Design District (d3)+ Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (DCAA), the show presented a range of carefully selected, best-in-class, established and emerging brands from all over the world.

The annual exhibition, held for the third time at Dubai Design District (d3), provided the architecture and design industry with a unique blend of exhibitors, live events, and installations all within a purpose-built venue.

Rue Kothari, Show Director of Downtown

Design said: “We’re delighted to have marked five years of Downtown Design with a show double the size of previous editions. Not only does this reflect the strength of the exhibition and its reputation but also the growth in high-demand sectors of lighting, furniture and textiles. The show continues its rise, while focusing on connecting exhibitors to the region’s leading architects and interior designers. Helping brands and buyers to unlock the potential of the Middle East design market is at the heart of Downtown Design.”

Mohammad Saeed Al Shehhi, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Design District, added: “The success of the show is proof the design industry in Dubai and across the region is growing. Downtown Design alongside d3

during Dubai Design Week is a powerful combination, underpinning Dubai’s position as an essential and dynamic market for local, regional and international brands.”

The 2017 edition saw an increase in the number of brands across all categories, with an outstanding 90% retention of key brands; each of which returned with fresh concepts for the market. Newcomers from the world of lighting included Marset, Sans Souci and Santa Cole.

Each year, Downtown Design delivers a carefully considered visitor experience, from the design of the communal areas to the Forum space, which hosted a full programme of industry talks. www.downtowndesign.com

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DESIGN FOR EXPRESSION Discover the Largest Showcase of New Interior Products in the Middle East.

Register to attend for FREE www.indexexhibition.com

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imm cologne review January 15-21 2018, Cologne, Germany imm Cologne Das Haus 2018 a poetic experiment of light Lucie Koldova was guest of honour at Das Haus 2018. The young Czech designer from Prague is known for her extraordinary flair in designing lighting fixtures and lighting effects. For the seventh year running, imm cologne has invited an international designer to use architecture, interior design and furniture in a simulated house in order to make a personal statement about contemporary living.

"Following the transatlantic ‘Haus’ by Todd Bracher, imm returned to Europe with Lucie Koldova, and turned its attention to the Czech Republic – the home of superb glassware”, reveals the Creative Director of imm cologne, Dick Spierenburg. “We were particularly impressed with her lamp designs – they are remarkable.” www.imm-cologne.com

Plus Eno Studio

Copenhagen &tradition

Alien Next

Designed by Paris-based studio Nocc, the Plus wall light is shaped as either a cross or a circle depending on which way you look at it. The dynamic aspect of this wall light makes it perfect for any residential or commercial space.

Plus spreads light to the floor or the ceiling maximising its luminous effect. www.enostudio.fr

Imagine Maritime gas lamps lighting the way on dark cobblestone streets dating back over a century. Now imagine a modern version that embodies the essence of this icon in a desk lamp crafted in satinised opal glass and bronzed bass – and you have Copenhagen for &tradition designed by the duo at Space Copenhagen. www.andtradition.com

Alien is available in two sizes and four variations, as pendant, table and two floor lights. The easy version can also be ordered for outdoor. It comes with a choice of textile cables in red and silver. The lower cover is variable too, enclosed in red and white. An Alien formation to illuminate your room. www.next.design

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1. T-Cotta Hind Rabii

2. Iscar Nahoor

3. Light Curtain Akttem

Created from the desire to design an object of fluid, curved forms, T-Cotta is the fruit of the union of materials, both of which come from earth. Both are worked by man and both forged by heat Design by Chiaramonte Marin Studio/2018. T-Cotta combines the clean lines of Nordic design with the colour’s of the Mediterranean. www.hindrabii.net

Iscar is a simple and essential shape, derived from elementary geometry and is characterised by a strong material aesthetic. This chromatic wall lamp comes in a copper finish, burnished brass, brushed brass and satin chrome or white and black lacquer. Designed by William pianta for Nahoor, Iscar is available with direct light. www.nahoor.com

The open modular lighting system Light Curtain is based on an earlier design by Akttem called the Filigrane 360° LED pendant rope light. Connectors are available in various materials, colors and lengths to allow for a multitude of configurations. The result is a customized, unique product, made in Germany. www.akttem.com

