Some are inspired by lanterns, others suggest sunsets in New York or the hats of workers in the rice fields. Table lamps, however, have one aspect in common: they create the right atmosphere, indoors or outdoors.
Manhattanhenge (or Manhattan solstice) is an indoor table lamp designed by Luta Bettonica and Giancarlo Leone for Cini&Nils. For use with a dimmer, the diffused light evokes the image of sundown in New York. The romantic effect emerges when the dimming is low, while at minimum intensity the light becomes redder, as at the moment of sunset when the colors glow through the gaps between skyscrapers. Entirely in matte steel, with two arched disks to contain the light source rapped in an opalescent diffuser screen.
Home by Zafferano is a rechargeable battery table lamp whose essential geometric forms suggest those of a contemporary lantern. The LED source is housed in the upper part of the aluminium structure and emits direct downward light. Also for outdoor use, Home has a touch control on the base for on-off and intensity adjustment functions.
Flar, the table lamp designed by Patrick Norguet for Lodes, also takes its cue from traditional windproof lanterns, where tubes of glass protect the flame. The shade in rounded glass has been designed to contain an LED filament bulb that amplifies the light source. The steel base closes like a flower and holds the blown glass shade, creating a contrast between the precision of the 3D laser cutting of the base and the unique character of the bubble.
The collaboration between Contardi and Federico Peri has led to the Asia lamp, marked by the combination of three different materials: fabric, glass and metal. The shade based on the form of the hats worn by workers in the rice fields, is available in two versions. The first has a shade in white cotton, while the second has white cotton on the inside and anthracite gray cotton fabric on the outside.
A table lamp and art object, MATRIX by FontanaArte comes from the research of the duo Oskar Peet and Sophie Mensen, founders of Studio OS Δ OOS, based in Eindhoven. The design object becomes a lamp thanks to a globe of light positioned at its center, emitting a soft glow in all directions. The parts of Matrix, in glass and metal, create transparencies and project unusual geometric shadows on the surrounding surfaces.
