by Adam Štěch As the year rolls forward many furniture and lightning brands continue to show an interest in reissuing historical design artifacts of decades past. Large or small, most producers comprising the design market now present some form of forgotten or previously discontinued elements of design. To offer…
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Milan 2013: Achille Castiglioni’s iconic Parentesi lamp has been updated with a flat LED light source by designer Konstantin Grcic, who presented his redesign at Euroluce in Milan last week.
Created for Italian lighting brand Flos, which has produced the Parentesi lamp since 1972, Konstantin Grcic’s OK lamp comprises a flat LED disc that slides up and down a steel cable and rotates 360 degrees.
The design is an update of Castiglioni’s classic Parentesi lamp, itself a version of a 1969 concept by his friend Pio Manzù, who died before it could be realised.
The cylindrical weight hanging at the bottom of Castiglioni’s design has been replaced with a conical weight that’s easier to install, but the small spun metal ceiling rose remains exactly the same.
The name of the new lamp combines the round “O” shape of the disc and the first initial of the designer’s name. OK is available in white, black, yellow and nickel.
Grcic’s Medici chair recently won the furniture category in the Designs of the Year Awards, and he launched an accompanying chair and table this year in Milan.
In January he also unveiled a bench system based on the iconic Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe – see all design by Konstantin Grcic.
Grcic was among several designers, including Marcel Wanders, Yves Behar and Tom Dixon, interviewed by Dezeen in Milan last week – see all our coverage from Milan.
Last year in Milan, Flos presented a lampshade by Paul Cocksedge that allowed visitors to stick their heads inside to view an animation.
Here’s some more information from Flos:
“It is a truly enlightening story of design evolution, the one of the Parentesi lamp. Pio Manzù’s original idea of creating a ‘light source that can slide vertically from floor to ceiling and rotate 360 degrees on its axis’ was adapted by Achille Castiglioni after his friend’s early death in 1969. A beautiful original illustration reveals the painstaking process of refinement that transformed the first schematic concepts into the final product. FLOS launched the Parentesi lamp in 1972 and it has been in continuous production ever since.
“Forty years later, much has changed. The world of lighting has seen a fundamental shift from conventional bulbs to a variety of new lighting technologies which in themselves are creating new opportunities for the design and manufacturing of lamps. Designing a lamp is no longer limited to working around a given bulb. Today, it means designing the actual bulb or light source. This challenged me to think of Parentesi, a lamp that celebrated the traditional bulb in the most effective and beautiful way. Would it be possible to rethink the Parentesi lamp once more and pass the Manzù-Castiglioni torch on to the future?” – Konstantin Grcic.
A light-emitting disk. A sun hanging from a wire. A luminous circle embracing space. All of these are OK, a flat circular shape with a wire that works like a rail and runs from the ceiling to the floor. The name incorporates the shape of the “O” and the first initial of its German designer, Konstantin. Once again, Grcic unites technological experimentation, design sensitivity and a taste for unadulterated shapes. His passion for technology and materials translates into design that speaks the languages of simplicity, innovative avant-garde and design history.
And so Grcic pays homage to an icon of Italian industrial design, redesigning the original light bulb as an ultra-flat LED surface with edge-lighting technology, directable over 360 degrees. The parenthesis-shaped tube of the original lamp maintains its vertical sliding function over the steel cable, but has now become a small rectangular box that houses the electronic components and a soft-touch switch.
The formerly cylindrical weight has been substituted by an easier-to-install cone shape. Only the small ceiling rose, designed by Achille Castiglioni, has remained identical: a beautifully shaped piece of spun metal. OK is available in white, black, yellow and nickel.
The post OK lamp by Konstantin Grcic
for Flos appeared first on Dezeen.
Milan 2013: Zaha Hadid will present two monochrome pendant lamps for Italian brand Slamp at the Euroluce lighting show tomorrow.
The Aria lamp (above) contains a core of six light sources facing outwards plus a downward-facing spotlight, which shine through 50 sheets of translucent black plastic. Each plastic profile is slightly different so they form a fluid, asymmetric shape when hung radially.
Avia (above and below) has a similar construction, but the plastic sheets are opaque and can be white or black. This second model is available in two small sizes for residential use and two bigger forms for installation in large spaces.
The lamps will be unveiled at the Euroluce lighting exhibition taking place alongside the Salone Internazionale del Mobile at Milan Fairgrounds from 9 to 14 April. Slamp‘s stand will be located at A15-B12, Hall 9.
Above: Aria pendant lamp
Zaha Hadid is also showing twisting auditorium seats and limited-edition marble tables in Milan this week. See all our stories about architecture and design by Zaha Hadid.
