Terence Woodgate


May 9, 2014

For two weeks at the beginning of May, the Libby Sellers Gallery in Central London was transformed into a pop-up show room to mark the launch of a new lighting collection from renowned British designer Terence Woodgate.

Though Woodgate has been behind many successful lighting and furniture products in the past, the new Solid range is the first to be launched under the designer’s own Terence Woodgate lighting brand.

“It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a very long time,” he explains. “I’ve always been envious of people like Ingo Maurer, who’s been doing his own things for many years. I’m very detail-focused when I design, so by setting up my own company I can give every part of the production process the same attention.”

Over his 20 years designing for architectural lighting manufacturers like Concord, Woodgate has been responsible for many hugely successful luminaires, but with the launch of his own brand, he has been able to adopt a much more holistic design approach, looking at every aspect of the process from the smallest star washer used in its manufacture to the final product packaging and even the design of the installation instructions – a job for which he drafted in graphic designer Charlie Smith and illustrator John See – ensuring a detailed design experience for everyone from the installer to end user.

The Solid series exploits the many qualities of LED lighting technology, in particular focusing on the rich variety of interesting materials that can now be used in close proximity with the light source.

The range is designed around a GU10 reflector lamp, set deep within the fitting to prevent the LED’s high luminous flux from becoming uncomfortable, while also ensuring the lamp is effectively cooled by passive airflow and so provide optimum efficiency and lamp life.

“I look at the way a number of designers have just plopped an LED lamp into a shape and I realise that they haven’t really understood all of the constraints involved,” explains Woodgate. “As Charles Eames said, if you design knowing every constraint then you don’t have to compromise, and it’s true: if you design being aware of the construction constraints, the material constraints, the component constraints, the factory, the packaging… if you’re aware of all of these then hopefully you come up with a design that satisfies all the criteria and is in itself a better design.”

Woodgate’s experience and understanding of LED technology make him well placed to produce a range that can satisfy the end user both aesthetically and technically. “I want to make sure that they get a product that exceeds their expectations,” he says.

For the pop-up launch event, Woodgate teamed up with lighting manufacturer Megaman, whose new Ingenium Bluetooth system was used to present the pieces at their best and demonstrate how they could be controlled in a real world setting.

Megaman’s Ciaran Kiely will be in conversation with Woodgate at the Designers With Light Forum on Sunday 18th May, discussing the product design process.

www.terencewoodgate.com