Clock designs come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of complexity. On one end, you have ultra-minimalist analog clocks that barely have discernible hands or numbers on their faces. On the opposite end, however, you have not only sophisticated mechanical clocks with all their gears and movements, you also have digital clocks with smart features that go beyond telling the time. Of course, it’s always a matter of balancing functionality and features, and some designs intentionally tip the scales toward one or the other depending on their target audience. This DIY wall clock, for example, caters to those who want a more vibrant and creative way to display the time, though it does require a bit of technical and electronics know-how to make.
It’s really impressive how far DIY tools have come these days, from desktop 3D printers to small circuit boards that can run complicated programs to control nontrivial devices. And depending on the skills of the one making them, the end result could even look like a professionally made product that came from a factory rather than someone’s garage or home workshop. The Hexaclock, named for its unusual shape for a clock, is one such example, offering a wall clock and smart lamp that can rival the quality and features of well-known smart lighting brands.
The catch is that you have to make one yourself, which may or may not result in a product of equal quality. You’ll need a 3D printer, unsurprisingly, but that is actually the easier part of the process. The more tedious phase requires precisely cutting an LED light strip into specific sizes so that the LEDs actually line up with the hexagon-shaped compartments of the lamp. Even more laborious is connecting these segments together again into a single unit, at least electronically, so that you can control the strip with a program as if it was never cut at all.
All of these details, from the schematics to the software, are made available for free so that anyone with the right tools and knowledge can make their own hive-shaped wall clock. In terms of functionality, the clock offers plenty of customization options, from animated color transitions to dancing patterns. What’s even more impressive is that it supports a light sensor that can dim all LEDs except the ones displaying the clock itself so that the bright lights won’t disturb your sleep at night.
I love a well-designed and functional lighting design with some aesthetic value. But besides these three holy grails, it also helps if the light is portable, and can be carried around with you wherever you go. Besides that, a well-designed lighting fixture should not only have the ability to illuminate any living space but also add that extra oomph factor! I mean, of course, we need them to see in the dark, but as highly functional as they should be, a lighting fixture also needs to be aesthetically pleasing, adding an attractive and visually soothing element to any space it is placed in. And an excellent lighting design that we feel ticks all the checkboxes is the Grasp Portable Lamp by Thomas Albertsen for Frandsen.
Designed for the TV show Denmark’s Next Classic, the Grasp portable lamp by Danish brand Frandsen features an innovative and unique rechargeable bulb. After it debuted on the reality TV competition, where it was one of the best lighting designs, Frandsen picked up the lighting piece.
Frandsen was impressed by the ‘exceptional potential’ of the design, and hence decided to pick it up. The lamp features a refined metal form that comprises two cones – one for the base, and one for the lampshade. The two cones are connected via a thin and curving road that also makes up the body and the handle of the lamp. The portable lamp has a clean and minimalist visual appeal, while also serving as a functional and highly practical design with a water resistance rating, which makes it a great fit for both the indoors and the outdoors. It also features a base that sits well on both smooth and not-so-smooth surfaces.
“I wanted to make a portable lamp capable of illuminating a table where people gather, enveloping the surroundings in a warm, intimate ambiance, casting a magical aura in the otherwise dark spaces,” said Albertsen.
The lamp’s bulb which is called the Frandsen One functions as a source of light and power unit for the lighting design. So you don’t need to recharge the whole lamp, you can simply remove the bulb, and replace it with a fully charged spare bulb.
Handsome minimalist design with a fabric-covered base
Built-in speaker in the RGB-lit base
Bright and colorful lights that can sync to music
Includes a magnetic remote control
CONS:
Speaker output quality is average
Matter support still unavailable
RATINGS:
AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
EDITOR'S QUOTE:
The Govee Floor Lamp Pro delivers a breathtaking audiovisual experience that syncs to the music while also standing proudly as a design object when the lights are off.