4. Crane 4room

5. Fractal Marc de Groot

6. Radiolaria Bernotat & Co

4room's Crane is first and foremost a functional and mobile lighting fixture with various options for regulating the dimensions. All luminaires in the Crane series feature a jib that extends an additional 80cm. In combination with the rotating base ceiling Crane rotates 360°while the wall Crane rotes 180°. www.crane.4room.ee

Designed by Marc de Groot, Fractal is created by repeating the hexagon shape in different ways. All lines of the Fractal lead to the core and from this source the light emits into the space. de Groot’s work focuses on simplicity, craftsmanship and keeping an eye for detail, without losing functional aspects of the product. www.marcdegroot.co.uk

The essence of Bernotat & Co's work is to ponder the poetry of normalcy; to heighten the contrast between the mundane and surprising, this is evident in their new pendant Radiolaria. When the light is switched off, Radiolaria reveals its secret - a soft green glow resembling bioluminescence. www.bernotat.eu

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Maison et Objet review January 19 - 23, 2018, Paris, France

Antonio Facco Masion et Objet Rising Talents

Portrait credit: Annica Eklund Product: Mondo (Oblure) by Antonio Facco

Antonio Facco, nominated by Giuoli Cappellini, pours the same energy into whatever he undertakes. To him, the creative process is first and foremost a matter of multidisciplinary investigation.

“Despite his young age, Antonio Facco is very attentive to changes in contemporary design and to communication,” says Cappellini. “His projects are largely inspired by his observations of the younger generations, of their expectations and their behaviours. His projects are always surprising, because they are the perfect synthesis of his thought process and sensitive nature. I believe Antonio Facco is truly one of the most promising representatives of the new design trends in Italy.” www.antoniofacco.com

Borneo Art et Floritude

Orbital Collection Bomma

Cercle & trait CVL Luminaires

The tropical leaves and handmade porcelain flowers used for the Borneo chandelier is craftsmanship at its best, handmade in the workshop of this French lighting company.

Various finishes are available for the leaves, while the porcelain comes in either biscuit or glazed. The diameter can vary from 60cm to 150cm www.artetfloritude.fr

The Orbital collection draws inspiration from the physics of the Solar System with circular shapes evoking the trajectories of planets and celestial bodies around a star.

Designed by deFORM Studio, a light source - representing the sun - is held between the glass components by an elegantyl detailed metal fitting. www.bomma.cz

Designed by Design POOL, the Cercle & trait pendant is handmade in France and makes use of brass.

As light as it looks, the forms of Cercle & trait rub together and hold together in a cleverly measured balance.

A graphic pendant, available in different finishes, it hangs from just one small wire. www.cvl-contract.fr

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1. Lludvia Verart

2. Lute Ebb & Flow

3. Pearls Formagenda

Created in France by engineers and manufacturers, made sublime by artists, and handcrafted using old traditions, the Lludvia chandelier is made solely by free hand blowing. With nature as a main source of inspiration, Verart creates a suspended lighting module made of borosilicate lighting balls. www.verart-france.fr

2018 sees Ebb & Flow move away from glass and metal into fabrics. The fusion of the two has created a new range of table lamps and pendants. Combine and match as you wish, for instance this Lute table lamp base in pale topaz blue and gold makes a perfect pair with a linen shade in white and indigo fern print. www.ebbandflow.dk

A timeless, elegant design, Pearls combines opal glass spheres in two different sizes, resulting in various arrangements and shapes arising. Pearls can be arranged in any desired grouping which will provide the perfect lighting for multiple spaces. A revised techical setup also now allows easy exchange of the LED-module. www.formagenda.com

4. Moscow Collection Villa Lumi

5. D.N.A Jeremy Maxwell Wintrebert

6. Jamz Lladro

Inspired by the breathtaking city of Moscow, Russia and its monuments and architectural lines, this collection has a unique design - reflecting in black and gold - the power, luxury and prestige of the city.

