Today's post in this short series of recently-introduced-lighting-that-you-would-have-seen-at-trade-fairs-if-there-had-been-any looks at table lights and floor lights. Click on the product name to go to its web page.
Most task lights fall into one of these two categories, and often both of them, as does....
Nemo Untitled Table Linear
This represents the Holy Grail of task light design in that there are no visible springs, counterbalances, wires &c., yet it can hold any position you put it in. There is no visible power cable either, so it is the cleanest possible design. Added to which, the linear lamp is a polymer with glass fibres that rotates.
It carries out a specific function:
I have long maintained that it should be a civil right of anyone working at a desk that they should have their own luminaire that they control themselves. One reason for this is so that they can position the light where there is no glare on their computer screens. With the Nemo Untitled Linear, this is easy to do, as you can see above. As with many other desktop task lights, there is a choice of mountings: the weighted base (to stand on the desk), the clamp (to fix to the side of the desk so that it takes up no desk-top real estate) and the wall fixing. This is the floor version:
If Arco, Twiggy, etc. are floor standing pendants, then Fox is a floor standing downlighter—no ceiling required. So it can go where the ceiling is too high, or where you can't puncture it, maybe because it is frescoed or has rococo plasterwork.
It is quite unobtrusive:
Less so is...
Karman Fireman
Fireman is less minimal than Fox. Karman say, though, that it is "the maximum expression of essentiality" and who am I to argue with that?! Designed by Marc Sadler, it is intended to be "an authentic tribute" to the telescopic ladders used by fire brigades. And, like them, it does adjust, between H215cm and H320cm. The vertical structure has criss-cross metal spokes reminiscent of the collapsible poles that support motorway signs.
Fireman has two lamps, so that it can provide both accent and task lighting. Here you see one of the lamps casting light downwards, whilst the other lights up a capital that happens to be near by:
Not as tall as Fireman are...
Paolo Castelli Icone Luminose
Part of a collection of items that Paolo Castelli have introduced as a tribute to Giorgio Morandi, they are Venetian glass on a gold structure, and quite tall, at H123cm, 94cm, 132cm and 126cm respectively. So they would be floor lights in low rooms (e.g. in most of England) and table lights in tall rooms (e.g. in Edinburgh's New Town):
The bulbs cause them to glow in a fascinating way; but, rather than being practical lights for you to (for example) read by, they are ornamental, like the bottles and vases in Morandi's paintings. By the way, here is another tribute to Morandi, this time by Ivor Cutler:
A chair,
And a table,
A man sits,
elbows on the table.
An eye in his head.
In the wall,
a window,
He sees
through the window.
His foot,
in a shoe,
rests on the floor.
A bird flits by.
The white wall
is matt.
Its texture
irritates the man
as he tries
in vain
to empty his head
to let a fresh thought
fill it.
As his teeth meet
they make a soft click,
like pebbles
in the water.
Unequivocally a table light is...
GOFI Chata
To understand the usefulness of this design you have to see it in plan:
The shade is not square. By being diamond-shaped, it can sit on a narrow console table and still be imposing, or be a bedside light without taking up too much room on the bedside table:
The dims above are for the smaller version. The larger one is W42cm D23mc H62cm. The base is either solid oak, or sierra elvira marble:
These next designs may be the most minimal table and floor lights possible...
Davide Groppi Anima
Anima is a light that is H98cm so, like the Paolo Castelli Icone Luminose above, it can be either a table light or a floor light:
But maybe they aren't the most minimal, because see here these from Enzo Catellani's Light Stick series:
Enzo does not even allow himself the little hook at the top that Davide puts on his!
Normally we'd be talking about plagiarism in such circumstances but, given the parties involved (arguably the most original and respected designers of lights alive, now that Ingo has died) and the fact that both their designs make perfect sense given what else they do, well, in this case, we absolutely don't.
Anima's close cousin is Davide Groppi's Origine which is, um, long! There are three options: H290cm, H390cm and (gulp) H490cm!! That's over sixteen feet!!!
So let's now move from the minimal to the sculptural with...
Paolo Castelli Hyperbole
The base is black striped granite. The shade is (as you’ve no doubt guessed) banana leaf fibre lined with a copper finish. A mid-century feel.
Finally, some unabashed luxury...
Windfall Lula 1 Table
This is the table light in Windfall's glorious Lula series—as they say, "classic opulence":
As chandelier specialists, we confront two diametrically opposing forces. One is clients rejecting crystal because they think it is old-fashioned bling. The other is that the there is nothing more beautiful—more striking—than the effect of light passing through crystal. This table light could bridge the gap, because it is only little. It introduces the pop of crystal and light, without the need for something huge that dominates the space. It can be regarded as an artwork in an otherwise minimal/contemporary space. Just as we encourage you to see the astonishing craftsmanship of a Leone Cei Regency wall light, for example, Windfall’s Lula 1s can be placed in a space to celebrate their artistry and contribute their cultural depth of meaning, as you might a painting or a sculpture.
As always, if you'd like to know more about any of these lights, or to buy any of them, at the full professional discount and backed up by the service we offer (as explained here), do get in touch.
