darc 39

Decorative Lighting in Architecture #39 Jan / Feb 2021

Glam Seamless | Stairway Lighting | The Arts Club Harry Potter Theatre | Dining with Light Guide | Azure Range | Eastern Europe Design Report | Diffraction 6

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Sarah Cullen • Acting Editor

Happy New Year!

A sentiment that we have probably heard numerous times over the last couple of weeks but bears a heavier weight in its words this year as we longingly wish for a truly happier future as we tread carefully into 2021...

What a year 2020 was. And naturally, January is a time of reflection and assessment of what has passed and what we are bringing into the new year. With that in mind, this new issue brings with it lots of new content, products and opinions to inspire.

Whether you have spent this time we have had at home day-dreaming about revamping your interiors to create your own at-home oasis, or you are making plans for designing for the masses when life returns to a somewhat normal state, we bring you pages of inspiration for stairway lighting solutions on page 49 and dining with light projects and products on page 31.

From our Stairway Lighting feature, on the cover we have selected the beautiful installation of Lodes’ Random Solo pendant designed by Chia-Ying Lee. The pendant of varying sized bubbles elegantly fills the stairwell atrium in clear and glossy smoke finishes, creating a dramatic effect in the monochrome living space.

We also get to see the behind-the-scenes workings of the Diffraction 6 pendant from Franklite on page 25 and the technology and design behind Well-lit’s latest collection, Azure, on page 45.

Furthermore, we explore an array of projects from across the globe, including the sophisticated Arts Club in London, which received an indulgent make-over from Joyce Wang studio and lighting design from Firefly Point Of View (page 16), and Glam Seamless, a retro salon in New York, which was recently updated by Sergio Mannino Architects featuring eye-catching pendants by Masquespacio (page 12).

Something to get excited about for Spring this year is the return of our [d]arc awards! With project entries closing mid-January, we start to take a look at a couple of the entries so far, including the magical Harry Potter Theatre in Hamburg with lighting design by Studio De Schutter. Using thousands of light sources, the team created a beautiful “light cloud” that floats above visitors, guiding them through the lobby and into the theatre space. Read more on page 20.

I also got the chance to catch up with HagenHinderdael who have created a new sustainable lighting solution, Bolla, which aims to address the product industry's responsibility to design with the environment in mind. Read the full story on page 56.

We wish you all a happy and healthy start to the year and are keeping our fingers crossed that it won’t be too long before we are all able to gather together again and celebrate the end of what has been a tough few months. But for now, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Cover: Random Solo

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Welcome

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Contents Regulars The Magazine 010 Focal Point | Devi Ratn Hotel | Jaipur Managing Editor | Helen Ankers 025 Materials Feature | Franklite | Diffraction 6

h.ankers@mondiale.co.uk +44 161 476 8372

Projects

Acting Editor | Sarah Cullen s.cullen@mondiale.co.uk +44 161 476 9401

012 Glam Seamless Glam Seamless receives a colourful, abstract make -over by New York-based designer Sergio Mannino, which features pendants from Masquespacio.

Media Sales Manager | Stephen Quiligotti s.quiligotti@mondiale.co.uk

016 The Arts Club Joyce Wang Studio's refurbishment of The Ar ts Club London, completed in the summer of 2019, features brand new designs in the Kyubi restaurant and Oscuro cigar lounge. darc speaks with Firefly Point of View and Joyce Wang about the project's influences and their collaboration.

008 | INSIDE ISSUE 39

020 Harry Potter Theatre Stduio De Schutter creates an unforgettable lighting experience for the debut of the German Harr y Potter and the Cursed Child production in Hamburg, using 3000 Segula fixtures.

+44 7742 019213 Media Sales Executive | Adam Syme a.syme@mondiale.co.uk +44 161 476 9118 Contributing Editor Matt Waring

Design

Features

Artwork | Dan Seaton 045 Product Focus | Well-lit | Azure Well-lit launches its new range of flexible LED filament pendants, Azure. The pendants become both a decorative lighting fixture and a functional light source, perfect for hospitality and residential applications.

056 Designer Focus | HagenHinderdael | Bolla HagenHinderdael studio are on a mission to bring awareness to sustainable product design with their 2020/21 lighting collection. darc takes a closer look at Bolla as par t of the collection.

031 Dining with Light Feature darc covers an array of decorative lighting solutions perfectly suited to dining environments, both in residential and commercial settings.

049 Stairway Lighting darc takes a look at some of the most beautiful pendants available to create the striking stairwell feature for projects, both residential and hospitality focused.

d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Editorial | Mel Capper m.capper@mondiale.co.uk

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

Corporate 059 Design Report | Eastern Europe Acting Editor Sarah Cullen sits down with four prominent designers from across Eastern Europe (Dean Skira, Dima Loginoff, Lucie Koldova and Laura MurguĂ­a SĂĄnchez) to discuss the world of lighting in their locations, current trends and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chairman Mondiale Publishing | Damian Walsh Managing Director [d]arc media | Paul James p.james@mondiale.co.uk Marketing & Events | Moses Naeem m.naeem@mondiale.co.uk [d]arc media ltd | Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ, UK | Printed by Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, UK | ISSN 2052-9406

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010 | FOCAL POINT

Focal Point Devi Ratn Hotel Jaipur, India Spread across 20 acres on the foot of the Aravalli Mountains, Devi Ratn luxury hotel is a rendition of everything Jaipur stands for with its avant-garde, surreal and intricate design.

With lighting design from Lookbook and architecture and interior design from Designersgroup, both Indian-based, the hotel is a lavish and extravagent expression for visitors to enjoy. The design scheme is a juxtaposition of Indian architecture and modern interior design. The entrance lobby has curved roof Jalli in red stone, which allows natural light to pour through, creating a play of light and shadow in daytime.

A central light installation from Luz was inspired by traditional Jaipur chandeliers but styled in acrylic with different light scenes configured in RGBW as per the daily requirements of hotel operations. www.lightbook.in

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010 | FOCAL POINT

Focal Point Der Öschberghof Hotel Donaueschingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany The Öschberghof is a five-star resort hotel located on the edge of the Black Forest in southern Germany.

It’s designed to offer guests a relaxing atmosphere where they can slow down and reconnect with nature. Its design is inspired by the region’s traditional architecture; the buildings, with their traditional pitched roofs, are organised in a rhythmical staggered pattern that helps the complex to blend in with its surroundings.

With lighting design from notholt lighting design and interior design from JOI-Design and K&P, all based in Germany, the project features some stunning decorative lighting applications from brands such as Baulmann, Bocci, Lasfera and Lasvit (pictured here).

The lobby is dominated by a light installation consisting of a range of luminous glass shapes that are suspended in an irregular pattern across the entire ceiling. This diffuse illumination is combined with track-mounted luminaires providing accent lighting. notholt.de

011

010 | FOCAL POINT

Focal Point Carousel of Light Milan, Italy Launched at the 2019 edition of Euroluce, the installation Carousel of Light from Precisoa is a playful immersion into light.

Together with architects Vasku & Klug, the Czech Republic-based lighting brand created an interactive, sensory-based lighting piece that emphasises its signature joy for light, which guided visitors on a design journey.

Carousel of Light is composed of nearly 8,000 spheres in opal, amber, clear and pink frosted hues, stretching eight-metres in diameter. The spheres were hung in groups of four, totalling almost 2,000 suspensions altogether.

As the visitor wanders through the strings of pearls, the lights above illuminate, fading away as they move through. The carousel’s platform slowly rotates, creating a shared experience for everyone discovering the installation. Visitors could choose to walk through on their own, or allow the carousel to move them through the lights. www.preciosalighting.com

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012 | PROJECT | GL AM SEAMLESS

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Seamless Design Glam Seamless receives a colourful, abstract make-over by New York-based designer Sergio Mannino, which features pendants from Masquespacio.

Images: Sergio Mannino

In 2019, interior architect Sergio Mannino worked on completing a new permanent space on West Broadway, New York, for brand Glam Seamless.

Having worked together previously on a pop-up space, the two reunited to create an artistic, chic beauty space in New York, with decorative lighting from Masquespacio that complements the pastel, abstract styling of the space.

“We had already worked with Glam Seamless in the past. We designed their first pop-up space on Broome street, which turned out to be so successful that the company decided to open a new permanent space on West Broadway; a better location in terms of foot traffic, only a few blocks away from the first one,” explains Mannino. “From start to finish it took about 3-4 months.”

Working under the constraints of a small budget to renovate the space, Mannino decided to keep a lot of the features intact, mostly playing with wall paint and furniture to create abstract shapes and textures throughout.

“The first space was characterised by a series of string curtains that

defined the area and created different zones, separated from each other, without building actual partitions,” explains Mannino. “When we saw the lights by Masquespacio we knew right away that they were the perfect fixtures for the new space, as they had almost the same fringe curtain that customers had been accustomed to.”

Deciding to leave a lot of the existing lighting untouched as it remained in keeping with the overall aesthetic, Mannino ensured to adjust the colour temperatures of the fixtures to create a comfortable balance.

“The previous tenant was the Billionaire Boys Club, a well-known retailer that had built the space with a lot of attention to lighting. We only made sure the colour temperature of the fixtures was correct and we moved a few fixtures to the right places,” he says.

“There are two [Wink Houtique] chandeliers by Masquespacio at the entrance plus a custom-made pendant on the cash register (designed by my studio). In addition to that, we designed two neon lights in bold colours, one at the entrance and one inside the space. They serve as both lighting and feature pieces. We even see people taking pictures in front of it.

014 | PROJECT | GL AM SEAMLESS

“The front space is a tall, double height entrance and placement of the lights was not an easy task. If you placed them too low, they are blocked from the street view, and if you placed them too high you couldn’t see them when you were inside the space. There is also a concrete fascia on top of the storefront that blocks most the view into the interior. In the end, we placed each item for a different point of view: across the street for high visibility and attraction, side approach from the sidewalk, and the view from the second floor when you are inside the space.”