This collection becomes the centre of attention in any space, spreading elegance and a feeling of exclusivity. www.villa-lumi.com

D.N.A. is a colourful light made with freehand blown glass molecules and brass stems. You can compose your own D.N.A. sequence for it is available in different colours, finishes and numbers. Elegant and sensual, it perfectly blends passion, creativity, excellent craftsmanship and teamwork in a modern design. www.jeremyglass.com

Inspired by jazz, the Jamz Collection sees light and craftsmanship come together to offer lamps of refined forms that can create different atmospheres. Available in three different models, which come in white porcelain and metals in gold, silver or black, the customisation of the collection portrays the shape and freedom of jazz. www.lladro.com

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1. Cobra Martinelli Luce

2. Kira Nahoor

3. Trapeze Oblure

Cobra is held in a sphere with two horizontal tops separating the reflector from the base, the reflector’s rotatory movement around the central articulation constantly produces new spheres. Cobra is molded with a single material - a thermosetting resin - available in a range of bright colours, white and black. www.martinelliluce.it

Designed by William Pianta, the Kira suspension lamp is available in burnished and brushed brass, polished and satin chrome, as well as white and black lacquered. As part of Nahoor's new collection the fixture is characterised by a strong executive value, using a simple language to express a new aesthetic. www.nahoor.com

Designed by Jette Scheib, Trapeze is as much a single pendant as it is an endless system of possibilities. The square tube has a built in connector, which makes it easy and fun to mount multiple lamps together. You can connect two lamps next to each other or use a straight and / or 90º connector. www.oblure.com

4. Siren Preciosa

5. Geyser Collection Serip

6. Aldwych Tekna

Designed by internationally renowned Dima Loginoff, the three glass bells of the Siren pendant are layered to hide and reveal an enchanting combination of colours and textures, adding to the light’s interest.

Different illumination options mean there are always new aspects and reflections to discover. www.preciosalighting.com

The intrinsic force of a geyser carries a blend of aggresiveness and beauty in an unlikely harmony between strength and fragility, establishing the basis of the Geyser Collection. The glass primacy of this rich design embodies the piece with vigor and energy aiming towards the most intense visual lighting experience. www.serip.com.pt

This updated version of the Aldwych is twometres in length and provided with 20 spots both uplighting and downlighting, these LED modules are all individually addressable via DALI, which offers plenty of possibilities for different atmospheres. The LED modules come in different light distributions (25°/ 36° with a CRI of 95%) www.tekna.be

Iconic handcrafted design

BULLET - Design by Benjamin Hopf

www.formagenda.com

ON SHOW

Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair 5-11 February 2018, Stockholm, Sweden Record number of visitors Visitors from 100 different countries attended ths years Fair.

This year's Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair saw a total of 31% overseas visitors representing a record number of 100 countries.

Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair is shaping up to be a major player on the international design scene. Visitors came from 100 countries, compared with 80 countries last year and 60 countries the year before.

Most visitors hailed from Norway, Finland, Denmark and the UK. “It’s fantastic that we’re growing steadily on the international design scene,” says Cecilia Nyberg, Event Manager for Stockholm Furniture & Light Fair and Stockholm Design Week. “We are seeing more and more interest in the fair and in Scandinavian design reaching beyond Europe’s borders." www.stockholmfurniturelightfair.se

Wrap Belid

Riff ateljé Lyktan

Grid Blond

Launched at this year's Stockholm Furniture and Light Fair by Norweigan furniture brand Belid, Wrap’s unique details and choice of material make it a high-end pendant at home in any minimalist bedroom or hotel.

Casted fttings and punched details define solid craftsmanship to express the idea of metal embracing the light. www.belid.se

A dimmable downlight combined with a tuned direct light creates a soft aura against the ceiling and wall, providing a pleasant, balanced light.

With its timeless designs and latest LED technology, Riff is developed for offices, learning institutions, hospitals and other public spaces. www.atelje-lyktan.se

Blond launched Grid at this year's Stockholm Furniture Fair. Designed

by Bornstein Lyckefors architects who previously designed the Bend, Grid is a tasteful, modular lighting system with the adaptability of a three-phase rail where a node is placed in each node. A stylish addition to any space. www.blond.se

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1. Balloon Brokis

2. nh1217 Artemide

3. Gross Bar ByRydens

A simple yet timeless light based on a transparent, nearly invisible balloon with a hovering reflector to serve as an elegant and stately source of light in any setting.

The natural beauty of the handblown glass is underlined by the clean appearance of the transparent balloons. A small table light and two free-standing models are available. www.brokis.cz

nh1217 is a simple, versatile, practical appliance that can be laid or suspended.

