Form Plus Function

Varaluz Fascination Chandelier

This striking pendant light by Varaluz is made almost entirely of recycled materials:
A hand forged frame holds circles of varying sizes filled with  recycled glass discs that reflect the light in a unique way.
All of the steel used in the iron in the fixtures is 70% or greater recycled content. .
Recycling glass uses less energy than manufacturing glass from sand, lime and soda. Every ton of recycled glass saves 315 kilograms (or about 695 pounds) of carbon dioxide.

InvisiiLED tape by WAC

Garden City, New York—
Green Builder® Magazine and Website has named WAC Lighting’s popular INVISILED™ Tape family one of its “Hot 50 Green Products.” Offering energy-saving display and accent lighting solutions using the latest LED technology, INVISILED™ features the PALETTE and AURA — two color changing systems with user control, as well as the INVISILED™ CLASSIC systems which offers solid colored lighting for both indoor and outdoor applications. WAC Lighting, a leading manufacturer of track, recessed, undercabinet, decorative and monorail lighting, produces INVISILED™ in its family owned, clean manufacturing campus with inhouse UL testing labs and zero landfill status.

Ideal for both new construction and retrofit projects, unique INVISILED™ Tape provides flexible, easy-to-install accent lighting solutions for a broad range of layouts and applications including miniature coves, architectural accents, home theaters, entertainment rooms, under counters and bars, toe kick spaces, display windows, trade show booths, recreational vehicles, and wine racks.

The energy efficient LED tape delivers a crisp, quality light while using only 1.5 watts per-foot. Flexible and easy to install, INVISILED™ offers an extremely low profile and is virtually invisible with a 1/8th of an inch thickness and 7/16th of an inch width. It allows for applications in extremely narrow coves. Long life LEDs (light emitting diodes) perform up to 50,000 hours and are spaced evenly one-inch apart. Each self adhesive INVISILED™ strip is backed with a 3M adhesive or screw based mounting clips for easy installation and ideal for customizing lighting designs to meet the exact specifications of each project. LED tape is available in one-foot and five-foot sections that are field cuttable every six inches or may also be cut to length at the end of a run. INVISILED™ is crafted in a silicon casing for long-lasting durability but still flexible enough to negotiate curves effortlessly.

INVISILED™ PALETTE features color-changing capabilities with chips that have three individually colored diodes—Red, Green and Blue. The color changes are programmed in a constant, smooth transition with adjustable speed among the three colored diodes and can be stopped at any point for a custom color effect. The 60-watt 24V Class II Power supply options include remote or plug-in, which can run PALETTE up to 40 feet in length.

INVISILED™ AURA works similarly to INVISILED™ PALETTE and features color changing capabilities with chips that have three individually colored diodes. AURA offers a color range from Amber to 5100k white, enabling you to change the aura of your room from “Daylight to Sunset” with the touch of a button. The color temperature manually transitions in ten steps and can be stopped at any point during the transition for a custom color effect. The 60-watt 24V Class II power supply options include remote or plug-in, which can run AURA up to 40 feet in length.

This year WAC Lighting offers INVISILED™ CLASSIC 12v and 24v systems featuring solid colors,for a broad range of indoor applications. The energy saving INIVISILED™ CLASSIC 24-volt Outdoor system of LED tape lights is perfect for outdoor accent and display lighting applications. The unique INVISILED™ Tape Light System is ideal for upscale residential, hospitality, retail and commercial markets. It provides flexible, easy-to-install accent lighting solutions for a broad range of layouts and applications including decks, steps, ponds, fountains, pools, architectural accents and landscapes. The fixtures are IP-68 rated for submersion in water up to five feet in depth, as well as UL and CUL Listed for wet locations.

Ingo Maurer Showroom, Munich, Germany

Entering an inspiring space: The Munich Showroom of Ingo Maurer.
Just spent some time working on the hotos I took in  the Studio of Ingo Maurer in Munich.
Every time I look at them I smile and feel good.
This is design I enjoy: creative, fun, fascinating, surprising, beautiful and functional.

Artemis fan from Minka Aire

When I saw the lipstick red Artemis fan from Minka Aire it was love at first sight!
Unlike most ceiling fans that are there to do the job, period, the Artemis has such an unparelleled sculptural presence. The blades wrap around the body of the fan in a gentle swoop.
The light kit  can be hidden behind a cap for a totally minimal, clean look if no light is needed.