Most of us probably presume that lamps either hang from ceilings, stick to walls, or stand on tables. While elevated lighting is indeed necessary to provide illumination in the darkness, every inch of your room or house definitely deserves a bit of light, especially when it adds a splash of color as well. As far as ambient lighting products go, the tall, stick-like figures known as RGB floor lamps are probably the least known or appreciated. Govee might very well be changing that perception with its new Floor Lamp Pro which not only brings pro-level features deserving of its name but also looks quite sleek and elegant standing anywhere in the room, even when all its lights are turned off.
Govee has dozens of designs for different kinds of lighting solutions, but if there’s one trait they share it’s that they shine best when the lights are on, figuratively and literally. When they’re off, they tend to look unimpressive, at least for those that aren’t hidden behind TVs or stuck to wall corners. Floor lamps, however, are always visible and are, therefore, designed to be seen. Fortunately, the Govee Floor Lamp Pro is something that you’ll love seeing even if there’s no light show taking place.
Available in black and gray color options, the Govee Floor Lamp Pro’s dark silhouette cuts a rather striking figure whether it’s standing in a corner or placed somewhere in the middle of the room. The floor lamp’s shape is pretty simple: a tall, thin rod standing on top of a cylindrical base. On closer inspection, you will realize that the rod is made of sturdy aluminum that slightly wraps around a white silicone LED light strip. You’ll hardly see this color contrast unless you intentionally turn the light strip into view, which is actually easy to do since you can rotate the rod 360 degrees.
The can-shaped base is covered with a fabric-like material reminiscent of those found wrapped around smart speakers. That association isn’t by accident as the Floor Lamp Pro, unlike Govee’s other lights, actually comes with a built-in Bluetooth speaker. This makes the product an all-in-one light and sound system, one of the extremely few floor lamps with such a feature. The bottom of the base itself isn’t covered by this soft material as it exposes the base’s own RGB lights, yet another defining feature of this new Govee Floor Lamp Pro.
Although you can expect the Govee Floor Lamp Pro to be a dazzling sight once the psychedelic lights start to dance, what sets this design apart is how it still catches your eyes once the show is over. Unless you’re familiar with these kinds of RGB floor lamps, you might actually mistake it as some modern design object meant to add some minimalist elegance to your room. This pretty much means that the Floor Lamp Pro provides value all the time, even when you’re not actively using its bright lights.
Ergonomics
Just like any Govee product, setting up the Floor Lamp Pro is practically a breeze. Given the rod’s 67-inch height, you shouldn’t be surprised that it comes in four pieces that you can quickly join and screw together in a snap. You slip in the silicone light strip and install the rod into the base, easily connecting the wires to finally finish the process. It can be done in around 10 minutes, depending on how well-versed you are at assembling things.
You won’t be handling the Govee Floor Lamp Pro most of the time, at least not directly, which is probably for the best. After all, it’s meant to stand in a corner of the room and stay there until the next time you redecorate. And even when you do need to control it, you won’t be able to do it on the lamp itself anyway because it lacks any form of physical control. Instead, you will be operating the lamp remotely, mostly through your smartphone.
Surprisingly, Govee ships a Bluetooth-enabled remote control with the Floor Lamp Pro, which gives you quick and instant access to some of the most basic and important functions. Instead of fiddling with the app to turn down the volume, you can simply press down the button on the remote to save you the trouble and the stress. And to make sure you don’t lose that small remote, you can magnetically stick it to the lamp’s metal rod until you next need its services.
The Govee Floor Lamp Pro isn’t exactly lightweight at 7.3lbs (3.3kg), but that’s fine since you’re unlikely to move it around anyway. One trick that it does have is that you can turn the rod around, making it trivial to customize the lighting experience from bouncing off walls to directly shining the light in your direction. All in all, this Govee product is just as easy to set up just like its siblings, though there is definitely some assembly required. Operating it is also straightforward, though the Govee Home app can admittedly be a bit daunting and overwhelming for first-time users, but that is mostly because of the plethora of features available for such a simple-looking product.