A white blown glass sphere slides along a brushed brass ring, which allows it to take different positions and to freely adjust and direct the diffuser. The frame becomes a support, a hook to hang the appliance to the wall, or a handle. www.artemide.com

Gross Bar is an attractive, exclusive hanging lamp consisting of 38 transparent glass globes in a cluster. The lamp can be hung over a dining table or a conference table for an atrractive focal point.

Made from glass and metal the lamp is 80cm and available in a smoke grey or amber colouring. www.byrydens.se

4. Manhattan Bsweden

5. Canaletto Icone Luce

6. Blossi Nuura

Manhattan lamp clear from Bsweden was designed by Gunnel Svensson in 1997 and is a modern classic. The lamp has the same shape as a drinking glass and has got its name after the traditional drink Manhattan.

It has a stylish look in clear glass with decorative details in stainless steel and aluminum. www.bsweden.com

Canaletto's light but tremendous character metal structure and blown glass lighting diffusers depict grace and Murano’s skills.

The form and the mood of Canaletto lamps remind the forms and combinations of materials that have left their marks on the history of design since the 50's.

Available in a number of finishes. www.iconeluce.com

Designed by award-winning Danish designer, Sofie Refer, Blossi is a lamp collection created from rounded surfaces that are continued in glass and metal and combined with state-of-the-art technology. Danish design coupled with elegant light makes Blossi an organic and stylish light that complements any space. www.nuura.com

Seeing is believing

Discover retail design lighting and architecture solutions at RDE 2018 Meet the full range of design solutions providers including lighting, surfaces, P-O-P, visual merchandising, design agencies, fixtures and fittings, furniture, display equipment, packaging, insights consultancies and shopfitters.

Attend the outstanding FREE conference programme featuring star-studded speakers in retail design, marketing, branding, shopper and VM sessions.

In 2018 we’re expecting over 18,000 retail professionals to attend. Will you be one of them?

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3 SHOWS, 2 DAYS, 1 LEADING EVENT FOR THE RETAIL INDUSTRY 3 exciting shows, 2 full-on2-3days, 1 leading event for the retail industry MAY 2018, OLYMPIA LONDON

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1. Lita LucePlan

2. Apollo Pholc

3. Summera Shapes

Lita by David Dolcini is an extremely versatile family of decorative lamps, the result of a delicate design process that mixes imagery, signs, geometric textures and natural materials. The result is a collection with its own elegant simplicity, including table, floor, suspension and wall/ ceiling solutions. www.luceplan.com

The assemble of conical shapes that balance on top of each other like spinning gyros, emphasise the downward force in a pendant lamp and create both dynamic and static expression. Machine-turned from a solid piece of brass or aluminum, these shapes show not just a beautiful raw metal surface but also alludes to mass and weight. www.pholc.se

Shapes add a playful yet simple uniqueness to the traditional nordic design through understated, yet edgy details, providing a lighting range that is adaptable to any environment, lasting beyond the trends of today. German manufacturing ensures precision and quality, adding the final touch of perfection – Playfully Simple. www.shapes.info

4. Hoop Zero Lighting

5. Pixel Ferro

6. Pu-erh Marset

Designed by Front Studio, Hoop, shows a clear kinship with their earlier fixture: Plane’s elegant and thin metal structure.

A slightly elliptical globe rests in Hoop’s system of rings and illuminates their inner sides, producing a surprising effect. All while the electrics are brilliantly hidden by its construction. www.zerolighting.com

So slender and yet so powerful, a minimalist design combined with great strengths is the reason why the Pixel Desk Light is just as much a leader in lighting as the other members of the Pixel family. Reading becomes a big event with the Pixel Desk Light.The base is available in white, grey, wengé and black. www.ferrolightdesign.com

The distinction of the new Pu-erh collection lies in its use of ceramics as material to yield a lamp with a delicate, fabric-like effect. Designer and ceramist Xavier Mañosa has created a texture, evoking pleated silk, which is then applied to a conical shade, casting a wide and beautiful ray of illumination. wwww.marset.com

ASIA’S LEADING INTERNATIONAL DESIGN EVENT CONTEMPORARY CLASSIC & LUXURY COLLECTIBLES KITCHEN & BATHROOM WORKPLACE

14 – 17 MARCH 2018 SHANGHAI EXHIBITION CENTRE BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW TO ENJOY THE SPECIAL EARLY-BIRD PRICE Single-day ticket CNY 135* | Two-day ticket CNY 220* | Four-day ticket CNY 400* *On the door price: Single-day ticket CNY 240 Two-day ticket CNY 380 Four-day ticket CNY 720

