It amazes us how often clients want to change the design of a light in some way. Do they do it when buying anything else?! Usually, it is not possible. The brand will have subcontracted the manufacture of components, even of the entire light, and maybe to China. They will have negotiated minimum quantities in return for a specific price. So to change a component not only means that it will cost a lot more (if they can get it), it will also mean management time being spent sourcing it and fitting it into production.
But sometimes it is possible, and this is when the brand does most of the manufacturing itself. An example is Design for Macha. Though their sales department is in Geneva, production takes place in workshops in Milan, where the core skill is working brass. They are positively gagging to create bespoke luminaires for you, based (currently) on four families. They are:
Solare
Celeste
Stella
Helois
You can see the theme here (in fact, though there are so many options, the offer is easy to understand and to remember—hooray!). There are glass lighting bodies and brass rods, in a consciously mid-century style They name-check Gio Ponti, Gino Sarfatti and Ettore Sotsass, amongst others, on their "About Us" page here.
There are almost limitless finish options—brass finishes...
…or any RAL colou:
You can also play with the lengths of the rods. Let's look at the Solare family again. This one (called Windrose) has the brass in two contrasting finishes
When you look at Cross here...
...at an angle, you can see how elegantly the brass tapers down to a point:
Although the designs are very diagrammatic, they are able to add an extra layer of meaning by what they evoke. Those above obviously recall the sun and a compass (which have their own levels of meaning). Dawn here evokes, well, the dawn:
and Classic, fasces (in spite of the fact that there is no axe!):
Classic exploits the ability to have rods of different lengths, as does Capri:
You can even have Solare with no rods at all (useful when making up a composition of several pieces spread over a wall or ceiling):
Helios suggests Sotsass and Memphis, particularly in a coloured version:
These pictures of Celeste show two things: that there is the option of suspending the luminaires on a rod, and that the light bodies of Celeste can point upwards as well as downwards:
Here is a Celeste (appropriately called Effervescence) making the most of using rods of different lengths:
You don't have to have a light body at the end of every rod. Here the short pieces look like continuations of the long ones:
And in this one (Solitudine), it looks like one rod that goes behind the light body and reappears again at the bottom:
The light bodies of Stella stand proud of the rods they are attached to:
It can still be used as a wall light (this is Toi Moi):
and be mounted on a rod:
Design for Macha's own compositions can be unexpected. This is Evening (the sunset reflected on the sea?):
Let's look at Stella in more detail to see how the customization options work. Besides the brass finish and colour options, any quantity of rods can be used (up to twelve). There are seven standard lengths of rod for Helios, from 35cm to 100cm. The globes are Ø22.5cm, and the central canopy Ø10cm or Ø13cm.
The electrics are as straightforward as possible, and future-proofed. E27 lamps are used, but not supplied, so you choose the lms, the K, the dimming protocol. UL versions of all the designs can be supplied for use in north America &c.
But suppose you want to go beyond their suggested designs? Design for Macha welcome that. There is a section of their web site called "Bespoke Solutions" here. They show some examples (including these):
and demonstrate the supporting documentation that they provide: a detailed fact sheet (basically, a shop drawing) and .dwgs in both cms and inches.
As we explain (usually when you ask why we won't supply a particular luminaire), our aim is to ensure that nothing goes wrong so, for us, the selection of a brand is not just down to what their luminaires look like, but also the quality of their administration. Design for Macha include crating and shipping (via Express DHL) in their prices. They are ready to go within ten days of order confirmation!!! This may be the shortest lead time in the industry for a luminaire made to order, so we must all remember them when deadlines are tight!!! Their warranty is five years long (again, exceptional) and they provide a proper aftersales service.
So Design for Macha really do have a lot going for them. If you'd like to know more—e.g. prices—do get in touch.