Performance
When you first turn on the Govee Floor Lamp Pro, you might actually be blinded by how bright the LED lights are. It is to be expected from a flagship Govee product, but this one definitely takes it up a notch with a 2,100 ANSI lumens brightness. Govee didn’t skimp on the LED beads either. The light strip, for example, has 162 RGB units and 162 white units, while the base has 30 RGB beads and 30 white beads.
What all these numbers mean in practice is that you have a bright and unbroken beam of light wherever the Floor Lamp Pro shines. You won’t see any distinct cuts or patterns on the projected light thanks to the high density of LED beads distributed along the length of the light strip. And thanks to Govee’s RGBICWW technology, your eyes are treated to the widest range of colors, turning every moment a psychedelic experience.
The Govee Floor Lamp Pro, however, doesn’t stop there. As mentioned earlier, this is one of the extremely few floor lamps to bear a speaker inside. And not just any speaker, mind you, but a Bluetooth speaker system with two full-range and one low-frequency speaker inside. What would normally be a captivating light show becomes an immersive multimedia experience that dances to the beat of your music or even your film. That speaker, though loud, won’t exactly blow your mind with its quality. It’s decent enough for small parties and enhancing the mood of a film or soundtrack, but it isn’t going to win any awards, especially against actual speakers from audio brands.
The Floor Lamp Pro has the ability to sync its lights to music like a magical light and sound show. It can use either the built-in mic to listen to the sounds around it or, better yet, the built-in Bluetooth speaker playing your own tunes streaming from your phone. With Govee DreamView, you can even sync other Govee lights so they all dance to the same beat, whether they’re in the same room or scattered throughout the house. This Music Mode is just one of the many features you can access from the Govee Home app, of course, and there are literally a dozen others you can pick out to set the right mood at the right time, from scheduled activation to scenes for different holidays. You can even enjoy 29 preset white noise sounds to calm you down and help you focus, though not everyone might like the available selection. Fortunately, you can always use your own relaxing notes thanks to the lamp’s speaker.
As a smart lamp, you have a variety of ways you can control the lamp, though what you’ve heard so far requires your fingers to tap your way through menus and options. You can also use your voice thanks to integration with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Unfortunately, the Govee Floor Lamp Pro doesn’t yet support the new Matter standard that would open up compatibility with other smart home platforms and devices. That will eventually come, but there’s no timeline yet for its arrival.
Sustainability
The Govee Floor Lamp Pro is an exceptional smart lighting product, but it isn’t that too different from other brands when it comes to the materials it uses. There’s plenty of plastic to go around, especially with the silicone light strip. That said, the Floor Lamp Pro is a little unique in its use of slightly more sustainable materials like the aluminum rod and fabric-like cover for the base.
Any damage, however, would require sending the product back for repairs, which is thankfully a straightforward and painless process. It’d be impossible to repair the light strip on your own, at least not without extensive electronics experience, though you might get by with a few dents and knicks on the metal rod. Hopefully, as Govee’s business grows, so will its efforts in sustainability in order to secure a brighter future for its customers.
Value
Truth be told, a floor lamp is a harder sell compared to products like string or strip lights. The latter are more general-purpose and more flexible as they can be used in almost any situation or design. That said, they also don’t have a big effect when it comes to coloring an entire space, at least not without investing in longer strips. Not only is that not economical, it’s not very efficient either.
The Govee Floor Lamp Pro has the power to really change the atmosphere inside a space. Whether it’s bouncing off walls or shining directly, the bright and colorful lights can easily reach across the room. The magic, however, really happens when you start pairing those lights with sounds coming from the lamp’s own speaker. Best of all, it remains just as captivating as a decorative design when it’s not in use. For a floor lamp that costs $219.99, that’s quite a steal.
Verdict
Smart floor lamps are still a pretty niche market, and it might be difficult to justify one or two if you’re not a gamer or a die-hard room modder. Of course, these aren’t the only audiences that these lights serve, but most people probably can’t imagine what they’d want a vertical stick of light for. With the Floor Lamp Pro, however, Govee is pushing the envelope of what floor lamps are capable of and trying to break the mold with a smart lighting solution that can instantly change the ambiance of a room in a cost-efficient and space-saving manner.