A

w w w.designshanghai.com

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ON SHOW

Light + Building Preview March 18-23 2018, Frankfurt, Germany

Light + Building 2018 Major international brands present their latest products Altogether, 1,650 companies will be exhibiting their entire spectrum of products and services in the lighting segment of this year's Light + Building. A wide range of both technical and designer luminaires, as well as decorative lamps of all styles, will be exhibited, covering all price ranges and for both residential and non-residential environments. The spectrum will be completed by a large selection of technical lighting components and accessories, as well as outdoor and street lighting.

Well-known companies, such as Artemide, Brand van Egmont, Ateje Lyktan,Flos, Ingo Maurer, LG Display, Louis Poulsen, Luceplan and Martinelli Luci will be showcasing their latest products. www.light-building.messefrankfurt.com

Mini Edge Reader Astro Lighting

Horizon Ebb & Flow

Brynne Elstead Lighting

Inspired by the award-winning Edge Reader luminaire, Astro introduces a fresh take on the original design with the addition of Edge Reader Mini. An undeniably more discreet and modest option for providing bedside illumination, Edge Reader Mini is by no means any less visually striking than its successful predecessor. www.astrolighting.com

With its wide shape and shallow height, Horizon invites you to look far and gaze into the unknow. All lights are mouth-blown and finished by hand in Denmark and Horizon is no exception. The model imposes on its environment a vibrant splash of colour that will liven up the room. Horizon is fitted with brass or silver metal fittings. www.ebbandflow.dk

The Scandinavian-influenced Brynne pendant from Feiss blends integrated LED technology with a minimalist silhouette.

Available in matte black or flat white finishes, all Brynne pendant lights come with two sets of fitters in both chrome and burnished brass to allow you to create a customised look. www.elsteadlighting.com

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1. Niko Faro

2. In-es. artdesign Luna Out

3. Flex Luctra

Niko is a table lamp with a surface on which you can charge your smartphone without unsightly cables getting in the way. Highly decorative, it is perfect for small spaces or bedrooms with minimalist décor. Niko offers double functionality, task lighting and a comforting glow with a minimalist Nordic design. www.faro.es

Luna Out, designed to create outdoors a dreamlike and romantic atmosphere, is made of a mix of resins and fibers, modelled to reproduce the luminescent and irregular surface of the moon. Harring won the Design Plus Award by Light + Building, and will be exhibited among their awardwinning products www.in-es.com

Thanks to rechargeable battery technology, Luctra Flex provides complete freedom to work anywhere, anytime without compromising on the quality of light. With a weight of just 2kg and a battery capacity of up to 25 hours you can easily take Flex with you. No cables. No restrictions. Total flexibility. www.luctra.eu

4. Wittenberg 4.0 Mawa

5. Chestnut Viso

6. Koyoo Ingo Maurer

The functionality and lighting quality of the Wittenberg 4.0, as well as the superb quality of the product as a whole, make this luminaire an appealing solution for many contemporary interiors. The whole spotlight serie impresses through aN effective glare suppressing illuminating surface and ability to pivot 90° and rotate 365°. www.mawa-design.de

Inspired by mid-century modern design, Chestnut's sophistication and organic beauty make it the ideal candidate for any interior space. The fixture can be installed on the ceiling, as a simple wall sconce or as a decorative piece while the angle of each plate can be adjusted individually for further customisation. www.visoinc.com

Koyoo is a small portable light. A round sheet of paper that glows with warm light wherever you take it. The light source and battery are placed in a small, anodized aluminum lamp base, chargeable via USB. The hidden light perfectly matches the shape of the paper shade - held by an thin stainless steel wire. www.ingo-maurer.com

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ON SHOW

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1. Lua Icone Luce

2. Periplo Karman

3. Fulton Tobias Grau

A collection with an essential design and adjustable light source. The 6mm thick aluminium disc has a smooth profile to enhance its class and uniqueness as well as the details of its colour. High efficency and performance are guaranteed by the use of 220V last generation cobled, with no driver needed. www.iconeluce.com

Designed by Luca De Bona and Dario De Meo Periplo consists of metal twine inside a circular framework, which protects and guards with the help of a hermetic hook.