The aim was also to make the space as bright as possible to attract foot flow from outside. By doing this, the design scheme was mostly white in order to reflect as much light as possible around the space. “We placed extreme care in illuminating the two walls at the entrance where the gradient paint is featured. These two walls are an important part of the design and needed to be very well lit. Even by changing the position of the existing fixtures, without adding any new ones, we were able to accomplish our goals,” explains Mannino.

Taking a decision to not use a lighting designer on this project was possible due to the support of a pre-existing working relationship with Bill Pierro of Lido Lighting who is regularly consulted when Mannino and his team embark on new projects. “Lighting is a crucial element of any space and you need to pay attention to it,” concludes Mannino. www.sergiomannino.com

Design Details Glam Seamless, New York, USA Interior Design: Sergio Mannino Architects Lighting Consultant: Lido Lighting Lighting Specified: Masquespacio, Sergio Mannino Architects

The Seamless Glam's permanent residence in New York blends sumptuous coral and pink tones and abstract shapes against a white background, creating a cool and chic destination in the city. The Wink Houtique ceiling lamps from Masquespacio were the perfect fit for the retro design scheme, with colours and tones matching perfectly. The fringing detail also ties together the Glam Seamless design notes from its previous stores that utilise fringe curtains to designate different zones throughout the space.

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016 | PROJECT | THE ARTS CLUB

Eclectic Elegance Joyce Wang Studio’s refurbishment of The Arts Club London, completed in the summer of 2019, features brand new designs in the Kyubi restaurant and Oscuro cigar lounge. darc speaks with Firefly Point of View and Joyce Wang about the project’s influences and their collaboration.

Images: Oscuro Lounge - Lit Ma, Kyubi Restaurant - Joyce Wang & FPOV

The Joyce Wang Studio, best known for its luxury hospitality and residential design portfolio, completed the new schemes for The Arts Club in London in June 2019. Both the Kyubi restaurant and newest club edition, the Oscuro cigar lounge, are intimate and richly textured, providing club members with a home away from home setting in Central London.

The revised Kyubi restaurant now occupies a larger floorplan on the third floor of The Arts Club, while Oscuro occupies the restaurant’s previous setting on the second floor of the Mayfair club and extends onto a private terrace.

The visual journey that guides guests through the cigar lounge involves tobacco hued woods, bold florals and tobacco leaf motifs.

The design incorporates cosy nooks, bar stools positioned around a custom designed pewter and scallop leather fronted bar and high stools away from the bar to create areas for guests to relax and enjoy food, drink and the finest cigars.

“The brief was to create a cigar lounge that welcomes both cigar afficionados and those who may not be fans of cigars; especially to create an environment that feels friendly and fresh to women in what

was historically a male-dominated typology of space,” explains Joyce Wang, founder of Joyce Wang Studio. “The cigar lounge also houses the member’s collection of cigars.

“Kyubi’s brief was actually to move the existing smaller Japanese restaurant up a floor into a larger space to satiate growing demands of membership. Kyubi now showcases its impressive sake collection with a dedicated sake bar and omakase sushi counter.”

To complement the overall attention to detail in furnishings and atmosphere for this project, Firefly Point Of View (FPOV) was brought in to enhance the spaces with both architectural and decorative lighting.

Peter Veale, Design Director at FPOV, discusses their involvement in the project and the lighting choices. “We knew the head of design at The Arts Club from when she worked at an interior design consultants that we’d previously worked with. To be honest, there was no initial brief, so we set about trying to create something a little different from what The Arts Club had looked like before. Luckily, [Joyce Wang] had the same idea,” he says.

“As is the case with most hospitality spaces, the decorative lighting

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was critical to set the mood. The interior designers led the way here and we gave comments and worked with them on the bespoke designs.”

The team at FPOV chose a selection of decorative lighting fixtures, including a large bespoke pendant, Ferro, by Cox London, bespoke pendants from Phillips and Wood, the Narrow Pillar lights and School pendants from Original BTC and bespoke wall and table lamps from Hoad and More, to complete the overall stylised looks for each space in the project.

“The Kyubi restaurant is Japanese,” explains Veale. “So, everything had to feel in-keeping with that concept. The mixture of modern decorative lighting makes the space more fun and playful than if there had been more repetition.

“There’s often a difference in the mindsets of designers and operators and that gap needed to be bridged during this project. It’s all about client expectation; to make sure you explain your design and how it’s installed and maintained,” he adds.

“We were closely involved in the custom luminaire in Kyubi, which had to be manufactured quickly and within budget.”

The sculptural chandelier in the main dining room Veale references is composed of iron strokes representative of Japanese calligraphy and suspended glass blocks; casting fluid beams of light onto the colonial linen ceilings.

Wang elaborates further the design influences for Kyubi, taking “cues from the Meiji period whereby western influences first entered Japan.

The interiors are a careful curation of authentic antiques and custom finishes that showcases the refined craftsmanship and decorative arts at the time.

“Kyubi looked to celebrate individual materials. The overall colour palette and feature mural took reference from ancient Japanese artworks, with indigo ombres, whites, papayas and burnt oranges.

Luxurious fabrics sourced directly from Japan, such as HOSOO’s metallic thread fabrics help to add a contemporary touch to the space,” she adds.

“The architectural features have taken direct reference from the Meiji period. Parquet inspired by Yosegi patterns with contemporary metal inlays, ceiling mouldings with inset textured wallpaper and areas of dark timber wall panelling with antique mirrors inspired by western

018 | PROJECT | THE ARTS CLUB

colonial and traditional Japanese architecture.

“Antique Amari lamps were purchased for the sake bar, bringing authenticity to a key area within the restaurant. This identity was brought in further through the sake barrels and general accessories throughout the whole restaurant.”

Moving into the Oscuro cigar lounge, the interior design took a more adventurous tone, allowing the designers to flex their creativity a little.

As Wang explains, the inspiration for the theme was that of “a journey of a monkey through a Cuban jungle”.

“The marble rails that frame the banquette were envisioned as its very own catwalks, whilst the rodded screens represented the vines that it might scale on,” she says. “It’s not inspired by any particular film, but the interiors are meant to be unravelled frame by frame as we compositionally create vignettes for the guest to experience.

“We imagined the Oscuro lounge on the balmy night of the Cuban jungle where its spirited animal – the monkey – takes ownership of the place. Playful and eclectic upholstery is set amongst organic ferns and

palm leaves; ceilings are clad in mirrors in which the Maitland Smith monkey finds its own reflection.”

The design team chose to layer up the materials in the cigar lounge, using warm grey timbers on the walls, which provide a backdrop to the eclectic florals and bold patterns. Armchairs are covered in tree bark and tobacco-referencing fabrics and rare, golden veneers on low level partitions, along with feature marbles such as Verde Antigua, inject the space with fresh, tropical colours. “Tobacco leaf tabletops, textured holophane and bevelled glass add to the overall classic and timeless quality of the space,” says Wang. “Finally, two monkey lamps give a direct nod to the overarching story.”

In both spaces, the furnishings and lighting chosen by the teams were predominantly custom designed with a few vintage items thrown into the mix. In the Oscuro lounge, Wang took advantage of the smaller cover numbers and introduced some vintage armchairs, which helped to add to the overall character and sense of belonging in the room.

Decorative lighting and accessories were then added in to inject an

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added layer of personality into the space.

Overall, in order to complete the desired looks for each space, Veale adds on the importance of using lighting to bring a scheme together: “Mood and function. All the lighting serves a purpose as well as sets the tone, be it a pendant to light a table or a wall light to ensure that no surface becomes dark and gloomy”.

He adds: “The decorative lighting took priority. Only when it’s not going to provide enough light did we add architectural lighting.

Multiple layers meant that no one layer needed to be too bright and uncomfortable.”

Overall, Veale reflects on the project’s success coming down to a great partnership with Joyce Wang and her team. “We were both striving towards the same seamless effect – they were very good collaborators, and we are very happy with the end results.” www.joycewang.com www.f-pov.com

Design Details The Arts Club, London, UK Interior Design: Joyce Wang Studio Lighting Design: Firefly Point Of View Lighting Specified: Cox London, Hoade and More, Original BTC, Phillips and Wood

The Arts Club renovation sees an eclectic, historic interiors scheme flood the new Kyubi Japanese restaurant and the Oscuro cigar lounge. Taking inspiration from historic Japanese eras and the Cuban jungle, the team from Joyce Wang Studio and Firefly Point of View transformed the two spaces with individual identities, into a cohesive, sophisticated members club; an oasis in central London that indulges members in rich textiles, woods, cigars and Japanese cuisine. Using a combination of modern and antique lighting fixtures, the overall scheme evokes a bygone era in modern times, creating an extravegant home away from home.

020 | PROJECT | THE H ARRY POT TER THEATRE

Pure Magic Studio De Schutter creates an unforgettable lighting experience for the debut of the German Harry Potter and the Cursed Child production in Hamburg, using 3000 Segula fixtures.

Images: Jochen Quast (Mehr! Theater am Großmarkt) and Studio De Schutter

Unveiled in 2020, Studio De Schutter’s thespian lighting scheme for the debut of the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child production in Hamburg, transformed the industrial event space and former fruit and vegetable wholesale market into a magical experience for the enchanted series’ fans in Germany to revel in.

The Hamburg Mehr! Theatre was extensively rebuilt for the theatrical production, which due to the Covid-19 pandemic, wasn’t able to officially open on its expected date last October. Tasked with the brief by production house Mehr! Theatre am Grosmarkt and Wizarding

World, Studio De Schutter had to create a magical light setting in line with the atmosphere of the Harry Potter brand, while simultaneously avoiding competition with the many special effects of the show.

Sabine De Schutter and her team fulfilled this brief by creating an experience for visitors using more than 3000 custom light sources from German lighting brand Segula and custom pendants and track spotlights by iGuzzini.

“We designed the lighting with a vintage feel and warm light colour (2200K) with more than 3000 pendant fixtures for this industrial listed

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building creating a link to London’s Kings Cross Station and Platform 9 ¾,” explains De Schutter.