The configurable and bright RGB lights are already impressive, but their ability to sync with the music playing from the lamp’s built-in speakers really takes the immersion up a notch. The wide variety of modes and features enables you to almost literally paint a different picture of your room every time, whether you’re having a lively party or trying to focus on work. The Govee Floor Lamp Pro’s value, however, doesn’t end when the lights go off and the music stops. With a sleek minimalist design and quality materials, it becomes a design object that adds a different kind of aesthetic, one that can speak loudly with fewer words and without the dazzling lights.
We’re all focused on picking an excellent sofa design, or a Pinterest-worthy coffee table, but how much time do we really spend on picking the perfect lighting design? Today, lighting designs are total works of art – they’re unique and innovative, elevating a space with their mere presence. Nowadays, designers are creating unique, functional, and powerful pieces that not only light up a living space but also add an extra oomph factor! These lighting designs not only help you see in the dark, but they also function as an attractive and visually appealing piece. And, one such lighting collection is the Insulator Lighting Collection by Novocastrian.
Designer: Novocastrian
Designed by the British design studio Novocastrian, the Insulator Lighting Collection is a unique and spectacular range of lighting designs that is inspired by the equipment and infrastructure seen in the railways! The innovative lighting collection includes pendant and table lamps, as well as sconce lights. All the lighting designs feature similar ribbed motifs and polished hardware.
“Our founder Richy took inspiration from endless train journeys along Britain’s East Coast mainline between Newcastle and London, by the rhythmic lattice of the overhead power lines, and by the intriguing saucer-like pin insulators which adorn them,” said Novocastrian, breaking down the railway-inspiration for the lighting collection.
The different pieces of lighting designs are made using elements crafted from solid brass and pressed glass, which have been machined in the company’s workshop, located in the North East of England. The Insulator lights can be fitted with European or North American wiring and custom finishes, which can be requested for. The Insulator Lighting Collection is a fantastic and curiosity-sparking collection that will add a nuanced style to your living space. The references to the infrastructure and architecture of railways are a unique and thoughtful touch, that makes the lighting collection truly stand out. They make for exemplary pieces that look like works of art!
If the 20th century had the lava lamp, the 21st century has the GLORB. It’s dynamic, portable, customizable, smart, heck, it’s even waterproof.
A geodesic sphere, where each individual facet is a dedicated LED panel. The GLORB isn’t your average smart home lighting solution. Forget the moon lamps of 2020, the sunset lights of 2021, and those atrocious astronaut-shaped projector lamps that still pass off as ambient lights. The GLORB might just be the most beautifully dynamic ambient smart light ever made.
On the inside, the GLORB’s like any other smart bulb. It changes colors, connects to the internet, is audio-responsive, and has the ability to animate light patterns… But zoom out and you’ll see what makes the GLORB so alluring. Made up of 80 different triangular panels that light up in various colors, the GLORB looks like a disco ball, but instead of working on reflecting light, the GLORB itself comes to life by lighting up in uniquely different ways.
The app works by combining a palette and an animation. Save the combination as a favorite. Favorites can be placed into playlists that you can name for any specific occasion or mood.
The multiple panels allow the GLORB to come to life by breathing light and color. Roughly the size of a football, the faceted light can either be hung from the ceiling or used as a tabletop ambient light. It comes with its own stand, runs on 5V of power (which means you can operate it via a power bank too), and can be controlled by an app, through your smart home network, or even with music. The GLORB boasts compatibility with Alexa, Philips Hue, Homey, and Home Assistant, with future support for Google Home, Apple Home Kit, and even Matter.
You can stream your music directly to the GLORB.