You can find Periplo in a purer version too, where the circular shape frames an empty space, a sort of clean slate where you can impress the time of own lives. www.karmanitalia.it

The Bluetooth glass surfaced switch program Max Touch allows wireless switching and dimming, the choice of the luminaire's light colour, and the individual programming of different lighting scenes by touch. Max Touch is a new switch in a new form for the LED era. Especially for on, off, dimming and changing of the light colour www.tobiasgrau.com

4. Tour Linea Light

5. Poldina Zafferano

6. Guise Vibia

Circular, severe and essential, with a warm and diffusive LED light. Tour’s frame is composed by a calendered and powder coated extruded aluminum. No power cable is visible, the top LEDs are powered by special extra thin steel suspension cables. A special patented snap system eliminates all visible joints. www.linealight.com

Poldina is a loyal companion for more than 9 hours. It is a portable light for illuminating the way, an outdoor space, a table or an isolated corner.

A rechargeable die-cast aluminium table lamp, available with a matt white or corten steel finish, it can be recharged using the micro USB cable included. www.zafferanoitalia.com

Stefan Diez has discovered a new potential use for LED technology in contact with matter - a pattern of engraved incisions made in the borosilicate glass, created using a robotic cutting technique, refracts, radiates and reflects the light brilliantly.

The Led source is located longitudinally as if it were a seam, almost imperceptible. www.vibia.com

22 – 24 MAY 2018

22 - 24 MAY 2018

S ’ E N V O TI D N A T O L R E AR C HE Discover leading international lighting brands in our brand new exhibition Light at Fabric Nightclub REGISTER FOR FREE

CLERKENWELLDESIGNWEEK .COM # C DW2 018

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ON SHOW

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1.Chrona Graypants

2. Buzzihat Buzzispace

3. Belmont Pablo Designs

Mimicking the phosphorescent envelope found around stars, Chrona creates a luminous glow by combining spun brass and diffused acrylic. With a variety of configurations in both horizontal and vertical orientations, dish pendants can be clustered together to make stunning constellations or individually hung. www.graypants.com

A hat-shaped pendant light with excellent sound absorption capabilities. Its unique design, combining an upholstered part with a metal shade is bound to steal the attention in any space. The foam body is available in a wide palette of colour and fabric combinations, while the metal shade and ring come in four finishes. www.buzzi.space

An elegant interplay of proportion and material, the Belmont floor light is designed to illuminate interiors from modern to traditional. Its iconic shade form is comprised of premium wool felt fabric that is delicately balanced over a contrasting hand-crafted solid wood base in oak or walnut. www.pablodesigns.com

4. 3D Knit Rich Brilliant Willing

5. Secto 4200 Secto Design

6. Primavera Patinas Lighting

Rich Brilliant Willing experiments with thin flexible OLEDs. with the absence of any structural constraints, the studio designed a malleable fabric housing with custom, 3D-knit fabric by Stoll. The result is a seamless fabric sleeve that maximizes the inherent flexibility of OLEDs, opening the possibilities for revolutionary integration. www.richbrilliantwilling.com

The very first Secto lamp, the conical Secto 4200, came out in 1995. Today the collection consists of 23 different models that together form a clear and unique appearance of the brand. Secto Design's collection of wooden lights is handmade in Finland and uses the latest LED technology.

Handcrafted using local birch wood. www.sectodesign.fi

The Primavera chandelier was inspired by perfectly imperfect tree branches covered in ice and frozen buds waiting to blossom.

The chandelier consists of four branches ending in a frosted glass globes.

It is made of pure brass by traditional craftmanship and mouthblown etched glass.

An elegant adittion to any space. www.patinas-lighting.com

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Milan Design Week We bring you lighting highlights to look out for during Milan’s week of style and design...

Luctra at Archiproducts Milano via Tortona, 31, 20144 Archiproducts Milano is located in the Tortona district, the new beating heart of Milan for art, fashion, design and business. The showroom is designed as a hybrid working space, bringing together architects, designers and international brands to build, innovate and inspire. Luctra provides perfect light anywhere - in the showroom the ‘take away’ Flex luminaires will be available for anybody working in the space to use. www.milano.archiproducts.com

Tortona Design District

WonderGlass presents its Kosmos Istituto dei Ciechi, via Vivaio 7, 20122 Inspired by the Greek concept of archetype, the vibrant and colourful exhibition will showcase the synthesis of WonderGlass’ universe and highlight their limitless capabilities in handblown and cast glass.

