Lighting Trend: Playing On Retro

For their most recent collection, introduced at Maison & Object, the French design duo Colonel (Isabelle Gilles and Yann Poncelet) drew their inspiration from camping gear. The Suzie lamp, for example, has a shade fashioned from the straps that were used to make those iconic lightweight—and rickety—folding chairs. Each strap is hand sewn onto a metal frame, and bright swaths of color—which turn transparent with the bulb is lit—give the fixture a relaxed vibe. Suzie is available as a pendant or floor lamp.

Foscarini’s Chouchin collection by Ionna Vautrin has expanded to include a “mini” version in hand blown glass, lacquered in 1950s-inspired options of orange and green. The lacquered glass shades screen the light, turning the design into an effective down light since Chouchin emits strong, concentrated light from its base.

The Laika Pendant Light puts a just-contemporary-enough twist on an old material: paper rattan. Here the wicker-like material, in white or natural, is woven by hand through a white powder-coated steel canopy. Variations inherent to the weaving process allow light to permeate the shade when the lamp is lit. These pendants come in three widths, spanning 12.4 to 30.1 inches in diameter.

<<Back to main article
Playing With Transparency
Playing With Paper