The GLORB makes for a perfect ambient light during movie night, a house party, a backdrop for your vlog or podcast, or even to pair along with your RGB gaming gear. The 80 individual LED panels pulsate light, changing colors or breathing an individual hue to make it look like the lamp is living. Through the app, you can select from a variety of animations and adjust the brightness or pulsating speed. The app also lets you pair multiple GLORBs together so they shine in synchronicity, and an audio-responsive mode allows the GLORB to even respond to music, quite literally mimicking the dynamic appeal of a disco ball.
Each GLORB comes made from a mix of plant-based polymers as well as recyclable plastic. The GLORB comes paired with a dedicated faceted stand that also doubles up as a ceiling mount, letting you either keep the orb on a tabletop surface or hanging as an ambient pendant light. The light works without the stand too, running directly on a power supply or a power bank, and it’s water-resistant too, which means you could take it outdoors to upgrade your camping experience, place it in your garden for an ambient evening, or strategically arrange them around your swimming pool for the most incredible night-time pool party ever. The GLORB is both WiFi and Bluetooth compatible, and will get better with time through free OTA updates.
Tables are important pieces of furniture in any human space, whether it’s the dining table at home or a meeting table at the office. That said, we don’t always use these flat horizontal surfaces all the time, and there will be times when they’re just taking up precious space. Yes, more aesthetic tables do provide some visual value, but it doesn’t outweigh the cost of their presence. Foldable tables are practical, but few actually look good even when unfolded and the hassle of moving the folded table out of the way makes them less compelling. But what if you didn’t need to put the table away because it not only becomes more compact but also serves a different purpose? That’s the kind of multi-functional design that this concept proposes, turning a table into a lamp.
Designer: Sonakshi Gupta
The Japanese art of folding paper has inspired many designs because of its beauty, simplicity, and space efficiency. A large and flat sheet of paper can suddenly become a geometric flower or swan with a few folds, significantly reducing the area that the piece of paper once occupied. This art doesn’t involve removing or adding parts, which makes each piece an independent and standalone unit.
LightUP is a concept that takes inspiration from origami and kirigami (which does involve cutting away and gluing pieces together) to design a table that not only saves space but also provides a completely different functionality or two. The squarish wooden tabletop folds up into a shape that’s like a flower bud, freeing up the space around the table for use. Thanks to ingenious invisible hinges, not only do you have a clean and flat table surface but moving only one or two corners is enough to fold and unfold the table. The easier you can perform this action, the more frequently you’re willing to do it.
Of course, that’s not where it all ends. The design’s name comes from the fact that wide LED light strips from the pyramidal base of the table to each of the four corners. Thus, the table becomes a room-wide lamp at night but can also remain as a space-saving art object when the lights are off.
Admittedly, the design’s implementation is actually more complicated than it looks thanks to the moving parts and hinges involved. Those may become points of failure over time due to wear and tear. The idea, however, could give birth to a simpler design, one that takes into account aesthetics, functionality, and sustainability altogether for a truly space-saving piece of furniture.
Explore the modern Korean perspective through Drop Light. It’s all about mixing straight lines and curves to tell a captivating story of balance and contrast for Fritz Hansen’s 150th Anniversary Exhibition in Seoul. The exhibition, themed ‘Eternal Beauty,’ shows off a beautiful blend of precise shapes and natural flow. Come along and explore the beauty of shapes and curves!
Lee’s creative journey with Drop Light delves deep into the interplay between straight lines and curves, a narrative echoing his profound fascination with sculptural contrasts and balance. Rooted in the theme of ‘Eternal Beauty,’ the exhibition’s overarching motif, Lee orchestrates a symphony of geometric precision and organic fluidity.
At the heart of Drop Light lies a meticulous exploration of three-dimensional manifestations of flat features. Lee embarks on a quest to unearth the inherent harmony nestled within the convergence of lines and planes, transcending conventional design paradigms. While Lee’s upbringing in Korean culture serves as a foundational influence, his focus pivots towards addressing his intrinsic design ethos, imbuing Koreaness with a contemporary flair.