Kosmos will feature all new works by leading design houses Bouroullec and Fornasetti crafted by WonderGlass. The innovative WonderLab team will also debut a glass installation designed to fuse sculpture with sound and fill the hall with unique glass creations by renowned designers from around the world. www.wonderglass.com

Lolli e Memmoli via Vivarini 7, 20141 appointment only Lolli e Memmoli will present the Opus XL chandelier during Milan Design Week. A majestic sculpture of light, drawn from the historic Opus design, rediscovering its stylistic balance in an extreme dimension.

The original composition of integrated cylindrical elements following a graduated pattern is exasperated in size to a height of 250cm, while a diameter of 45cm makes for a slim chandelier and defines a scenographic column of light. Precise proportions enhance the lightness of forms in a surprising suspended effect, while 10,000 tiny crystal elements are freed from any unnecessary superstructure and appear as floating in the void in casual harmony. www.lollimemmoli.it

Apparatus via Santa Marta, 14, 20123 An immersive installation of furniture, lighting and objects by Apparatus will be on show during Milan Design Week. Largely inspired by the Persian cultural history of Creative Director Gabriel Hendifar, this collection draws on a range of references from across the Middle East as a point of departure. Open from 10am - 8pm, 16-22 April with a late night opening on 18 April. www.apparatusstudio.com

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Gabriel Scott x Bar Basso via Plinio 39, 20020 For their 2018 Salone del Mobile presentation Montréal design studio Gabriel Scott have worked in tandem with Bar Basso owner Maurizio Stocchetto to develop an in-window jewel box light installation to celebrate and pay homage to the iconic establishment. Inspired by Bar Basso’s now-legendary Negroni Sbagliato, Gabriel Scott will showcase an artistic display of custom Myriad fixtures, as well as a series of Welles Glass in alabaster glass and copper hardware. The Myriad installation will feature blown-glass and new custom satin copper finishes that complements the famous libation and toasts the Bar Basso legacy. www.gabriel-scott.com Image: James Andrew Rosen

Brera Design District

Giopato&Coombes ‘Supernatural Daydream’ via Santa Marta, 21, 20128

San Babila Design District

Henge via Durini / via della Spiga / Salone del Mobile Henge will present a selection of furniture and accessories in three locations during Milan Design Week - the Atelier in via della Spiga dedicated to customisation; an exhibition space in via Durini, Milan’s heart of design; and a booth at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile. Over 30 new products will be on show, including the Starlight lamp, an example of an antiqued cast bronze lighting architecture composed of ‘Y’ shaped arms arranged on two levels. Available also in a chandelier version, the lamp will be presented at the Salone del Mobile booth as a scenic suspended horizontal composition. www.henge07.com

Taking place at Studio Nerino, Giopato&Coombes presents ‘Supernatural Daydream’, an experiment carried out by the two designers, focusing on the theme of light and emotions produced by it.

The result of this research, that moves between precious materials and high technology, nature and magic, is a series of installations, unique pieces, that represent unexpected mutations that emerge from the development of the current collection. Four sculptural chandeliers, that seem suspended in an abstract and enigmatic world, dominated by the colour red, where the limit between real and surreal becomes blurred. The contact with a natural environment seems to have moved beyond a natural state, like pollination, and has generated branches, inflorescences and ‘supernatural elements’ on each installation. www.giopatocoombes.com

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On Show

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

DESIGN SHANGHAI • SHANGHAI 14-17 March 2018 (www.designshanghai.com)

LIGHT + BUILDING • FRANKFURT 18-23 March 2018 (www.light-building.messefrankfurt.com)

INDEX • DUBAI

DARC AWARDS / DECORATIVE • LONDON

26-29 March 2018 (www.indexexhibition.com)

31 May 2018 (www.darcawards.com/decorative)

SALONE DEL MOBILE • MILAN

HOSPITALITY MINDS EUROPE • LONDON

17-22 April 2018 (www.salonemilano.it)

13-14 June 2018 (www.wplgroup.com)

RETAIL DESIGN EXPO • LONDON

MAISON ET OBJET • PARIS

2-3 May 2018 (www.retaildesignexpo.com)