Above: Avia pendant lamp
See all our stories about design at Milan 2013 »
See our map of the best things to see at Milan 2013 »
Above: Avia pendant lamp
Here’s some extra information from Slamp:
Aria by Zaha Hadid
Aria is a lamp designed by Zaha Hadid which combines dramatic architectural features with the intrinsic weightlessness of the materials, creating a sculpture of light and technology that fascinates and enchants observers.
The 50 individual layers of Cristalflex (a techno-polymer patented by Slamp) work together to make Aria seem as if is about to take flight, characterised by complex yet harmonic forms that embrace the light source in a veiled breath.
The large lamp is formed of a central structure capable of flooding the entire room with light, thanks to 6 light sources and a spotlight directed downwards.
With an 90 cm diameter and 130 cm high, Aria enhances any space, rendering it luxurious without losing any of its contemporary style.
The elegant black veiled finish lends a touch of mystery and seduction.
Avia by Zaha Hadid
Avia combines the majesty of great architecture with a lamp for day-to-day use, perfectly integrating large volumes with advanced lighting techniques and technology.
To give shape to such an ambitious project the designer used 52 different layers of Opalflex, a techno-polymer patented by Slamp, creating an effect of fluidity, dynamism and harmony resulting in a perfect architectural form that gently embraces the light source.
Avia captures the gaze of anyone who draws near, offering constantly changing perspectives and reflections, transforming itself from a simple light source into a genuine sculpture to be admired, making any space more suggestive.
The central structure is capable of providing 360 degrees light, thanks to its numerous light sources and a downwards-facing spotlight.
The lamp is available in 4 different sizes, making it capable of adapting to any kind of space: two smaller sizes, ideal for use at home and two larger versions for enhancing large-sized spaces. Two colour tones are available: the uncontaminated purity of total white and the absolute elegance of total black.
The post Aria and Avia lamps by Zaha Hadid
for Slamp appeared first on Dezeen.
Milan 2013: London studio Industrial Facility will present a lamp with a glass base wrapping round the beam of light in Milan this week.
Named Semplice, Industrial Facility‘s lamp for lighting brand Oluce comprises a round glass stand capped with a metal shade in black or white.
Other projects by Industrial Facility include a wooden chair that combines robotic and handcrafted production processes for Mattiazzi and an alarm clock for IDEA International that uses a bell as part of the casing.
Semplice will be presented at Euroluce in Milan from 9 to 14 April.
See all our stories about Milan 2013 »
Explore our map of the best events at Milan 2013 »
The post Semplice lamp by Industrial Facility
for Oluce appeared first on Dezeen.
Product news: British designer Tom Dixon’s latest collection, launching at MOST in Milan next month, includes solid brass champagne buckets and faceted furniture inspired by gemstones (+ slideshow).
Above: Gem lights
Tom Dixon’s Rough & Smooth collection includes Gem, a family of angular lights, tables and mirrors inspired by gemstones and sand-cast from nickel-plated aluminium.
Above: Gem tables and mirrors
The Spun champagne bucket and tables are made from sheets of hand-spun solid brass polished to a mirror finish.
Above: Gem lights
The Flask light combines a ridged sphere of hand-blown glass with a smoked glass hood, while the Cell light is inspired by the growth of cells and made from layers of etched and polished brass.
Above: Spun champagne bucket and tables
The Bell floor lamp and table lamp have chrome-plated dome for a shade and another dome as a chunky base.
Above: Flask pendant lamps
An extension of the earlier Fan chair, the Fan dining chair, stool and table are formed from machined wood spindles.
Above: Cell wall lamp
The Mass coat stand, book stand, dining table and console table are chunky pieces of furniture clad in brass, which will develop a natural patina over time.
Above: Cell pendant lamps
The collection will be shown from 8 to 14 April at MOST in Milan’s National Museum of Science and Technology, an exhibition set up by Dixon last year as he explained in a filmed interview with Dezeen.
Above: Bell floor and table lamps
Other products by Dixon we’ve featured include a set of iridescent stoneware pendant lamps and a light that casts geometric shadows on surrounding surfaces – see all design by Tom Dixon.
Above: Fan dining chair, stool and table
Here’s some more information from the designer:
This year we take visitors through two contrasting environments – Rough and Smooth. Celebrating the joy of contrast, this year we are highlighting the opposite qualities of our new products. Rough because this season we have worked on even more textural honesty and material weight in our production. And smooth because we are still fascinated by extreme polished surfaces, sharp lines and modern manufacturing.