“The lighting concept is a bridge between the everyday world and the wizarding world, with an enchanted cloud of light guiding the visitor from the entrance pavilion, through the foyers, onto the staircases and into the theatre hall. The guiding light cloud is suspended at different heights, starting at a regular height at the entrance and transition areas but increasing in length in others, with the shortest cable being just 0.3-metres and the longest reaching seven-metres.

“We used a total of 7.5km of cable to create these custom-made pendants, which also had to conform to the fire regulations. However, with extensive research and prototyping of the electrical wires, we found a balance between the technical parameters and minimal design,” she adds.

“The light fittings were also especially assembled for this project. We designed the size and the colour temperature of the LEDs together with the colour and size of the glass.”

One of the biggest challenges the team faced was working within

022 | PROJECT | THE H ARRY POT TER THEATRE

the limitations of a listed building. This hindered the suspension possibilities when creating the light cloud. The team collaborated closely with F101 architects to develop a solution consisting of a steel sub-construction that allowed for the distribution of electrical power and lighting over the entire space.

“Due to the complexity of the structure and the lighting concept, we started working with parametric design very early on in the design process. This allowed us to design a system in which every one of the more than 3000 pendants with 37 different lengths could be located.

The final result fits the space effortlessly and seamlessly, which is how we believe lighting design should work in any space,” says De Schutter.

“The degree of complexity in execution is known only to the designers, whereas the visitors to the space just go ‘wow’ when they see it! That’s Studio De Schutter magic!”

The new proposed date for opening the theatre is due in Spring, but remains dependent on the global pandemic sitution. studiodeschutter.com

Design Details Hamburg Mehr! Theatre , Hamburg, Germany Lighting Design: Studio De Schutter Architects: F101 Architekten, Germany; KKP Architekten, Germany Lighting Specified: iGuzzini, LED Linear, Rosco, Rutec, Segula

The Hamburg Mehr! Theatre lobby spaces were transformed into a magical gateway into the theatre, creating an unforgettable enchanted experience for fans and visitors alike when attending the debut performance of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Studio De Schutter used more than 3000 light fittings to create a light cloud that led visitors through to the theatre's main performance space.

With the help of F101 architects, the team had to devise a structural solution to support the light installation in the listed building that did not detract from the overall effect, yet supported the lighting, cables and electrical supplies running above the light cloud.

enrich | enlighten | illuminate www.archilume.com

025 | M ATERI ALS | DIFFRACTION 6

Combination Illumination Franklite's Diffraction 6 globe pendant combines its signature glass globes with a flexible design allowing users to create their own geometric design.

Founded in 1973 by Frank Lissauer, with his son joining the business later on, Franklite produce decorative lighting to the retail and contract markets across the UK and abroad. With three generations of passed down knowledge, the duo remains at the forefront of industry developments and continue to work closely together to create decorative lighting suitable for multiple applications.

As part of Franklite’s latest Catalogue 26, which launched in early 2019, the Diffraction 6 light pendant is an extension of an already successful product range with a design influenced by the existing Attraction fittings.

The concept for Diffraction 6 was inspired by geometric shapes and industrial interior design styles, whilst the finer details of the pendant were determined through market research and audience surveys. The collection now incorporates three distinctive product ranges: Attraction, Reaction and Diffraction, all utilising the signature glass globe as a feature.

Made from steel metalwork, the lightweight six-light pendant is finished in matte black and antique gold.

The use of clear glass spheres gives users an opportunity to get creative with decorative lamps. Using high-quality LED lamps with different colour temperatures will ensure efficiency and longevity and also add to the aesthetics by creating ambiance. For ease of access, the glass globes are screwable to allow for lamp changes.

Extensive research carried out by Franklite highlighted that there was a significant interest in adaptive ceiling lights. Whilst created with high ceilings in mind, a feature that makes this pendant unique is the adjustable angled rods and height making it suitable for application in various spaces. The design and style of this pendant is popular in spaces such as hotels, restaurants and other entertainment venues.

To ensure the products undergo a rigorous testing process, Franklite uses its Rigo Goniophotometer; cutting-edge technology used for the measurement of light emitted from a fitting at different angles.

026 | M ATERI ALS | DIFFRACTION 6

Technical software Franklite uses iconic lighting components of glass and steel in elegant colour combinations and melds them together to create a globe pendant that can be customised by the user into unique geometric shapes and angles, depending on design schemes, taste and room size.

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028 | M ATERI ALS | DIFFRACTION 6

“Our photometer allows the pendant to hang as it would in situ for a more realistic light output than most photometers in use today. In addition, for a more accurate measurement of the light source this machine enables us to offer complete photometric files compatible with designer’s software in ELUMDAT and IESNA formats,” explains Franklite. “This photometric data is also available through the DIALux software to use alongside 3D representations of the fitting. These 3D representations allow for easy visualisation of the fitting within a particular space while the photometric data shows the impact of the light output.”

The Diffraction range was developed over a period of time with each individual fitting created for a specific purpose. There are numerous steps between the initial concept and final product. The design of the geometric pendant is contemporary, with clean lines and angles. The sleek industrial style and modern finishes make this fitting perfectly on trend for 2021. franklite.co.uk

Franklite uses light-measuring software to ensure the appropriate light distribution and positioning of the Diffraction 6 pendant is suited to its destination.

The Rigo Goniophotometer is also compatable with designer's software and DIALux software that allows users to create 3D representations of their spaces to create a visualisation of the fitting in place.

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Fine Dining Alain Ducasse, The Dorchester London, UK

031 | DINING WITH LIGHT FOCUS

Art et Floritude’s bespoke light sculptures have always played a prominent part in one of London’s most famous fine dining institutions, Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester. Located on the east side of Hyde Park, the hotel and restaurant offer a superb view of its foliage. For the past 12 years, the leafy chandeliers have provided this connection to the adjacent greenery, through a sense of dining under a tree.

The original scheme was designed by Jouin Manku, who used the beauty of nature, found in the adjacent Hyde Park, as inspiration for the luxurious interiors.

The chef summoned the designers again, more than a decade later, to rejuvenate the original concept while keeping to its early intent of including nature in the diner’s sensory experience. The changes decided by the duo are in no way major, but rather subtle nuances of natural elements elegantly introduced into the space, such as the new green carpet evoking the moss found in a forest’s undergrowth.

The relationship between light and nature and its playful interaction with foliage is largely explored within the new scheme. This idea is fully realised with the Table Lumiere – at the centre point of Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester offering a private dining experience sheltered from views via a curtain of thin fibre optic lianas reminiscent of the mystical atmosphere of a misty morning walk through the park.

In coordination with renowned French lighting designer Voyons Voir, headed by Stephane Carratero, Art et Floritude transformed the leafy chandeliers delivered as part of the original project through a subtle interplay of directional lights for every table and indirect lighting hidden behind the leaves.

To the chandeliers in the private dining room and the dining area immediately overlooking Hyde Park, touches of golden leaf petals were added to create more warmth and to increase the dramatic presence of overarching trees in the background by emulating a canopy of branches.

The new spotlights come flush with the foliage for a discreet visual integration. New leaves surrounding the spotlights were affixed to the sculptures directly on site by Art et Floritude’s team of installers. Less visible than the denser foliage and warmer finishes, however equally as important, some critical technical modifications were undertaken with classic light sources replaced with warm and smooth LED strips. The 14-metre length of the main feature and the chandelier in the private dining room were equipped with this new technology, providing a homogeneous and even distribution of warm lighting complementing the atmospheric experience of the restaurant. artetfloritude.fr

032000 | DINING | CASEWITH STUDIES LIGHT| FOCUS XXX

La Jolla Shores California, USA

La Jolla Shores is a private residence project completed by Tidal Interiors, featuring Cerno’s Lenis fixture, designed by Co-Founder and Director of Design, Nick Sheridan.

“It was very much a passion project for all of us because the first project Daniel, Nick, and I ever built together was a boat when we were kids 25 years ago. That project directly inspired this fixture,” says Co-Founder of Cerno Bret Englander.

Interior designer Rhianna Jones has used Cerno’s fixtures in previous projects and the Lenis pendant incorporates her coastalinspired design aesthetic seamlessly in this residential project.

“Although I cannot speak for [Rhianna], I think we share a similar language regarding design and our appreciation for the ocean,” continues Englander. “The Lenis was inspired by our passion for being on the water and

surfing and sailing. Before we finished our first prototype, I pictured this light in a setting like this. It may sound overly romantic, but I genuinely believe this fixture is at home close to the ocean.

“This fixture is a sculptural homage to our appreciation for the engineering and beauty that goes into boat design,” he adds. “It’s nautical, but without being too overt, the subtlety of the lines and form is why it works well in this clean, thoughtfully designed space.

“There are more cerebral parts of design and then very visceral parts of design where you cannot pinpoint why something works, but it does. When I look at this project, there are so many design elements that feel fresh and in concert with the architecture and other objects. We were honoured for the Lenis to be used on this project and

appreciate Rhianna and her teams’ vision and execution.”

“Where we gather with friends and family to eat and drink should be safe, warm, and a welcoming space. These spaces are also an opportunity to express ourselves through objects like seating, a table, and lighting,” he concludes.

Jones adds why she selected the Cerno fixture for this particular scheme: “We chose that particular light fixture for the focal point over the kitchen island to seamlessly blend the interiors with the direct Pacific Ocean view from La Jolla Shores. The design of the fixture reminded us of the ribbed seams on a sail while the scale and proportions of the fixture were perfect for our space.” cernogroup.com

Built of harmony The Secto Design lighting collection is designed by the award-winning architect Seppo Koho. The diligent handwork is carried out by highly talented craftsmen in Finland from top-quality local birch wood.

www.sectodesign.fi

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Nobu Portman Square London, UK

Following the closure of Nobu Berkley Street in London earlier in 2020, the hotel group, founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper, opened its second, much larger, London destination at Portman Square, Marylebone in early December.

Nobu is legendary for its elegant hospitality and award-winning cuisine, fused with a timeless and contemporary luxury. The Portman Square hotel features a new Nobu restaurant covering 470sqm, seating for 190+ guests, private dining space and a sushi counter.

The interior design for the new hotel was completed by UK-based, award-winning David Collins Studio in collaboration with Make Architects.