7-11 September 2018 (www.maison-objet.com)

WANTED DESIGN • BROOKLYN / MANHATTAN

LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL • LONDON

17-22 May 2018 (www.wanteddesignnyc.com)

15-23 September 2018 (www.londondesignfestival.com)

ICFF • NEW YOTK

DARC AWARDS / ARCHITECTURAL • LONDON

20-23 May 2018 (www.icff.com)

13 September 2018 (www.darcawards.com/architectural)

CLERKENWELL DESIGN WEEK • LONDON

INTERIEUR •

22-24 May 2018 (www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com)

18-22 October 2018 (www.interieur.be)

KORTRIJK

AD INDEX Archilume..........................................................................85

Elstead Lighting.............................................................115

Louis Poulsen.................................................................. 33

Architonic.........................................................................129

enigma lighting...............................................................111

Martinelli Luce.................................................................. 15

Artemide............................................................................ 61

Faro ..................................................................................... 37

niche modern.....................................................................2

Astro Lighting.................................................................. 31

Formagenda...................................................................137

Oxen..........................................................................9 & 103

Barrisol...............................................................................65

Fritz Fryer........................................................................153

Retail Design Expo.......................................................141

Brokis.................................................................................. 67

Gabriel Scott................................................................4&5

Rich Brilliant Willing...................................................... 19

Clerkenwell Design Week.........................................147

Giopato & Coombes.................................................... 35

Serip...................................................................................127

Cerno...................................................................................49

Hospitality Mind Europe.......................................... 149

Vexica.................................................................................. 75

darc awards..................................................................6&7

ICFF New York................................................................44

VISO..................................................................Back Cover

David Trubridge............................................................155

INDEX Design Series...................................................131

Wanted Design..............................................................138

design Shanghai.......................................................... 143

Innermost.......................................................................... 47

Woka...................................................................................117

designheure.....................................................................69

Karboxx............................................................................... 21

WonderGlass...................................................................59

Durable/ Luctra..............................................................43

Light + Build...................................................................153

Zico Lighting................................................................. 107

Ebb & Flow.......................................................................113

Linea Light Group........................................................ 101

18. – 23. 3. 2018

England

Frankfurt am Main

Ensure tomorrow’s success with the latest illumination designs. Discover a wealth of inspiration in the world’s largest lighting showroom.

Design and technology blend on a floor area of around 150,000 m2 – get ready!

Inspiring tomorrow. www.light-building.com info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83

65882-008_LB_aesthetisch_Darc_106x310 • FOGRA 39 • CMYK •jw:06.10.2017

Attractive and successful: Design embraces technology

DU: 06.10. 2017

The world’s leading trade fair for lighting and building services technology

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SOCIALIGHT

#readinginthedarc A roundup of darc’s highlights from Instagram’s world of decorative lighting and interior design!

1. @catellanismith

1

205 Fil de Fer lights up the headquarters of MailInBlack in Marseilles, located in a jewel of the nineteenth-century French architecture.| Photo by Nava Rapacchietta #elegance #elegant #eleganza #light 2

2. @boccidesign 1,011 3.20 in Grey 3 installed at @glintberlin #bocci #boccidesign #omerarbel #bocci73 #berlinstagram #berlin #lightingdesign #interiordesign 3

3. @gabrielscott 215 Smoked Glass WELLES. #GabrielScott

4. @rosielistudio 134

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Sunday Fun day!

5. @rbw_studio 5

155 rbw_studio Showcasing the atmospheric quality of the Mori Pendants, the first pictures of @shobosho have arrived!

Architecture and interior design by @ studio_gram courtesy of @cr3architecture. #RichBrilliantWilling

6. @jaccomaris 87 6

Shine light differently within your interior with the framed leaning floor lamp.

Just put it......well, where ever you want. #lightingdesign #dutchdesign #interiorarchitecture #interiordesign #floorlamp #playwithlight #interiorinspiration

Artistry from Nature Kina light davidtrubridge.com

THE

CHESTNUT Experience the Fantastical Nature of Light at

THE ENDLESS CAPABILITIES OF THE VISO DESIGN STUDIO Hall 1.1 | Stand C11 March 18-23 — Frankfurt

VISOINC.COM/CHESTNUT | LIGHT@VISOINC.COM