10 Ways to Light Up a Room
Our favorite fixtures of the moment are made from horizontal hand-blown crystal, hand-hammered copper, and other unexpected materials.
By Tiffany Jow June 19, 2018Arguably the cool kid of the designed-object set, lighting draws on utility, sculpture, and science—and brings them all together into a single, illuminated whole. After poring over the past year’s fixtures, we determined that the finest in the field hold an enduring truth: bright ideas come in all shapes and sizes, especially ones just beyond imagination.
01
Rich Brilliant Willing teamed up with New York–based design firm Meyer Davis to create the Hoist sconce, a waterproof, spun-metal-and-aluminum fixture fit for use indoor or out.
richbrilliantwilling.com
Xavier Mañosa
DESIGNER, MARSET’S PU-ERH COLLECTION
“While working on another project, I noticed the lines created on the surface of the clay by the process of ceramic extrusion. That was the starting point of the Pu-erh collection. I combined that [texture] with the shape of a conical paper lamp that was dressing up the living room of a friend’s place that had, to me, perfect proportions. The lamp’s name was chosen by a phonetic magnetism: I liked the sound of the word pu-erh, which is coincidentally a type of tea.”
02
Designed by Spanish ceramist Xavier Mañosa, the distinctive ceramic shade and diffuser of Marset’s Pu-erh pendant are made by hand, imbuing each piece with a sense of lightness and warmth.
marset.com
03
Two perforated, powder-coated metal discs create the mitten-like silhouette of Blu Dot’s Filter table lamp, which directs light upward from its cylindrical base. It’s available in four colors, including ochre, shown here.
bludot.com
GEORGE YABU AND GLENN PUSHELBERG
DESIGNER, LASVIT’S CIPHER COLLECTION
“One of the key features of this collection in our minds was flexibility and customization. We wanted to create a kit of parts, if you will, that could be assembled in multiple orientations and countless configurations. Figuring out the necessary components to allow the light to be [hung] as a series or as starburst formations was the most technically challenging part of bringing the fixture to fruition. Thankfully, one of Lasvit’s specialties is making the impossible a reality.”
04
Made of hand-blown crystal and etched with thin, pinstripe-like lines, Yabu Pushelberg’s horizontal Cipher pendant for Lasvit features hidden light sources at specific connection points. When switched on, it emits a soft, almost magical glow.
lasvit.com
05
Filipino designer Kenneth Cobonpue created the Shireen hanging lamp using powder-coated steel and hand-hammered copper, which exudes a warm coral hue when the fixture is turned on.
kennethcobonpue.com
06
Pila, the Spanish word for “stack,” is the name of this cork-and-spun-aluminum table lamp, which was created by Barcelona’s Crous Calogero design studio for Estiluz. A tiny foot directs light slightly upward.
estiluzusa.com
Omer Arbel
CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND DESIGNER, BOCCI
“The 28 series results from the idea of reversing the direction of airflow in a typical glass-blowing scenario. Glass is more or less malleable depending on how hot it is. To create each fixture, we blow air into a hot glass matrix to make the outer bubble, let it cool, then apply heat locally to patches on the outside and introduce more hot glass into the patches. This creates a vacuum, pulling air out of the piece—and only the freshly applied hot glass is able to respond. Essentially, it’s a controlled implosion.”
07
Vancouver- and Berlin-based lighting firm Bocci introduced new colors for its ethereal 28 series this year. With more than 90 hues to choose from, the clustered transparent and opaque blown-glass orbs create a striking visual complexity.
bocci.ca
08
Architects Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi took inspiration from Arne Jacobsen’s AJ lamp when creating the Yuh table lamp for Louis Poulsen. Its flexible shade moves up, down, and around.
louispoulsen.com
09
Netherlands-based designer Bertjan Pot dreamed up this oblong NR2 pendant for Moooi two years ago—and it’s finally hitting the U.S. this spring. The fixture’s web of fiberglass threads creates depth and dimension.
moooi.com
10
A contemporary interpretation of the Bouillotte lamps found in libraries and gentlemen’s clubs in the 19th century, Vibia’s Mayfair steel floor lamp, created by Spanish designer Diego Fortunato, is available in matte and metallic finishes.
vibia.com
RUNNERS-UP
01
Designed by Italian architect Carlotta de Bevilacqua, Harry H is a jellyfish-like pendant with a quartet of adjustable OLED panels that project light from two sides. When not in use, each panel doubles as a mirror that reflects its environment.
artemide.net …
Designed by Italian architect Carlotta de Bevilacqua, Harry H is a jellyfish-like pendant with a quartet of adjustable OLED panels that project light from two sides. When not in use, each panel doubles as a mirror that reflects its environment.
artemide.net …
02
Created in an edition of seven by New York designer Bec Brittain, the Kawari Crane juxtaposes a bronze base with a borosilicate glass tubing to create a glowing, saber-shaped mass of light.
becbrittain.com …
Created in an edition of seven by New York designer Bec Brittain, the Kawari Crane juxtaposes a bronze base with a borosilicate glass tubing to create a glowing, saber-shaped mass of light.
becbrittain.com …
03
Christophe Mathieu’s Drip/Drop collection for Bover offers two glass shade options: a smooth, bell-shaped one one and a less traditional version, shown here.
bover.es …
Christophe Mathieu’s Drip/Drop collection for Bover offers two glass shade options: a smooth, bell-shaped one one and a less traditional version, shown here.
bover.es …
04
Known for its hand-blown glass lighting, Brokis presented its Mona XL pendant at the start of the year. Designed by the company’s art director, Lucie Koldová, the sizable fixture hangs from leather lanyard suspension straps.