Above: Mass dining table
Follow a rollercoaster journey through the rough and tumble of our warehouse where fresh stock is unloaded and unpacked fresh from the manufacturing process and on through tearooms and shop windows into our spanking new show space which we furnish with our latest lighting and furniture, ranging from the textured sand-cast nickel- plated aluminium to the ultra-polished chromed pressed steel.
Above: Mass coat stand, book stand and console table
The post Rough & Smooth collection
by Tom Dixon appeared first on Dezeen.
Product news: diffused light gently glows from a cavity in the side of this ceramic lamp by designers Something of London and Verona for French brand Ligne Roset.
Inspired by hand-held carbide lamps used by miners in the early twentieth century, Naica bounces light around the void to emit a soft flush of light from one long face.
The lamp’s gently curving corners create a softened profile, which the designers say alludes to the form of a cavern, and the name Naica refers to a working mine located in Mexico.
A fabric-covered cable loops up through the top of the lamp to form a handle.
The product is available in white with either a red or white cavity.
Something was founded by designers Daniel Debiasi and Federico Sandri.
Similar lamps on Dezeen include one held together with a silicone band by Benjamin Hubert, also for Ligne Roset, and another by Luca Nichetto, called Vader after the Star Wars character whose mask it resembles. See more stories about lamp design »
Other recent launches from Ligne Roset include a glass table with three tops, an asymmetric desk and a chair inspired by spaghetti. See all our stories about Ligne Roset »
The post Naica ceramic lamp by Something
for Ligne Roset appeared first on Dezeen.
German designer Leoni Werle has created a bell-shaped lamp that can seesaw between upright and inclined.
The solid oak base of the Pilu lamp is v-shaped so it can be stood vertical or rocked forward so the powder-coated steel stem becomes angled.
A one-directional joint connects the bar to the the bell-shaped spun aluminium shade so it always points down regardless of the lamp’s position.
Werle designed floor and table versions of the lamp, which was nominated for the [D3] Design Talents contest at imm cologne earlier this year.
She showed a giant lampshade and table that were combined to create a workspace at DMY Berlin back in 2010.
More moving lamps on Dezeen include one that’s adjusted by rotating its pivoting shade and another that’s dimmed using a spinning wing at its base. See all our stories about lamp design »
The post Pilu lamp by
Leoni Werle appeared first on Dezeen.
This yellow lamp by Ukraine designer Vasiliy Butenko can be adjusted in any direction by rotating the flat, pivoting disc that forms its shade.
An LED bulb is sandwiched between two circular steel sheets of the OOO Lamp, both one millimetre thick but with different diameters, while a third thicker sheet acts as a base to provide stability.
Two powerful magnets create a rotating joint where the plates meet a tubular stem so the light can be pointed in the desired direction.
The working prototype has been designed to work as a decorative piece when the discs sit upright, as a night light when they’re horizontal or for reading and writing when positioned at an angle.
Butenko has also created pendant lamps by coiling rope around plastic bottles and covered the interior of a Kiev bar with sticks.
Recent lamps we’ve featured include one that looks like a paperclip and another that’s dimmed using a rotating wing.
Photographs are by the designer.
Above: a section drawing through the lamp
See all our stories about lamp design »
The post OOO Lamp by
Vasiliy Butenko appeared first on Dezeen.
Product news: Croatian designer Filip Gordon Frank has put his paperclip-like Mini Me desk lamps into production under his new brand Polymorph.
Filip Gordon Frank showed the power-coated steel desk light at imm cologne last month.
He has also blown the design up five times to create a floor lamp, and both sizes are available in nine different colours.
First designed in 2006, the light was originally produced by Italian company spHaus until it was discontinued in 2009. “I was kind of convinced that the product was good enough to carry on with production in some other way,” says the designer of his decision to found Polymorph.
A ceramic light held together by a silicon band was also launched at imm cologne, along with a chair inspired by I-beams and a DIY curtain kit.
See all our stories about lamp design »
See all our coverage of Cologne 2013 »
The post Mini Me lamps by
Filip Gordon Frank appeared first on Dezeen.
Stockholm 2013: Swedish studio Note has designed a domed table lamp that is dimmed by rotating a wing at its base.
Created for Swedish brand Örsjö Belysning, the translucent blown glass shade gradually becomes fully illuminated as the small handle is swept 180 degrees around a central axis.
The light comes with either a brass wing and black conical steel stand, or the whole base in white or red.
The Vinge table lamps were shown at Note Design Studio‘s exhibition space during Stockholm Design Week earlier this month.
They also displayed their porcelain and wood pendant lamps and lights shaped like grain silos by Zero during the event.
See all our stories about lamp design »
See more products by Note Design Studio »
See all our coverage of Stockholm 2013 »
The post Vinge table lamp by Note
for Örsjö Belysning appeared first on Dezeen.
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