On a recent trip to Munich I entered a shoe store, shrieked with joy, grabbed my camera - and took a bunch of pictures of the incredible mega-sized pendant light Pierre ou Paul by Ingo Maurer.
I was so happy finally to see it in real life, and this store had not just one, but a whole row of them. An incredible display!
When I left the store after about twenty minutes I realized that I had forgotten to look at the shoes!! - It is hard to believe. Well, that gives me an excuse to go back to this great store next time I’m in Munich.
The 50 inch domes are made of hammered aluminum and steel and lined on the inside with platinum leaf or gold leaf (the real thing!) Three counterweights allow fine adjustments to the height and tilt.
The Pierre ou Paul is not only grandiose for its size, but has enormous presence and “makes” the room with its sculptural quality.

This interesting article by the people at Luceplan just arrived in my mailbox this morning, and since it fits so well with my other posts of the last few days, I’ll include the total content.
“Saving resources is a demand that cannot be put off. For companies that produce lighting fixtures it’s an important issue. It entails not only the use of energy saving bulbs but also the design of lamps that make effective use of all types of energy sources and the improvement of standard performance levels. Design also needs to focus on the use of recyclable parts; assembly has to be rationalized to reduce packaging to a minimum; highly efficient new sources of light need to be studied and new types of energy and formal languages need to be explored, without neglecting people’s need to be surrounded by beautiful yet practical objects that enhance the quality of life.

Luceplan has forever committed its efforts to developing innovative solutions to reduce environmental impact. In 1999 Ross Lovegrove designed the outdoor lamp with photovoltaic cells ‘Solar Bud’. Next year, Luceplan’s focus on the environment continued in cooperation with Alberto Meda and Paolo Rizzatto. The duo -in advance of our times- introduced LEDs for domestic use by launching the lamp ‘Starled‘. In 2002, Luceplan funded a research project of two students on the use of natural light in internal spaces: the result was the lamp ‘Zeno’ by Diego Rossi and Raffaele Tedesco – a large luminous disk designed to mix multiple light sources, including sunlight. Technology improved and Luceplan continued to invest: in 2005, the duo Meda and Rizzatto returned their focus on LEDs to create ‘Mix’, a sophisticated and elegant reading lamp that was nominated by Legambiente for the Enviro-Friendly Innovation Award (Innovazione Amica dell’Ambiente). Two new eco-sustainable products were then launched at this year’s Salone del Mobile fair: the outdoor lighting system ‘Sky’ designed by Alfredo Häberli and the desk lamp ‘Berenice LED’ designed by Meda and Rizzatto. This latter creation was chosen for the architect Renzo Piano’s New York Times Building.”

Cheers!

The Campari pendant light by Ingo Maurer has quickly become one of the most popular pendants on our web site as well as in our Santa Fe, NM showroom and it is easy to see why!

This unique pendant light is made of ten original Campari Soda bottles, individually detachable, surrounding a PAR lamp. The result is a charming pendant that not only provides a good, direct downlight, but sparkles with cheerfulness.

It was designed by Raffaele Celentano for Ingo Maurer in 2003.
True to Ingo Maurer’s tongue-in-cheek form the height of the Campari pendant is freely adjustable via a Campari crown cork.

On a recent trip to Germany I found the Campari used in several restaurants.

Please notice the unique cable lighting system used in this Pizzeria in Munich.

It is the YaYaHo system by Ingo Maurer

With a showroom with an eclectic mix of lighting fixtures as my source, I get to pick the lighting for my office, better yet, I get to redecorate as often as I want! (Daniel, my trusted electrician will attest to this with rolling eyes!)

I see my office as my lighting lab. Ok, that’s a good excuse and it sounds really professional, but the truth is that I LOVE good lighting fixtures and portable lamps, their looks, what they do for my room and my mood. I just can’t make up my mind and stick with one single desk lamp when there are so many great ones out there.

Talk about “pools of light”, “intimate focal points” - I have them!

And – just in case you are wondering: Yes, my office has walls covered in corrugated metal. It was easier to build than with sheetrock, easier for running conduit for my constant wiring changes – and I love the look!

The New Mexico sky provides a dramatic, ever-changing backdrop through my many small windows.

The Tizio desk lamp is of course a given choice for a contemporary desk.

Designed in 1972 by Munich-born designer Richard Sapper it has gained iconic status because of its unique design. It is in the permanent collection of MOMA.

The charm of the design is the fully adjustable, perfectly balanced arms that act as conductors, so no visible wires are necessary.