brokis.cz …
Known for its hand-blown glass lighting, Brokis presented its Mona XL pendant at the start of the year. Designed by the company’s art director, Lucie Koldová, the sizable fixture hangs from leather lanyard suspension straps.
brokis.cz …
05
Informed by Cécrops, the mythical king of Athens who had a serpent-like lower half, this solid-bronze fixture by d’Armes, called Cé, is marked by its waterfall of fringe.
darmes.ca …
Informed by Cécrops, the mythical king of Athens who had a serpent-like lower half, this solid-bronze fixture by d’Armes, called Cé, is marked by its waterfall of fringe.
darmes.ca …
06
David Trubridge’s Navicula pendant gets its fluid shape from thin, curved pieces of CNC-cut bamboo plywood.
davidtrubridge.com …
David Trubridge’s Navicula pendant gets its fluid shape from thin, curved pieces of CNC-cut bamboo plywood.
davidtrubridge.com …
07
Philippe Starck’s Bon Jour T lamp for Flos is equipped with LED edge-lighting technology, in which a ring of tiny LEDs send light to the center of the flat, disc-shaped top, resulting in even illumination.
flos.com …
Philippe Starck’s Bon Jour T lamp for Flos is equipped with LED edge-lighting technology, in which a ring of tiny LEDs send light to the center of the flat, disc-shaped top, resulting in even illumination.
flos.com …
08
Designed by Formafantasma’s Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, the Rector Floor lamp is marked by its polished bronze floor disk, which reflects light upward.
formafantasma.com …
Designed by Formafantasma’s Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, the Rector Floor lamp is marked by its polished bronze floor disk, which reflects light upward.
formafantasma.com …
09
By Italian designer Ferruccio Laviani, this Dolmen Terra floor lamp from Foscarini features four circular openings that evoke the portholes of a ship. The fixture is available in orange, bronze, and aluminum, shown here.
foscarini.com …
By Italian designer Ferruccio Laviani, this Dolmen Terra floor lamp from Foscarini features four circular openings that evoke the portholes of a ship. The fixture is available in orange, bronze, and aluminum, shown here.
foscarini.com …
10
Informed by jewelry design, Gabriel Scott’s Harlow Spoke chandelier is illuminated by a series of mold-blown glass gems encased in a striking metallic setting.
gabriel-scott.com …
Informed by jewelry design, Gabriel Scott’s Harlow Spoke chandelier is illuminated by a series of mold-blown glass gems encased in a striking metallic setting.
gabriel-scott.com …
11
David Meckley designed the Metropolis pendant for Brooklyn-based Juniper using aluminum, frosted acrylic, and steel. The pared-down result can be hung from the ceiling or linked together in a series to form a wall-to-wall system of light.
juniper-design.com …
David Meckley designed the Metropolis pendant for Brooklyn-based Juniper using aluminum, frosted acrylic, and steel. The pared-down result can be hung from the ceiling or linked together in a series to form a wall-to-wall system of light.
juniper-design.com …
12
Lambert & Fils joined forces with Guillaume Sasseville of Canadian design studio SSSVLL to create Mile, a contemporary take on the classic office suspension light made of powder-coated aluminum.
lambertetfils.com …
Lambert & Fils joined forces with Guillaume Sasseville of Canadian design studio SSSVLL to create Mile, a contemporary take on the classic office suspension light made of powder-coated aluminum.
lambertetfils.com …
13
Lee Broom’s Carousel XL pendant, shown here in matte black, took inspiration from the classic merry-go-round ride of a British fairground. An inset LED is housed inside 60 steel cylinders, which form a cheery ring of light.
leebroom.com …
Lee Broom’s Carousel XL pendant, shown here in matte black, took inspiration from the classic merry-go-round ride of a British fairground. An inset LED is housed inside 60 steel cylinders, which form a cheery ring of light.
leebroom.com …
14
Félix Guyon and Audrée Larose, the designers behind Canada’s Larose Guyon studio, created the Perle 1 pendant using a satin brass base and hand-blown glass sphere. The fixture can be multiplied into groups, creating a striking wire pattern.
laroseguyon.com …
Félix Guyon and Audrée Larose, the designers behind Canada’s Larose Guyon studio, created the Perle 1 pendant using a satin brass base and hand-blown glass sphere. The fixture can be multiplied into groups, creating a striking wire pattern.
laroseguyon.com …
15
This umbrella-inspired pendant, called Banga, features a series of individual veneer sheets connected with a metallic strip. Designed by Yonoh Creative Studio for LZF, the fixture shines with simplicity and symmetry.
lzf-lamps.com …
This umbrella-inspired pendant, called Banga, features a series of individual veneer sheets connected with a metallic strip. Designed by Yonoh Creative Studio for LZF, the fixture shines with simplicity and symmetry.
lzf-lamps.com …
16
Michael Anastassiades’s Floor Composition lamp directs light downward onto its powder-coated aluminum frame, creating a brilliant indirect illumination on its burgundy base.
michaelanastassiades.com/ …
Michael Anastassiades’s Floor Composition lamp directs light downward onto its powder-coated aluminum frame, creating a brilliant indirect illumination on its burgundy base.
michaelanastassiades.com/ …
17
Designed by Sonneman’s CEO, Robert Sonneman, the aluminum Stripe wall lamp can be installed indoors or out and is marked by its acrylic, brightly colored gel strip.
sonnemanawayoflight.com/ …
Designed by Sonneman’s CEO, Robert Sonneman, the aluminum Stripe wall lamp can be installed indoors or out and is marked by its acrylic, brightly colored gel strip.
sonnemanawayoflight.com/ …