The hotel’s design scheme was inspired by traditional Japanese architectural disciplines, celebrating the art and craftsmanship and

utilising a refined colour palette influenced by heritage Japanese colour combinations.

The many lighting pieces produced by Dernier & Hamlyn throughout the hotel include handmade parchment shades donning the tops of the columns throughout the restaurant lounge bar and also the reeded glass fixtures on the columns in the restaurant space. The parchment colour tones and textures of the reeded glass emphasise the inspiration driving the interior scheme, coherently drawing together an elegant and warm atmosphere in the dining spaces. Furthermore, large light fittings highlighting the sushi bar stretch an impressive 1.3-metres in length each, creating a striking focal point for the counter. dernier-hamlyn.com

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Octola Lapland, Finland The wilderness in Finnish Lapland might seem like an unusual place for a luxury cabin.

But it’s precisely here, where the wilderness cabin, Octola Private Wilderness, attracts its exclusive and very wealthy clientele. The exact location of the cabin is not widely known, as the clientele value their privacy.

Octola is owned by a private travel company Luxury Action, which creates high-end experiences and expeditions across the Arctic. An enthusiastic and innovative founder and CEO of Luxury Action and Octola, Janne Honkanen, has been working exclusively in the private travel sector in the Nordic region, since 1996. He has led the way in experimental travel.

Octola’s long, squat wooden cabin, stained in brown, blends beautifully into the Lapland landscape. The place has more than 300

hectares of private wilderness.

“Local flavours and nature are at the heart of this exclusive travel experience. The guests are very busy people who for once want to be able to focus only on what matters most as well as their loved ones, and they’re willing to pay for it. In return, Octola will tailor each and every visit to perfectly match their guests’ expectations,” explains Honkanen.

Honkanen was looking for high quality Finnish design products for Octola’s interior design scheme and after meeting with CoFounders Joakim Jusélius of Secto Design, he suggested that Octola should feature Secto’s Octo lamps.

Octola has two separate living spaces. In the first one the wide fell landscape stretches into the horizon, rushing into the living spaces through the large windows. The living

space has been equipped with Secto Design’s bold round Octo 4240 pendants, which act as striking eye-catchers in the tall space. The brand-new dining hall features Secto Design’s Victo 4250 and Victo Small 4251 lamps, arranged in a prominent cluster. A second dining hall was equipped with Owalo 7000 pendants, which give the space suitably soft and atmospheric lighting.

The dining experience in Octola offers magnificent views of the Lapland wilderness through the large windows. Secto Design’s lamps are made of Finnish PEFC-certified birch, which makes them an ideal match for a wooden building surrounded by Lapland’s nature. www.sectodesign.fi

Black Hole Extreme phenomenon

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Davey Lighting Diner Original BTC The Davey Lighting Diner pendant perfectly demonstrates Original BTC’s manufacturing capabilities thanks to the Birmingham metalworks it acquired in 2010. The traditional box light – usually seen in its smaller form flanking period properties – has been supersized to create a robust yet elegant pendant, available in weathered brass.

Pared-down lines and three or four simple bulb holders suspended from cotton-braided cable create a clean silhouette, perfect for hanging above dining tables, over kitchen work surfaces and in hallways. With two open sides and four clear glass panels, the Diner pendant looks

particularly smart paired with LED filament bulbs, also available from Original BTC. Original BTC Director Charlie Bowles says: “Davey’s existing box light range has developed over the years since the original designs from the 1930s. We expanded it further to include the Diner, which I designed. I wanted to add a light specifically for dining. It’s simple in design but really effective, allowing a statement light that provides a lot of illumination, but which blends with any interior and does not block the room from view.” www.originalbtc.com

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Seta Meat Lab Catellani & Smith

The new Seta Meat Lab, located in the centre of Bologna, is an exclusive restaurant that has opened in the wake of the great success of Seta Sushi Lab in Piazza Santo Stefano, guided by Chef Glen Cueto with Maurilio Zaccone and Davide Colomba.

The refined taste and the ambience of Seta Meat Lab is the manifesto of a style that aggregates dissimilar furniture and decorative pieces, combining them in a casual way, to achieve a coherent aesthetic.

All these heterogeneous parts are connected by the lighting project developed by Catellani & Smith - in collaboration with Willy Calabrese, interior designer at Lab 3 showroom in Bologna - that has provided the venue with a selection of lamps, suited to the peculiar style of the Bolognese restaurant.

An enchanting Gold Moon Chandelier composed by irregular, hand-made golden discs and copper curls that hold tiny gems of light, is surrounded by a green frame made of many climbing pothos.

The new 56 Petits Bijoux pendant lamp stands out among the suspensions installed in the restaurant: similar to an almost deconstructed sphere, it is made up of a series of untreated brass circles, studded with numerous high-efficiency LEDs provided with peculiar transparent covers and brass clips. Another striking suspension is Sorry Giotto 12, a 120cm copper ring, hand-painted in blue, whose structure hides small LEDs able to create a suggestive diffused lighting effect.

Lederam W fixtures, in 25cm diameter, provide lighting as wall lamps. They are made of a disc covered in gold-leaf, which hides an LED module, and of a swivelling disc in white or black finish, which, depending on its position, is able to produce enchanting lighting effects and suggestive shadows.

A custom-made Lederam composition is a special and scenographic piece, made of numerous gold-coloured discs of different diameters. By reflecting their warm and soft lighting on the optical wallpaper of one of the main rooms of the restaurant, the Lederam discs create a nice contrast with the natural light that comes from the ceiling, partially made of concrete cement glass blocks.

The cocktail bar area is decorated by Jackie O single pendants. The nickelplated copper curls holding small removable glass lenses are hung to thin cables, covered in blue fabric.

Some Giulietta BE T wireless table lamps have been placed on the bar counter and in different points of the restaurant; the lamps have been customised with the name of the restaurant, by a special laser engraving on their base. Giulietta BE T, here in vintage brass finish, are portable and with a simple touch can be switched on and set to three different light intensities.

The lighting project has been completed with three floor lamps in the restaurant: a PostKrisi F 100 with a hand-painted fibreglass diffuser that has been custom painted in RAL 8007 (Fawn brown); a Wa Wa F with brass base and structure, copper rods and glass lenses able to ‘paint’ fascinating circles of light on the wall; finally, a Light Stick F, which is an emblem of the purest minimalism - a lamp made of a thin, satin-gold finished metal rod.

The lighting project carried out for Seta Meat Lab confirms Catellani & Smith’s commitment to implement, in addition to its standard production, the production of ‘tailor-made’ lamps and ‘out of series’ pieces, specially designed for contract, hotel and residential projects in Italy and abroad. www.catellanismith.com

REDDOT AWARD DESIGN CONCEPT 2020

2015

Barrisol Lumigon® XXL

by Flynn Talbot

Arch. : DYD Interiorismo / Chelo Alcaniz

WORLD N°1 OF THE STRETCHED CEILING

VIVA LIGHT 2018

JANUS EXCELLENCE MENTION 2018

ECC VENICE DESIGN PRICE 2019

Butterfly Lamp® by Chantal Thomass for Barrisol

2015

Manta® by Ross Lovegrove for Barrisol

Lamp 1954 by Piero Castiglioni for Barrisol

®

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Design : Shea Design

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REDDOT AWARD BEST OF THE BEST 2015

Infinite Loop® by Ross Lovegrove for Barrisol

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Luminaire PLUS® by Alix Videlier for Barrisol

Lighting Solutions

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Piadno® Lamp by André Manoukian for Barrisol

www.barrisol.com

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Disco Dreizehngrad

The Disco collection is the latest addition by the young German manufacturer dreizehngrad - a clear graphical expression meets exciting material contrast. A wafer-thin steel plate and a turned oak cone form the sculptural silhouette that puts the focus on the light source. The proportions of the different sizes are harmoniously tailored to allow solitary use, in an accurate row or a free group arrangement. The colour palette offers additional creative scope.

The 2mm thin steel discs are cut precisely with the lasers and are available in four matte, finely structured colours: white, slate-grey, violet-blue and pine-green. The solid oak wood cone is manufactured traditionally and shows the natural beauty of the material in texture and surface.

The luminaires strictly arranged in sets or rows can be easily integrated into a stringent, clearly structured environment. In a free arrangement of different sizes, they add dynamic and momentum. The Disco light series skilfully plays with the contrast between industrial formal language and warm wood elements. They enhance a space without being too dominant.

Graphical, clear, and concise, the Disco collection is a versatile product that provides a solution for multiple settings.

In the manufacturing process, modern technologies and classic craftsmanship go hand in hand. Each piece is unique and one of a kind, lovingly shaped by hand in their workshop in Dresden.

The growth rings and natural colour hues of the veneer let each lamp tell its unique story. In the designs they combine a modern formal language with a special emphasis on material and traditional manufacturing. www.dreizehngrad.de

Images: Florian Pelleat

Azure by

open glass patented flexible filament E27 fitting

www.well-lit.co.uk sales@well-lit.co.uk 01484 609759

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Sea Cliff, Long Island New York, USA They say that the kitchen is the heart of the home. Today’s kitchen is a family living space and is ever evolving. Builders, architects, designers and realtors all recognise this, as do kitchen manufacturers.

Kitchen functionality and design has transformed to accommodate busy and varied lifestyles, these days homes are designed with kitchens as flexible spaces in mind where these rooms have become larger to better accommodate family and friends as additional spaces for entertaining.

The use of decorative lighting is gaining increased importance as kitchen design evolves. Layers of light are used to create functional zones in various areas including task lighting for food preparation and cooking. Decorative lighting plays a key part in the definition of gathering area zones in

these open plan areas and serves to define aesthetic style while establishing mood and atmosphere in these spaces.

Transparency and minimalism govern this kitchen renovation’s sophisticated lighting scheme by Smiros & Smiros Architects, which consists of layering light with a mixture of task, ambient and feature lighting to address specific needs as well as create points of interest in the design. An 11 light linear configuration chandelier by Archilume provides flattering illumination and accent highlights for the open plan kitchen island, while the dining area features a 28 pendant dimmable LED chandelier suspended over the table.