The luminescent allure of Drop Light emanates from its multidimensional interpretation of intersecting lines and evolving forms. From its embryonic sketches to the final iteration, the design journey meanders through a landscape of experimentation and prototyping. Through this iterative process, two distinct drop trays emerge, each bearing testament to Lee’s unwavering pursuit of design excellence.
At its core, Drop Light is a marriage of fluid curves and steadfast solidity. The lampshade, characterized by its dynamic contours and shifting perspectives, finds synergy with cylindrical solid wood support. This juxtaposition of ethereal lightness and grounded stability encapsulates the essence of Lee’s design philosophy, inviting viewers to contemplate the interplay between form and function.
As someone who lives alone most of the time, reading in bed with the lights on has never been a problem. But I know of couples who have a constant tug of war with their partners if one reads late into the night while the other is a light sleeper and is bothered by light sources. I also know of those that prefer not to have lights on at all while the other needs to have some sort of light within the room to fall asleep. This new innovative lamp may solve those issues for partners and stop future bedroom wars from happening.
Designer: Jess Gupta
Nightside is an LED bedside lamp that serves as an ambient light that doesn’t really disturb those who are sleeping while still providing illumination. The secret weapon built into it is that there’s also a “spotlight” that is a focused reading light, in case you would still like to read in bed and let the person beside you continue sleeping. There’s just one control button and that’s a front-mounted dimmer switch knob which turns on and extends the reading spotlight for those who can’t put that book down just yet.
The lamp has a soothing warm-white LED light with a color temperature of 3000k. It also has a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 80-85 which is a pretty good measure of how accurately it can reproduce colors. The shape of the lamp is one, long, elongated body with the option for gray or white colors for the top and bottom parts. The focused reading light when extended makes it look like a tiny robot came out of the light to accompany you as you read well into the night.
The Nightside Personal Task Lamp may seem a bit pricey at $350 but each piece is actually assembled by hand at their factory. The plastic parts actually come from China while the machined ones are from some parts of Asia while the gas sprint is from Germany but all the parts are put together in California. They had an initial limited run of 1,000 pieces and all of these are numbered and signed. So if you want you and your partner to have a harmonious sleeping and/or reading time, you might want to check it out.
Repetitive daily tasks at a desk can often feel monotonous and uninspiring. Whether it’s answering emails, crunching numbers, or attending meetings, the routine nature of these activities can drain one’s enthusiasm. However, what if there was a way to instill some excitement and freshness into these mundane tasks? This is where Plat comes into play.
Plat cleverly blends everyday tasks with the art of cooking. Imagine the joy of preparing a delicious meal in your kitchen – the aroma of spices, the sizzle of sauce, and the warmth of the oven. Plat seamlessly incorporates these elements into desk-mounted products, bringing a breath of fresh air to the daily grind. I personally don’t really cook, but anything related to food would definitely excite me.
At the core of Plat’s design philosophy lies the fusion of familiarity and novelty. By infusing elements from the kitchen, such as the interaction of the opening water in the sink and the scent and light of the oven, Plat reconstructs them into innovative products that redefine the desk experience. The name “plat,” meaning “cooking” in French, perfectly encapsulates the brand’s identity and mission.
One of Plat’s standout features is its custom typography logo, inspired by the diverse shapes of kitchen cutlery. The logo’s geometric sans design blends soft and sharp edges, creating a cohesive and organized visual identity. Additionally, Plat’s graphic elements draw inspiration from common cooking experiences, simplifying forms such as sprayed sauce, stacked plates, and water vapor into sleek and functional designs.
Plat offers 2 desk products designed to enhance productivity and comfort.
1. Wireless Charging Dock:
This multifunctional cradle serves not only as a wireless charging station for smartphones but also as a trigger for initiating work sessions.
The interaction begins with the lifting of the cradle, which activates an ambient light, signaling the start of focused work. As the user settles into their tasks, the identity timer embedded within the interface architecture comes into play. Drawing inspiration from the gradual heat buildup in cooking, this timer employs color interactions that intensify over time, subtly guiding users to recognize the passage of time. It also has additional wired charging ports at the back with a loop to keep the cables safe from damage.
