Home Up Feedback Contents Search

Modern Lighting

Home Up

 

Modern Lighting by the European Masters

Modern lighting true to the original designs. Shop for perfect pendants and lamps for the modern home by Achille Castiglioni and Verner Panton Shell Lighting, or drop down to Modern Floor Lamps and Modern Pendants and Chandeliers

Modern Floor Lamps and Table Lamps by Top European Designers

Moragas Table Lamp Basica Table Lamp Gatto Lamp Spun Table Lamp
Appearing to defy the laws of physics, the Moragas Table Lamp (1957) is a study in the use of unexpected materials. The inspiration for Santiago Roqueta’s Basica Table Lamp (1987) was literally sitting in front of him when a wooden cylinder he had salvaged from someone else’s trash rolled out onto his work table. In the cylinder’s simple form, Roqueta saw the possibility for a table lamp crafted with clean lines and natural materials. The Gatto Table Lamps (1962), designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, were inspired by George Nelson's experiments with metal frame lamp structures. To create the luminous structure, the brothers created a shape out of powder-coated steel that was sprayed with a "cocoon" of plastic polymers and protected with a clear finish. Sculptor and designer Sebastian Wrong demonstrates his flair for bold, minimalist forms in the Spun Lamps (2001) for Flos. Made entirely of satiny, machined-smooth aluminum, the lamps feature high-gloss finishes for maximum dramatic impact

 

Tolomeo Wall Spot Tolomeo Micro Lamp Taccia Table Lamp Tolomeo Mega
The Tolomeo design features a matte anodized aluminum diffuser that swivels 360 degrees and can be easily turned with a cool-to-the-touch steel handle. When the Tolomeo Desk Lamp (1987) was honored with the Compasso d'Oro Award in 1989, the lamp was recognized for achieving the perfect marriage of design and engineering. Pushing design to the level of art, Achille Castiglioni creates brilliantly imagined objects that illustrate his love of paradox and, at the same time, a thoughtful concern for a formal balance. The Tolomeo design begins with a heavy base and ends with a matte anodized aluminum diffuser that swivels 360 degrees and can be easily turned with a cool-to-the-touch steel handle.

 

AJ Floor Lamp Fortuny Lamp Arco Floor Lamp - White Base Toio Floor Lamp
Arne Jacobsen created his AJ Floor Lamp (1960) to echo the oblique angles of his Series 3300 furniture, which included the Egg Chair and the Swan Chair. The Fortuny Lamp (1907) represents the early modernist emphasis on industrial materials, functional style and the spatial role of objects. One of the classics of modern lighting design-and part of MoMA's permanent collection-the Arco Floor Lamp (1962) is characterized by the dramatic arc of its stainless steel stem and the counterpoint provided by the weighty Carrara marble base. A 300-watt car headlamp was the inspiration behind Toio (1962), designed by Achille Castiglioni and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. The Toio was part of the brothers ready-made objects series, and included the use of parts of a fishing pole in addition to the headlamp imported from the U.S.

 

Costanza Floor Lamp Costanzina Table Lamp
Paolo Rizzato's Costanza Floor Lamp (1986) has been copied so frequently, it's become an archetype of modern lighting. Costanza's square brushed-aluminum base firmly holds a telescoping stem that is adjustable The polycarbonate shade, which is held together with five aluminum rivets, offers a warm, diffused light and is easy to clean.

Modern Pendants and Chandeliers by Top European Designers

PH5 Pendant Lamp Zeppelin S1 Frisbi Pendant Lamp Model 2097 30
Having graced the halls of universities, restaurants and libraries in Europe for decades, the PH5 Pendant Lamp is one of Poul Henningsen’s most recognizable lighting designs. The Zeppelin S1 delivers soft diffused light from within an internal frame of powder coated steel. The structure is wrapped in spray-on resin that stretches over the shapes of chandelier arms and candles underneath. These shapes become more pronounced by the shadows created by the halogen bulb hidden inside. Unlike traditional suspension lamps that consist of one piece, the Frisbi Pendant (1978) uses two parts to provide direct, diffused and reflected illumination. Model 2097 uses 30 bulbs that are arranged around a steel tube, and held in place by chromium-plated horizontal arms. In contrast to the strong horizontal and vertical lines, the electrical wires gently curve from each lamp to the stem, and give this modern icon a hint of traditional chandelier shape.

 

Oval Pendant Light Le Klint Hanging Light Icon Pendant
As daring as he is, Dutch designer Marcel Wanders never loses sight of sophistication and function, as evidenced in the Oval Pendant Light (1998). Dramatic in scale Architect Poul Christiansen's classic folded lamps have the same following in Europe as George Nelson's Bubble Lamps have in the U.S., gracing homes, public spaces and royal chambers for nearly a century. With a Panton-like playfulness, the Icon Lamp (2003) by Ferruccio Laviani is at once simple and dramatic in its scale and color.

Verner Panton Shell Lighting

An innovative talent of 20th-century design, Panton transformed theories about how lighting should work and influence its surroundings. He also pushed materials and technologies to their limits. The Fun Lamps (1964) by Verner Panton are composed of hand cut mother-of-pearl discs that make a wonderful tinkling sound when moved. Denmark.

Fun1 Pendant - Shell

Go to:

American contemporary and modern lighting

Add World-Luxury to your favorites

Home ] Up ] Art ] Wall Decor ] Bedding ] Luxury Bedding ] Bed Linens ] Bath ] Bathroom Accessories ] Bathroom Furniture ] Fireplace Decor ] Lighting ] [ Modern Lighting ] Rugs ] Home Decorating Styles ] Dog Beds ]

Tell a friend:


We will not store the name or email address of you or your friend.

Copyright © 2006
Last modified: June 29, 2008