These coordinated classic designs feature pendants made of machined anodised aluminum and solid transparent cylindrical

lenses with an integrated conical diffuser.

The P28 chandelier composition is customisable when installed on site so each installation is unique. Pendant cable suspension lengths are field adjustable and can be consistent in length for a uniform appearance or varied for a staggered aesthetic.

Shown with a standard surface finish of clear anodised aluminum, other anodised finishes are available for bespoke solutions.

Featuring 2700K colour temperature and a colour rendering index of 90, these luminaires provide high quality illumination in an elegant and sophisticated form. archilume.com Image: Durston Saylor Photography

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Fine Filaments Well-lit launches flexible LED filament pendants, Azure.

The decorative lighting fixtures are a functional light source, perfect for hospitality and residential applications.

Azure by Well-lit is a new, sustainable and stylish LED lamp range with a flexible filament. Designed in collaboration with David Huang, the range has been in development for the last 12 months; a few months to create the initial ideas and prototypes and a longer amount of time spent on finalising the design and manufacturing process.

Form follows function with Well-lit’s flexible LED filament that runs discreetly around the lower edge of a hand-blown glass pendant. The conventional LED fixture is turned into both a light source and a fixture with Azure and is available in a selection of shapes and sizes.

“Whenever you work with glass, it’s imperative the product reaches the customer scratch-free and without blemishes,” explains Well-lit. “All our glass is mouth-blown by artisans with huge experience, so making it perfect isn’t the issue – but adding the electronics and the E27 cap, and ensuring the product doesn’t get damaged during shipping, demands a lot of extra skill and dedication.

“The vast majority of the product is glass, so it’s a very simple product from a materials perspective. Each completed glass shape is washed twice by hand, inside and out. We then insert a flexible LED filament right

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around the base, and that’s powered by a transparent link between the filament and the E27 cap.

“The key to the Azure range is the patented flexible LED filament.

As an award-winning British lighting manufacturer, Well-lit has been working with flexible LED filaments since 2016: the technology has changed the way we think about LED bulbs and how to design them in the future,” adds the brand.

The Azure range was originally designed to be a cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing decorative lighting solution for restaurants, bars, coffee shops and hotels. However, since its launch, the collection has been well received by interior designers who have used it throughout

residential projects, particularly over kitchen islands and dining tables.

“Azure represents a complete rethink of LED fittings for hospitality lighting. Combining the fixture and the light source in one unit makes the product as easy to install and maintain as an ordinary LED light source – and the design is incredibly versatile. It looks fantastic in just about any context - contemporary, urban, vintage, or classic.

“The elegant pendants make a statement from the moment you fit them, and switching on transforms them into wonderful illuminated objects, casting a soft warm glow as the light interacts with the glass,” concludes Well-lit. www.well-lit.co.uk

Luminaire CAPSULE

www.lucis.eu

design by Herrmann & Coufal

BESPOKE CHANDELIERS

crystalcaviar.eu

Suspended Details

With Random Solo, Lodes and the designer Chia-Ying Lee imagined bubbles of light floating in their solitary beauty to suggest new compositions of luminous harmonies.

The Random Solo is a versatile creative concept that is available in various finishes and sizes, which allows the user to create dynamic clusters of light and flexibility when designing a project. The globe luminaires are ideally suited to residential and hospitality placements, situated cascading down a stairwell, over a breakfast bar or by a bedside.

The spherical fixture is both functional when illuminated and sculptural when not. Random Solo is available in diameters of 12, 14, 18, 23 and 28-centimetres, with an LED light source that generates a 150lm output in the three smaller spheres and 450lm in the two larger sizes, which is concealed and protected by a silicone housing at the top of the glass diffuser.

The fixture’s colour reproduction (CRI 90) faithfully returns the natural colour of the surrounding elements, without any chromatic variation (MacAdam Step 3).

Available in 2700K or 3000K colour temperature, Random Solo is phase-cut dimmable and can be used as a single element, suspended from one thin unique power cord, or in multiple compositions thanks to the numerous ceiling canopies of Lodes, rounded or rectangular, radial or micro recessed.

The delicacy of the Random Solo is completed by six glass finishes: the timeless transparent glass, a fingerprint resistant frosted white and four metallic gradient finishes (chrome, gold, rose gold, glossy smoke). All the colours can be selected or combined, according to the perception of the volume you want to reach.

The strength of Random Solo lies in its simplicity and performance, combined with the freedom that the modular system gives the designer to interpret the space however they wish - to play with light, forms and finishes. www.lodes.com

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Coco Cordula Kafka Berlin-based design studio Cordula Kafka has launched a new pendant lamp titled Coco.

Over the last 15 years, the German manufacturer has produced delicate porcelain lighting from bespoke one-offs to small series, using lengthy processes to ensure the handmade pieces are of the highest quality.

Kafka’s newest lamp, Coco, is reminiscent of the golden 20s era. Working in close collaboration with KPM Berlin porcelain producers since the atelier’s infancy, Kafka’s new lamp continues the studio’s loving relationship with porcelain. Coco comprises delicate, round porcelain discs of different sizes framed in moons of golden brass and lined up on a black matte rod.

The process of working with porcelain involves

up to 10 stages including twice-firing and hand polishing. The end result is a clean white object that radiates a warm glow when illuminated, producing a comforting ambiance.

The suspended objects are designed to form groups in different lengths and thus to play on different room sizes and lengths with their beautiful glow.

The translucent porcelain circles are illuminated by high-quality Germanmanufactured LED strips.

A horizontal version as a pendant luminaire for use above a dining table, for example, is due to launch later this year. cordulakafka.de Photos: Friedrich Kreyenberg

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Private Residence, Dubai John Cullen Lighting

Overlooking the 18th hole of a luxury golf course in Dubai, the private residence that was designed by John Cullen Lighting reflects a sleek signature approach, while seamlessly incorporating playful elements to cater to the family’s two young children.

The client’s brief was to create a contemporary home with modern looks and a homely feel.

It was designed to be both practical and with elements of fun to show off the client’s key objects and tastes. Working closely with the architect, a scheme was designed to create a contemporary luxury lighting atmosphere that fused warm and soft effects in a modernist way.

“Of all of the spaces within the home, we knew we wanted the main central staircase chandelier to be a pivotal yet delicate focal point within the home,” comments the John Cullen design team. “It was our understanding that whilst the light should be observable from all levels, it should never be overly intrusive or bright. We certainly wanted to ensure that from whichever angle it was approached, it would always be a marvel to behold.”

Taking inspiration from Salvador Dali, the staircase that traverses three levels of the house has a reversible effect that was matched by the architectural lighting. “By concealing the light cleverly, we were able to create a soft yet not over- powering effect from both above and beneath the individual treads,” continues the team. “Contour HD27 was used throughout

with a mixture of profiles for the optimum light diffusion on each tread.

“The centrepiece to this wonderful staircase was emboldened by a collaborative piece with Lasvit. We approached multiple designs within the process and settled on an idea of keeping the individual hand-blown glass droplets lit from above with Lucca 60 uplights and below with Polespring 50+ downlights. This way we could play with endless lighting moods whilst never distracting too much from the immediate architectural elements as well.

“Each droplet was colour matched to the metal tones used nearby and hung on singular thin cables from the ceiling – a process that took a team of three over a week to install. And, with a mixture of low glare uplighting and downlighting, we created an almost ‘rain like’ effect with the droplets. It wasn’t long before this installation itself became known as ‘The Rain Room’ within the design team.

“The final result was a delicate and subtle installation within a bold structure that was striking as one traversed the staircase in its entirety. The simplicity of the droplets positioned next to your gaze feels quite immersive to the viewer and one almost wants to hold their breath to marvel at the delicacy in front of them.” www.johncullenlighting.com www.lasvit.com Images: Chris Goldstraw

WE’RE LOOKING AT THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY

+44 (0)20 8760 0900

info@dernier-hamlyn.com​ www.dernier-hamlyn.com

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Kaiser Centre Lobby Cameron Design House

Featuring Cameron Design House’s iconic Lohja chandelier in its lobby, the Kaiser Centre project in Oakland California was designed in collaboration with Gensler and Luma Lighting Design.

Cameron Design House was approached to design a bespoke sculptural chandelier for the 15,000sqft lobby area. Cameron Design House was briefed to create a statement piece that accentuated the dramatic ceiling height of the space and complimented the contemporary interior style, this resulted in the Lohja chandelier being designed.

The customisable nature of the award-winning Lohja design made it the perfect piece for this project. The long drop height of the design lends itself well to spaces with high ceilings and creates a real focal point in the room. Exploring tranquillity, space and equilibrium, the Lohja combines simplicity with geometry creating a striking, balanced sculptural form, which changes appearance from each angle.

Ian Cameron, Creative Director of Cameron Design House, says about the design: “The Lohja is an incredibly special piece to me. It was one of the first pieces I ever designed, and has since been specified for many iconic projects around the world due to its versatile design and contemporary feel. All of our designs are bespoke and handmade to order in London.

This approach is important to us to ensure the designs are made to the best quality possible and last for many lifetimes.”

The lighting design for the two-storey lobby defines an approachable sophistication that helps accentuate its spaciousness while also creating cues to orientation and wayfinding.

Situated along Oakland’s Lake Merritt and originally built in 1960, the new interior architecture comes to life through precise integration of vertical and horizontal reveals with minimal downlighting to enhance its sleek and contemporary expression. The majestic Lohja chandelier sings as the focal point for circulation and enjoyment. Quality and fine-tuned comfort is combined with an energy-efficient programmable dimming system that tracks different light levels throughout the day and night. Since completing in 2020, the project has won the 2020 IES Illumination Award. camerondesignhouse.com Images: Garrett Rowland

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Waste not, want not HagenHinderdael studio are on a mission to bring awareness to sustainable product design, with their 2020/21 lighting collection. darc takes a closer look at Bolla as part of this range.

Recently established design studio HagenHinderdael is the joint establishment of Sofia Hagen (pictured right) and Lisa Hinderdael (pictured left), both formerly of Design Haus Liberty.

