The time and skill required to make a project have a value that cannot be compared to that of an industrially produced item. Master craftsmen and designers work to create floor lamps and suspensions with sophisticated luminous effects.
Created by Dodo Arslan, the Foliae (on cover) project by Venini takes its inspiration from the banyan, a tree with roots in the air, matched with the designer’s passion for the Fibonacci series. These two factors have led to a versatile module made in Murano glass and available in various versions with a rhomboid form, where the concave inner wall is like a leaf.
Maehwa, in Korean, means a cherry blossom, but it is also the name of a project by Cristiana and Christopher, designers who are the founders of the studio Giopato & Coombes. Each element encloses and protects the light source, supported by a cable that flexes slightly, like a pistil guarded by a glassy corolla yet to open. The slightly glazed surface of the glass spheres, blown by craftsmen with the ‘lume’ technique, wraps the light from the source to trigger a soft effect.
Clis by Bartoli Design for Laura Meroni is composed of suspension lamps with interchangeable magnetic disk-shaped covers. A true system of minute gem-lamps supported by slim cables. The swappable magnetic covers clad the product in brass or bronze, textures or precious multicolored marble. The spots are vertically and horizontally adjustable to effectively spread the light.
The mission of Radar Interior, the Italian-French brand founded in 2016 by Francesca Bertini and Bastien Taillard, is to go back to the early days of design, giving rise to the production of authentic pieces. Solar is a glass lamp, hammered by hand or smooth, available in silver, gold or bronze, designed by Samuel Accoceberry under the artistic direction of Bastien Taillard. The item comes in two applique versions and one suspension. The diffuser is made with a sheet of thermoformed glass that in the suspension model is supported by a fabric belt, while the wall version can be installed horizontally or vertically, on a matte black powder-coated metal base.
MANTA, designed by Vittorio Paradiso for Paolo Castelli, is a dramatic suspension lamp whose ethereal lightness reminds us of the iconic mobiles of Alexander Calder. The circular ceiling attachment is in satin-finish brass. The luminous bodies with LED sources are leaves of amber-colored glass, shaped by hand by the master glassmakers of Murano. They have a delicate, sinuous form and seem to float in the air, suspended from very thin electrified cables.
L’Ottava nota is an art design experiment developed by Alessandro La Spada for La Murrina that combines Italian know-how and oriental culture. At the center of the installation there is a large bell in glass, decorated with a typical cloud motif of Chinese painting and supported by a structure – also in glass – that suggests the image of bamboo canes. The references combine in décor elements, with two suspension lamps whose quality of workmanship shifts the ability of craftsmen into the world of art.
The Nagoya project by Time & Style ēdition is the interpretation of the traditional rectangular lamp used in Japan in the middle Edo period. The material selected for the structure, Akita cedar, has a high density of rings and a delicate grain when it grows slowly in the harsh environment of the Tohoku region, one of the coldest zones of Japan. The structure is assembled by a master craftsman specialized in shaping wood for lamps, using only elaborate joints without any metal hardware. Nagoya, produced with splendid, rare Akita cedar and handmade washi paper, represents one of the most refined combinations of materials for traditional Japanese lamps.
Strong ethnic inspiration for the Tribal lamp designed by Ludovica + Roberto Palomba for Talenti. Perfect for outdoor use, it projects patternss of light and shadows thanks to the lampshade in woven synthetic nautical rope. The supporting structure is in aluminium with LED lighting and rechargeable battery.