Cloud-Fan from the Modern Fan Co

The Cloud ceiling fan represents latest fan design of the Modern Fan Co.  More than “just” a ceiling fan, it has a wonderfully generous light output and can  replace an overhead light while adding a pleasant air flow.
A mouth-blown opal glass shade houses either 120 watts of incandescent or the equivalent of 200 watts of energy-saving compact fluorescent light.
The inspiration for the Cloud ceiling fan came from designer Ron Rezek’s appreciation of American mid-century modern light fixtures. He has taken the idea of a floating oval glass shade and integrated it into an artistically compact ceiling fan.

The Ingo Maurer showroom in Munich is such a treat!
It was great to see this unique “Chandelier” Lacrime del Pescatore by Ingo Maurer again during our visit in Munich this weekend . It gave me the opportunity to take some photos of it. Well, I tried. After a few attempts I realized how difficult it is to capture the beauty of it while showing it in the context of a room.  There was always something in the way, it seemed, but I think these photos at least give an idea about the scale of the fixture.
The three nets can be hung in several configurations since they are attached at several points and stretch easily.

The long slit in the dark blue ceiling is the the cool recessed light “Slitz” that I’ll talk about more in a later post.

Ingo Maurer Lacrime del Pescatore

Ingo Maurer’s latest installation,  Lacrime de Pescatore (Tears of the Fisherman),  is magical!
Layered nylon nets in three different sizes are laden with approximately 350 crystals shimmering  like drops of water. Installed across a ceiling, it creates that feeling that you are underwater, looking up at a fisherman’s glistening net.
I frst saw it in Munich in the Ingo Maurer showroom and was so charmed by it that I forgot to take photos !”
The light source itself is not even part of this unique “light fixture” but is  fixed separately to the wall and aimed to shine at the netting and crystals to illuminate them. You can see this clearly in the second photo.
As an added touch it is packaged it in a fun “to go”container. Ingo Maurer calls it a cash and carry chandelier!

Ingo Maurer Lacrime del Pescatore

Foscarini Havana Outdoor Floor Lamp

Havana al fresco!

The popular Foscarini Havana floor lamp is now also available for outdoor use.

Following the trend of taking the comforts of indoor living outdoors, we finally now see floor lamps that can be used on a deck or porch or flank a pool or walkway.
Most outdoor floor lamps I have seen have been pieces I wouldn’t allow near my porch: fake wood branches adorned with birds and butterflies and a fabric shade with grass motifs. Yikes!

The Havana floor lamp is one of a few contemporary outdoor floor lamps out there. It stands out with its large, slender cigar shaped diffuser that gracefully casts a soft illumination while taking on a sculptural presence.

It is made of a single rotational moulded piece in white or coloured polyethylene. The structure is available in the version with a stake, with underground box or as a suspension. It is equipped with waterproof wiring connector that can be attached to a weather proof cord and plug (not included). Uses medium base incandescent bulb, max 60W (not included).

The Havana Outdoor Floor Lamp from Foscarini was elected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York for its permanent design collection.

Ingo Maurer Porca Miseria

An explosion of dinnerware in mid-air, shards flying.

The Porca Miserie by Ingo Maurer is a must-see piece!! I first saw it on a full page in their catalog and it took my breath away. When I finally saw it in real life it was even more stunning.

The design looks random, yet it is precisely choreographed like a ballet.

“We produce it in a limited number — we do only 10 a year. Believe it or not, it takes four people almost five days. We buy porcelain plates at a regular shop. First, we smash them: I have one, I drop it; or I take a hammer to it. It looks very much at random — and it is, maybe 50 or 60 percent. The rest is in a way constructed: There’s a bit of calculation of how big I want to have the piece I want to use.” – Ingo Maurer

Ingo Maurer Zettel'z

Zettel’z by Ingo Maurer charms me every time I look at it.
A collection of love notes from around the world attached with clips to spindly wires around a cylindrical body it is whimsical, fun as well as a great light.
Took this photo at the Ingo Maurer Showroom in Munich.

Great to see it with lots of space around it!

We have it on display in our showroom and the blank pieces of notepaper that come with it (in addition to the love notes) have little by little been filled out by customers.