Pairing product design with art, HagenHinderdael pursue a design approach that explores the relationship of lighting and large-scale installations in immersive environments.

Combining the mediums glass, metal and fabric with lighting, the pair create statement pieces that aim to capture nature-inspired geographical shapes and organic forms.

Working closely with local artisans, the two merge their pre-existing knowledge of materials and product design along with cutting-edge technologies to produce elements and installations that push the boundaries of engineering while bearing the incentive of a continuous afterlife.

Using a process that follows a narrative of natural patterns and geometries, with the idea of bringing us closer to nature through design combined with innovative technology and material research, the duo have spotted a gap in the lighting industry market, highlighting a disconnect in transforming technological advancements into functional, decorative fixtures, and more importantly, eco-friendly design.

“If we can learn to research and work more collaboratively across the design process – merging our abilities as designers with the material

knowledge and craftsmanship of local artisans – we will then capture the advancements we see in other technological sectors,” they explain.

“Whether this be through bar lights that charge our phones, emergency lighting with a design edge, or sustainable materials being used in new and innovative ways – the blending of techniques passed on through generations of family-run businesses and the lifecycle of our products needs to be as important as the design itself.”

Outlining their ethos, the two explain: “We are always thinking about the lifecycle of our products. From the sourcing down to the engineering, each product has a journey blending traditional craftsmanship, cutting edge technology and locally sourced sustainable materials.

“Wherever possible, light products are developed with the concept of a corresponding interactive installation at large scale. This approach translates products into components – creating a unique way for them to be re-used and distributed after installation. While establishing a micro-macro relationship of lighting and installation design, where lighting is the micro-intervention that provides the dialogue to change the macro-environment.

“We also believe that design has the responsibility to educate. Whether through challenging the norm or bringing a new enlightenment to an existing global issue: we are always looking to raise awareness.”

HagenHinderdael’s launch for their 2020/21 lighting collection

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includes the Bolla, Reef, Blade, Concave and Tatami products. Taking a closer look at Bolla, the two designers want to bring awareness to the escalated use of packaging materials that are affecting our environment and was designed in collaboration with Cemento UK for Milan Design Week’s Guiltless Plastic challenge.

“Landfills can’t cope with the quantities of plastic being deposited – some of it poisonous and most of it non-degradable. Pointing the way to a circular economy instead of designing things to fail, bubble wrap sourced from packaging waste is used as a formwork and transformed through parametric modelling and innovative research into the light product Bolla,” the studio explained.

“The concept began with material research into concrete and its ability to provide a backdrop for recycling plastic and packaging waste.

Experimenting with sculptural forms that had never before been made in concrete, this research developed into a light sculpture that would be organic in form with a thin-walled exterior and hiding within it, a series of technological advancements in design. Manufactured with a CNC mould, and housing slimline OLED technology, Bolla captures the essence of ‘waste not, want not’ – creating an innovating and sustainable new light product.”

Hagen and Hinderdael worked with material scientists and Cemento UK, they developed a custom-aggregate in which recycled plastic particles are combined into a concrete mixture and poured into an organic mould.

With the option to add various pigments to the aggregate, the Bolla product can be customised to suite any interior.

“Pushing the research further, Bolla’s requirement to be a light source led to additional material studies – investigating the porosity of the concrete shell as a means to spread light. The light output was to achieve a striking, effervescent glow coming from within the concrete.

With an integrated LED source and using a script inspired by the very piece of packaging from which our design process began, we developed a perforated pattern that would capture the texture of bubble wrap and disperse a uniform light across Bolla.

“Our material research and process pushed us to an end product that is not only eco-friendly, but fully degradable – such as if it breaks, it can be sent back to our manufacturers where the concrete shell will be ground down and reused for a new light production. This allows Bolla to avoid its materials ending up back in a landfill – and brings our narrative full circle with the HagenHinderdael ethos of a continuous afterlife. Allowing for each light to be produced at a low impact yet giving it a unique bespoke character through the nature of the materials used.”

Bolla’s first prototype is available as a floor lamp, standing at 700mm high, with the possibility to be evolved into a pendant or wall light.

Bolla was the winner of the LAMP Awards 2020, in partnership with designmilk, in the people’s choice category. hagenhinderdael.com

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Eastern Europe Design Report Eastern Europe’s lighting industry is vast and varied, with differing levels of expertise and influence, darc sits down with a handful of designers from across the geographic region to catch a glimpse into their local lighting communities.

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Russia Dima Loginoff is an award-winning Russian product designer with experience in designing for world famous lighting brands such as Cartier, Vitra, Lodes, Axo Light and Preciosa. His work has been featured in international brands such as Starbucks, Porsche and Hilton.

Loginoff sat down with darc to describe the lighting market in Russia, how it differs to the rest of the world and how it is in a period of infancy transitioning into a strong contender for international recognition.

“The lighting industry is just starting to develop in Russia with the local brands. There are just a few successful companies at the moment. What you need to know about the Russian market is it was always about how to sell European or American products, not about local production. Now we are in the beginning of something new – the production of the Russian companies.

“It’s very new with all the typical problems that occur at the very beginning of change. For example, not every local company is ready to work with designers, especially famous designers. And even if they are ready, the major problem is trusting the designer. It’s all classic young naivety for the new industry that they should learn to overcome. “[Furthermore], the design market in Russia has a very big problem –

it’s full of fakes. The reason why? It’s because of the weak Ruble. So, the only way for now, and in the near future, for Russian design players is to create unique, good and inexpensive products to lure clients over to their side.

In response to the global Covid-19 pandemic, Russia experienced an unexpected influx of spending as people became anxious of maintaining production relationships and finishing ongoing projects.

“People spent money at the beginning of the epidemic because they were afraid of stopping European and Russian production, and interior projects had to be completed with interior furnishings and lighting.

And it was really supported for the retail and local productions. But of course, when production stopped for months it caused many problems. I can’t currently understand how deep those problems are, but it seems to not as deep as I was expected in the beginning.” www.dimaloginoff.com

Czech Republic Lucie Koldova is an internationally respected product designer based in Prague. After a couple of years gaining experience in the French design scene in Paris, she returned to her home country to establish her own studio.

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For several years, Lucie Koldova has held the post of art director with Czech glass manufacturer Brokis. “I like working with traditional materials with advanced technologies and seeing the exciting tensions that arise when unconventional proportions are combined with elaborate details,” she says. “I create timeless objects, not trendy ones. I draw inspiration from many different spheres and am fortunate to be able to work not only with glass in the creation of lighting. I also design furniture, interiors, and fashion accessories for European manufacturers.”

Reflecting on the Czech lighting market, Koldova explains its unique relationship between technology and traditional craftsmanship. “Czech lighting is unique because the technologies that go into producing it are firmly rooted in centuries of regional glassmaking tradition. Not only are contemporary Czech manufacturers continuing a historical tradition, keeping it alive, they’re also driving it forward. And there are new glassmaking companies appearing as well,” she says.

“The country’s most important glassmakers today include Moser, Rückl, Preciosa, Brokis, Lasvit, Bomma, and Verreum. These companies focus a lot of resources on the remarkable quality and extraordinariness of their brands, and they collaborate with recognised designers, combining tradition with modern technology and an archetypal aesthetic with contemporary trends.

“In the Czech milieu, there’s an ever-increasing number of specialised glass design firms and independent artists of European and world renown, and despite their diverse artistic opinions and approaches, they all share an interest in interdisciplinary collaboration.

“Another distinguishing characteristic of the Czech lighting design scene is its multiformity and the emphasis placed on the narrative value of the designs. I see that Czech glass design, and therefore also lighting design, is no longer only the realm of the glassmaking community but has expanded to encompass independent designers for whom glass is a medium through which they can execute their visions.”

When looking closer at Czech’s design styles, Koldova observes there is not a particular trait or theme to come out of the country.

However, instead there is a “certain conceptual multiformity, a play on meanings, shapes and materials”.

“Czech design doesn’t shy away from exaggeration. In that regard, we might be somewhat aligned with the conceptual designs of Droog Design, Hella Jongerius… The domain of Czech design is glass as a medium, ceramics, and porcelain. We also see a big comeback taking place in textiles, an industry in which the country was once a global leader.

“What I see is craftsmanship leading us through the good times and the bad. We cherish all types of artisanry and it’s something the whole world can appreciate. When Brokis introduced the Muffins collection, there were many who said the style and success of the large volumes of handblown glass were going to have a significant impact on a wide range of companies and

editors too. Nonetheless, I don’t consider glass trendy; I like to think of it as timeless and fascinating.”

And much like the rest of the globe, Czech Republic too has felt the harsh impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic across its design sector. Koldova comments: “The situation is difficult in more ways than one, in all the affected countries. That much is clear. At this point, it’s still too soon to know exactly how the lighting market is changing. The important thing is to continue to maintain the world-class quality of the artform. The situation now has shown the lasting value and longevity of the quality hidden within this type of work the authentic products that come of it. And that’s also how I see sustainability. I think we’ve already begun to and will continue to shift our focus towards the process of creating objects, whereas until recently it was only the object itself that was important.”

Looking to the future of the lighting industry, Koldova notes that the recurring theme of sustainability is key for larger companies.

“I work closely with Brokis, a company where sustainability and circular economy are ongoing topics. Environmental topics take on an entirely new importance once a company reaches a certain level. It’s a must. We need to be conscientious in our thinking, and the topic of waste is a big one just about everywhere you look.” luciekoldova.com

Croatia

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Skira is an architectural lighting design practice based in Pula, Croatia. Founded by Dean Skira, an internationally respected lighting designer, lighting enthusiast and creator, the practice is located on the Adriatic Sea where four seasons change the daily perception of light, shadow and colour, which significantly influences their understanding of light.

When speaking with darc about how the lighting community in Croatia has evolved during his career, Dean Skira, founder of Skira, said: “As far as I know, we are still the only professional lighting design company that has been promoting hard work and lighting design in Croatia and internationally for over 20 years. Many privately held companies emerged in our lighting industry but I believe that just recently, people recognised the difference that true lighting design makes.