Moreover, Plat’s Wireless Charging Dock goes beyond mere functionality, offering efficient task management tools through its intuitive dashboard interface on the smartphone. Users can effortlessly track urgent goals and sub-tasks, monitor weekly work time and concentration levels, and access detailed analysis reports for insightful self-assessments. The inclusion of a storage box at the bottom ensures organizational ease, accommodating essentials such as pens, chargers, and stationery, while a charging inlet and cable loop prevent clutter and damage.
2. Desk Lighting:
In a nod to the comforting ambiance of a kitchen after a satisfying meal, Plat’s Desk Lighting draws inspiration from familiar culinary motifs. This innovative light fixture features upper indirect lighting that illuminates workspaces during task-oriented sessions. However, its functionality transcends mere illumination.
Upon completion of work time, the indirect lighting gently fades, signaling a transition to rest and relaxation. Simultaneously, a diffuser at the bottom releases subtle scents, evoking a sense of calm and prompting users to take much-needed breaks. Operational usability is paramount, with a labeled button allowing for easy brightness adjustment and a base that accommodates smaller items like phones or stationery.
The lighting fixture boasts 60-70 mini LED lights strategically spread across the top pallet, ensuring uniform illumination. Additionally, a connection inlet at the bottom ensures seamless integration with power sources, offering convenience and flexibility.
British lighting specialists at Curiousa have once again captivated the design world with the release of their latest masterpiece – the Wave II collection. This innovative series serves as a sequel to their earlier pendant lights, seamlessly marrying glass craftsmanship with an explosion of colors and shapes.
Renowned for their eclectic blown-glass designs, Curiousa’s creations are a testament to the age-old technique of glass blowing. For those unfamiliar with the process, it involves skillfully inflating molten glass into a bubble using a blowpipe, resulting in beautiful forms that give off both elegance and charm.
The Wave II collection takes this tradition to new heights, featuring candy-colored glass elements meticulously arranged along cords, reminiscent of beads on a string. Some of these elements are sandblasted, imparting a semi-opaque finish that imbues the lights with a soft, ethereal quality, adding to their allure.
Wonder what’s special about these? It is not only their visual appeal but also their textural richness. Wooden and silk elements intermingle with the glass, creating a symphony of materials that elevate the designs to a whole new level. The tubular light source, cleverly framed and diffused by the surrounding elements, further enhances the play of light and shadow, casting mesmerizing patterns in any space.
The Wave II collection comprises seven distinct designs, each a masterpiece in its own right. Among the new additions are the Lozenge Squircle and Lozenge Wave, which boast sculptural forms that push the boundaries of traditional lighting design. Meanwhile, favorites from the previous series, such as the horizontal Ripple Beam and vertical Crest lights, have been reimagined, breathing new life into timeless classics.
Lozenge Squircle from the Wave II Collection
In a nod to traditional craftsmanship, the Crest Tassel pendant features a silk textile element crafted by London-based artist Jessica Light, drawing inspiration from Asian lanterns. Additionally, wooden discs in walnut or white finish add a touch of contrast, further enriching the visual narrative of the collection. All of these are available as single pendants or even chandeliers.
Designed by Curiousa’s visionary founder, Esther Patterson, the Wave II collection is a labor of love, meticulously crafted by hand in the brand’s studio in Derbyshire, UK. Patterson’s philosophy shines through in every piece, as she strives to create designs that are not only visually striking but also imbued with a sense of vitality and freedom.
Ripple Corona & Ripple Mezzo from the Wave II Collection
“It’s important the pieces feel alive and even tactile,” says Patterson. “Even though I’ve designed a certain uniformity – they needed to feel instinctive, sculptural, and free of constraint.”
In a world where mass production often reigns supreme, the Wave II collection is a testament to artisanal craftsmanship’s enduring allure. With its vibrant colors, intricate textures, and timeless elegance, it is sure to illuminate any space with its radiant charm, leaving admirers in awe of its beauty and ingenuity.