“We’ve overcome most of the issues by proving that good lighting pays off. This is especially important in extensive public work. Providing the utilitarian quantity of light is a process that doesn’t really depend upon creativity today, it doesn’t require an artistic or philosophical approach if we just want to illuminate space for the basic necessity to see at night. Light is of course much more than that and we are finally seeing that this awareness has grown, and we expect more Croatian lighting designers who will be internationally active in the near future. We have manufacturers like Filix who invested in quality of products and placed themselves on the international market.

“There is still a lot of promotion and education necessary for lighting design to become a regular part of every architectural project.

Overall, there is also much hesitation among investors to invest in high-quality lighting. The market is relatively young, so there were many speculative attempts, but it seems that the market is on its way to recognise design and quality and stop focusing on low price solutions and thus neglecting the quality of light. Light should always be designed beyond utilitarian, otherwise it is not designed, and people deserve to live in a well-designed world.

When asked about whether there are any current interior design trends that have an impact on lighting design in Croatia, Skira says: “Interior design is quite eclectic and diverse. There is no single line that most designers follow. We have many talented and creative professionals in that particular area. In the residential market, investors often play a crucial role in decisions that resemble their personality and culture. On the other hand, regardless of styles or trends, every human being has similar needs for light. Regardless of whether the architectural and decorative space is traditional, minimalist, or eclectic, good lighting must meet all the needs of end users. That means that the deep thought of light is without boundaries.”

Without much experience in working with decorative lighting, Skira highlights that despite focusing his work solely on architectural design, the overall umbrella aim for lighting is to create a comfortable atmosphere for people.

“I primarily try to achieve an atmosphere that makes people feel pleasant in a space during night. Each space is different with its own peculiarities and people who live in these spaces are repeatedly different. That’s why I prefer that clients, architects, and interior designers participate in choosing decorative lighting since that is part of personal or professional taste.”

Looking to the future of the lighting industry, Skira comments on the lack of “innovation” and that many are still on “copy-paste principles”.

“Most manufactures are in survival mode for too long, and very few are willing to invest in profound breakthrough innovations. That is mainly present in public lighting, which mostly affects the environment and energy consumption. There is a large room for improvements.

“In 30 years of practising, almost every aspect of this industry, I have seen many changes and met many people in the global lighting environment. The lighting industry needs a serious update of design thinking, production and catching up with all other technologies present in some other industries. We also need to find a way to gain more authority in architectural field because lighting is much more than the source, and too many people still don’t acknowledge that fact.”

And like many of us internationally, the impacts of Covid-19 have not been kind to the Croatian community with natural disaster causing more issues for the country.

“We are struggling as much as everyone else. Amid the pandemic, we were hit by severe earthquakes in our capital city and nearby during the year, which was a big shock for the whole country, but we are fighters and a very united nation in times of crisis. We are moving forward, renovating, reconstructing and handling the pandemic. Being an agile company, we accommodated and adjusted faster, and we are trying to anticipate the problems, so we had a relatively good year, and for now, 2021 seems promising.” skira.hr

Slovakia Haz Lighting is an architectural lighting design firm based in East Slovakia. The small team makes a big impact in its region, fighting for the credability of lighting design as a practice in Slovakia through education and professional practice.

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Haz Lighting was first established by architects Laura Murguía Sánchez and Pavel Sabol in Slovakia in 2010. After moving from Barcelona where they had spent 15 years practicing, the duo established Haz Lighting with a focus on light-art and light installations. “Somehow it was the way to spread the word about lighting design, a profession that was not yet well known in the country,” explains Sánchez.

In 2011, Sánchez established the subjects Lighting Design and Lighting Basics at the Faculty of Arts at the Technical University of Košice, where she continues to work as a researcher and lecturer.

“In these subjects, student participation is actively promoted. It is important to mention that this faculty is quite particular, since it brings together four departments: Architecture, Design, Fine Arts and Intermedia, and History of Arts, giving a very rich mix of ideas year by year,” explains Sánchez.

Later in 2013, Lenka Balážová joined the team with multitudes of electrical and lighting experience. The team then created the platform Light Lab, working and living in Prešov, Eastern Slovakia.

“Under this platform we continue cooperating with institutions, non-governmental organisations or entities that need support in the field of lighting design, in the form of workshops and lectures, etc. But our main work focuses on architecture and landscape lighting, participating in the design process appointed by architects,” continues Sánchez.

“When we moved to Slovakia we have found a different situation to Barcelona. There was no independent lighting studios or lighting designers that took a holistic approach to their projects. The term ‘lighting design industry’ has been an unknown notion in the country; it has been developing mainly as a part of electrical planning and focusing on functional and economical strategies rather than complex lighting design projects,” she adds.

“Even the role of an architect in the planning process has often been underrated in the past, but there has been a major improvement thanks to the extensive activism of younger architects promoting reflection about urban environment and new customer needs.

“Nowadays, the role of lighting design is still just complementing the overall architectural idea, often times introduced late in the process of the planning and, moreover, we see that lighting planning is being executed by manufacturers or their commercial representatives as a part of business strategies, usually for free.

This makes it very attractive for investors, but they do not realise that they are missing other very essential assets, which integral lighting design would introduce.

“Our vision was to put our energy and gained experience to promote the profession in this environment. It has not been easy, but after 10 years we can evaluate it as a very positive evolution.

More and more, the projects we are involved in become complex.

“New interior design programmes have been recently implemented in the architecture and design faculties in Slovakia which shows

the growing interest in the topic. Also, there are architectural studios dedicating their practice to exploitation of the scope, but their methods have diverse inspiration and so the lighting design depends on the character and outcomes of the whole. Generally, there resonates return to craftmanship and strong inspiration by nature, by its fragmental reinterpretation or mimicking inside our environments.”

Sánchez notes in Slovak interiors, lighting is typically used as part of functional objects that establish composition and order and a “visual experience in the space”.

“A different path took the application of lighting into wider public architectural works, where it became an integral part of the overall architectural compositions, yet for the most part in the sense of general lighting.

“Slovak lighting design as a profession is developing slowly

since the quest for energy efficiency and technology innovations has unequally overshadowed all other important challenges for lighting justification in wider contexts, such as biological and environmental improvements. Yet, also thanks to wide activities, its importance is being reminded not only in the artistic and architectural circles, but also in the technical and public circles.

“Lighting touches so many fields, so there are so many diverse collaborative assignments we get involved in, where we always learn something completely new with excitement, and so we like to stress importance of the coordination with all the professions and people working on the task. Cooperation and collaboration are vital for any development. hazlighting.com

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Image: Jenner Egberts

Inspiral Preciosa Lighting

Preciosa Lighting’s Signature Designs are customisable concepts that make including tailored lighting in design projects a smooth and straightforward process. New for 2020 is Inspiral, an installation that communicates the idea of light moving in space.

“The beauty of calligraphy is really what inspired me to design this light,” said Preciosa Senior Designer Alena Hlavatá Němcová. “The curves and swirls of the script are so compelling that I felt it could become an elegant lighting design.”

Each Inspiral light is created from a specially formed stainless steel ribbon that can be bent and shaped as desired. LED strips comprised of small diodes line the edges of the ribbon. Different light colour combinations can be used to create distinct moods according to the time of day or to suit a specific colour palette.

Inspiral’s most popular crystal and metal colour combinations

highlight its contemporary vibe. Elegant crystal, crystal frosted or smoky crystal prisms combine perfectly with a stainless steel, copper, gold or black matte finish.

“The flexibility of this fixture is really its most important element,” said Němcová. “The technology we created around the flexible steel ribbon puts creative control into designers’ hands.”

The light refracts through the thousands of cut crystal prisms attached to the ribbon with minuscule pins. This is the secret behind Inspiral’s signature shimmering effect. Inspiral is carefully assembled to create an organic installation, taking full advantage of the prisms that form the light’s sparkling band.

For large and public spaces, Inspiral offers the opportunity to design an eye-catching central installation. It also gives the option of creating a customised light for a smaller space. Inspiral would be a lovely

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addition to private residences including entrance halls, staircases, above a table, etc. The installation only requires fixing via a few points and support cables. This makes it particularly suitable to hang freely in a space, visible from all sides, even from the top.

Preciosa has a selection of pre-designed Inspirals to demonstrate different typologies. Designers can choose one of these versions, modify it to better suit their space or start from scratch and sketch their own composition. The Preciosa Design Team works alongside designers to ensure their lighting vision can be realised.

“Inspiral’s flexibility allows designers to play with the concept and get creative designing a custom light for their space,” said Michael Vasku, Preciosa Creative Director. “Starting with a basic line, we can move on to geometric shapes, even creating bent and twisted curves to design dynamic and organic installations.”

With its inspiration in calligraphic symbols, Inspiral enticingly communicates crystal artistry and unrivalled luxury. In addition to Inspiral, the Preciosa Signature Design family includes Pearl Drop, Pearl Wave, Pearl Curtain and Breath of Light. Each one offers unlimited design possibilities including different scales, compositions, colours, materials and surface finishes, construction principles and illumination methods.

Working with Signature Designs is straightforward. Once you’ve chosen your design, think about your space and how you feel the installation will best fit. Sketch it out and a Preciosa designer will create a computerised model. You will work together to decide the best shape, length, width, materials, and colours. The finished design will be tailored to your vision and space. www.preciosalighting.com

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Blackhole Intra Lighting

Blackhole is the latest design from Lorenzo Truant for Intra Lighting.

Starting the design back in Summer 2018, Truant was inspired to create a void ring light that “could give the feeling of lightness while occupying a good part of the perimeter space that is necessary to place sound absorbing material that is needed to ensure an acoustic comfort,” he explains to darc.

“I have always been attracted by astronomy and its historical evolution. Black holes, in particular, are a concept that enchants me.

Blackhole is a lamp with an external sound-absorbing surface and a perimeter down-light, which leaves an internal black space - a void which can be filled with different functions I called “plug-ins”. These are UV treatment air purification devices, a set of four up-lights, and a sound diffusion system with Bluetooth control. The luminaire’s affinity with the black hole concept is conceptual and visual,” he adds.

“The annular light source that develops around the dark space represents the photon sphere orbiting the black hole which, rather than a void, means, in reality, an absolute fullness of matter. This fullness is given, in the luminaire, by the plug-ins that can fill that space but are hidden from view: a “heart of darkness”, wrapped in light

that hides certain functions. The same lamp function of absorbing and capturing sound waves is suited to the attraction activity of a black hole.”

Working with local suppliers and manufacturers, Intra Lighting approached Slovenian sofa producer to create the upholstery covered with micro-perforated leather that wraps the cylinder of the luminaire.

“The light source, high quality and powerful LED strip had to deflect the luminous flux downwards and needed a reflector,” explains Truant further. “The coextruded profile that contains and fixes the LED strip is made of a flexible material that reflects the light and one that diffuses it downwards. The extruded aluminium profile supporting the strip LED, and the coextruded profile is calendered (i.e. curved) and must be connected to the main cylindrical structure made from a stiffened metal sheet.”

When asked what makes this product different from other lighting fixtures, Truant believes the textures and aesthetics it brings a sense of reassurance. “Blackhole is different from other lamps, even at a glance. The appearance of softness and roundness perceived by the eye without the help of touch is immediately felt as reassuring.

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The micro-perforated leather finish, necessary to guarantee acoustic comfort, on the other hand, is felt like a tech, cool, exquisite and refined element without having to make decorative compromises,” he explains.

“The clear, regular light coming out of a perfect ring is perceived as magical because it springs from a black body, whose core seems to hold a secret. The difference with other lighting products can also be perceived thanks to the plug-in concept. It allows adding to the main lighting functionality, other functional sets useful to meet the customer needs.”

Designed for large open spaces that benefit from general lighting and comfortable acoustics, the Blackhole has also evolved into a tool of air purification as well. Since the shift in health awareness during the global pandemic in 2020, the Blackhole has become an ever-changing design to adapt to the current and post Covid-19 world.

“In general, Blackhole can be installed primarily in common areas where there is a lot of people passing through. The UV air treatment system itself, I think, can be prevalent at this time, as can the Bluetooth-controlled sound reproduction system. The four powerful uplights, if required, can illuminate more effectively the large volumes

that architecture has always reserved for public spaces. I think the lamp can also be inserted in private houses where glamour, but also sound and light efficiency are welcomed: I am thinking of large dining rooms or living rooms in luxury and prestigious homes.

“The Blackhole project is continually evolving, and despite the limitations due to the Covid-19 emergency, we will continue to develop the UV air treatment system, sound diffusion system and application typologies: I have proposed a floor lamp that can be easily positioned in places where it is not possible to hang the suspension,” adds Truant.

“I designed a ceiling lamp and a surface-mounted solution where the lighting and sound comfort function is carried out without having large volumes.

“The work on Blackhole with Intra Lighting has just started and after this first presentation of the final model we will have the opportunity to work continuously on its evolution: there are still many things to discover about black holes!” www.intra-lighting.com

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Image: Jan Voharčík

Bonbori Outdoor Brokis

The Czech lighting brand Brokis launched its first outdoor lighting range in the summer of 2020. This first outdoor lighting collection in the Brokis portfolio is Bonbori. Created by world-renowned Japanese designer Fumie Shibata for Brokis, the outdoor collection took inspiration from the traditional paper lamps that line the paths to shrines and temples during the annual paddy harvest festivals in Japan. In Japanese, the word bonbori not only denotes this traditional form of lighting but it also describes the soft light coming from within a snowy cave.

Manufactured in compliance with the IP44 rating for outdoor use, the new light makes use of a simple stainless-steel base finished in an environmentally friendly weather-resistant powder coating.

The easily removable LED light source, which can withstand below-

freezing temperatures, casts a gentle glow through a diffusor and laser-cut openings in the stainless steel. The likeness to the traditional bonbori lamp is achieved with an elegant handblown glass shade, an extraordinary piece crafted from multiple layers of carefully moulded glass. The light comes with triplex opal, opaline, smoke brown or smoke grey glass, while the metal base is available in black matte, copper metallic matte, or grey metallic matte. darc caught up with Shibata earlier last year to discuss the launch and her inspirations further: “In response to Brokis’ desire to design outdoor lighting fixtures and in order to make the best use of the beautiful glass produced by them, we considered a structure where the light in the glass glows dimly. This was inspired by the light from the Japanese ‘snow cave’; a ‘snow cave’ has two meanings: a light

Image: Jan Voharčík

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made of Japanese paper, and a hole where snow is piled up and dug out. Both are associated with gentle light.”

Engineered for connection via underground wiring, the light is suited to various outdoor settings from gardens to terraces and evokes a soft and gentle light that pays tribute to a Japanese tradition by creating a unique and festive ambience to be enjoyed as thoroughly in solitude as with family and friends.

“Like other Brokis creations, Bonbori is handblown in the brand’s Czech workshops and took about 18 months to develop from start to finish. The base, made of stainless steel, is available in matte metallic colours, thus bringing a resolutely modern touch to the luminaire.

Thanks to a subtle set of openings, laser cut and paired with the lightly tinted opaline glass shade, Bonbori diffuses a peaceful light fit for soft

summer evenings,” adds Shibata.

“The design is based on both the symbolic use of one and the interspersing of multiple pieces. There is no front, back, left or right, so you can choose where to put it. We aimed to produce something that would be equally fitting for a residential garden or sit well in the grounds of a large facility such as a hotel.”

Brokis has announced the Bonbori collection is expanding in 2021 with a new wall light called Bonbori Wall, which is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. www.brokis.cz Images unless otherwise stated: Martin Chum

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Image: Jenner Egberts

Zed Lucis

Zed is the latest collection from Lucis, designed by Czech designer Daria Podboj. Described by the brand as a collection of “purity, elegance and simplicity”, the standout feature of the Zed collection, typical to most of Lucis’ products, the luminaire’s shade is made of hand-blown three-layered satin opal matte glass.

The three layers of glass cause a triple refraction, and thus a beautiful diffuse light. At the same time, this effect reduces the unwanted results of glare.

During the manufacturing process, the melting and manual processing of the glass creates slight variations in strength of the glass, which makes each piece produced a unique product, without deteriorating its beauty or quality.

Designer Podboj has collaborated with Lucis on many occasions, so working together has become a seamless and familiar experience for both sides. Discussing the inspiration behind the Zed collection, she explains: “I would probably look for the original inspiration in nature, the luminaire itself evokes a branch, which is also reflected in embranchment of one source into two parts.

“This analogy is also supported by the “branched” cable, which points to two different sides.

“During further elaborations of the design, I worked on balance; it was a matter of achieving a proportional aesthetic but also weight balance of both arms of the luminaire. Zed also has a more complex solution that combines three or five of these branches.”

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The Zed pendant is a simple design that changes depending on the angle it is viewed. Its discreet suspension of the sphere on an asymmetrical painted steel construction allows for flexibility of design, and depending on its installation requirements, multiple luminaires can be added to create a larger pendant.

“By using Zed it is very easy to achieve a playful and interesting look in an interior. The luminaire does not act statically and looks different on each side. The combination with multiple branches as well as the use of a set formed by separate luminaires in a row offers great visual variability,” explains Podboj further.

“When used in series, the repeatability of individual luminaires is barely noticeable. To sum it up, the Zed luminaire has a great effect with little

effort for the user or the architect.”

The Zed light works solely as a pendant or can be expanded to fit along a track system or set within plasterboard.

Helsinki-based interior design studio Franz Design, in cooperation with Decolight, created a new restaurant and bar concept for the HOK-Elanto chain. The vision for the Memphis Hakaniemi restaurant was to be an enjoyable and instagrammable interior that incorporated unique and striking decorative lighting. The design team chose the Zed luminaires suspended on tracks running throughout the space. www.lucis.eu Images: Suvi Laine

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Image: Jenner Egberts

Magnolia Crystal Caviar

Czech Republic-based lighting brand Crystal Caviar create crystal art pieces, mirrors and bespoke crystal lighting. Typically found in superyachts, cruise ships, casinos, hospitality environments and private residences internationally, the brand typically develops bespoke solutions for interior design clients to suite individual briefs.

Working with Berlin-based T. Fotiadis Design, which specialises in superyacht design and architecture, on many projects previously, the teams joined together again in collaboration to design the Magnolia tree chandelier.

“The Magnolia Chandelier has been inspired, as most of T. Fotiadis design’s, by the colours and textures that nature offers. It represents a

magnolia tree blown by the wind; we can appreciate how the branches and the petals follow the direction of the breeze,” says Theodoros Fotiadis.

“More than ten months of analysis, research and testing were necessary to finally produce the desired final texture and form of the flowers. No two petals are same in colour, size or shape: they were blown one by one and their dimensions and colours change as they move away from the main branch.”

Initially, the design team found it a challenging concept to translate nature and its imperfections into a lighting piece with a tangible and elegant finish. The concept was first created into a 3D model and

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rendered by the design team. Crystal Caviar then took this research and produced various crystal magnolia flowers and tested them with different light sources to find the best fit. An opaque crystal flower was settled on with Bohemian pink and white tones matched with an LED light source.

The dynamic and dramatic look of the chandelier mimics the effects of a magnolia branch blowing in the wind, creating an overall interesting visual piece.

The structure holding the crystal flowers together is formed of hand-wrought brass tubes, which encase the wiring, creating a clean finish. The metal finish chosen in a dark antique brass is covered in a

protective layer against humidity and salty air environment.

The handblown flowers are created individually with a hollow central diameter to allow the installation of the light source without the need for additional drilling into the crystal at a later stage.

The LED light sources are fully dimmable and controllable to ease flexibility in installation for varying project needs. The chandelier is currently in the form of a conceptual prototype that can be modified in size, shape and overall design, including flower design, to suit designers’ needs. www.crystalcaviar.eu

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Art et Floritude manufactures uniquely beautiful light sculptures.

All our bespoke designs are handmade in France.

www.artetfloritude.fr contact@artetfloritude.fr