Private Residential, Canada
When Powell & Bonnell encountered a troublesome Toronto house that was stuck on the market, they tackled the challenge by refreshing the space with a focus on light and serenity. Despite being a new build in a desirable area, this home was unappealing to prospective buyers due to the stuffy, dated rooms with medieval looking light fixtures.
The eighteen-month renovation updated the interior dramatically. The main kitchen and bathrooms were radically altered, as were two master bedroom suites. Working with a concept of tranquillity, the space was redefined through use of both architectural and decorative lighting. The design team incorporated modern, bold pieces, along with organic and sculptural elements, such as the Arboreal fixture by Yellow Goat Design, in the main dining area.
Powell & Bonnell sought out sculptural elements to keep the interior from feeling stale or stodgy. Yellow Goat Design’s “Arboreal” or “living in trees” was the ideal piece to bring the natural environment into an intimate dining space. Made of thick, satin, overlapping foliage and mirror polished gold and silver aluminium sheets, this fixture casts a unique mix of prickled light and shadow around a room in leaf-like patterns, emulating filtered sunlight cast from the native Australian Eucalypt.
For a dining space that was stuck in the middle ages, this elevation to the literal treetops gave it the rebirth it desperately needed.
Hunan Slurp, USA
Hunan Slurp is a contemporary Chinese eatery in New York’s East Village opened by Chef Chao Wang, who seeks to bring his hometown flavours to the city through his artistic vision.
Wang’s love for his hometown culture is visibly channeled through the restaurant’s interior presentation. The logo is the character “slurp” in Chinese, slightly tweaked with a circle representing a bowl, and a winding line next to it portraying a noodle. The interior décor is contemporary with a soft wooden finish. Wang recruited New Practice Studio, who also designed the interiors for Tang Hotpot and Hao Noodle by Madame Zhu’s Kitchen.
At Hunan Slurp’s storefront, a French window frames the light-filled space. Pale slats span from the ceiling to the floor, a rendition of the elegant shape of the noodle. Exposed lights, from the lighting design studio Tala’s Voronoi range, hang above the communal area, adding a rustic touch to the contemporary setting. The dining area is largely occupied by two communal tables, with four additional individual tables on the side. The minimalist design elements echo Chef Wang’s wish for going back to the heart of the Hunan food culture—eating authentic meals and have genuine conversations.
No. 29 Power Station West, UK
The team at Skinflint has provided lights for No. 29 Power Station West – part of the iconic Battersea Power Station redevelopment.
Designed by Lou Davies at Box 9 Design, the stylish dining and drinking venue has already scooped awards at the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards winning Best UK Bar and Best Pub.
Housed in one of the most iconic buildings in London, No. 29 Power Station West features two designs from Skinflint’s extensive and eclectic stock of genuine reclaimed lights.
The Eastern Bloc Factory Shades were chosen for the main dining area where these striking black enamel pendants have been hung in a row, beautifully illuminating the marble dining tables. Found in a moth-balled storeroom, these lights, originally destined for use in an Eastern Bloc factory, were rescued and carefully restored by the Skinflint team.
Adding a touch of glamour to the bathrooms at the venue, are the Retro Spotted Czech Pendants. Dating from the 1970s, these impressive moulded glass pendants hail from the former Czechoslovakia, feature a spotted relief design and subtly illuminate the area adding a warming and inviting glow.
Restaurante Albarracín, Spain
Restaurante Albarracín, located in the centre of Zaragoza, has been redesigned by interior design studio Classico 45 with lighting designs from Marset.
The work focused on remodelling the existing space to bring it into the 21st century, while also taking into account how the restaurant’s cooking combines tradition with new and cutting-edge proposals.
Classico45 used natural, local materials like Albarracín plaster, with its highly characteristic orange colour, accompanied with warm lighting that has helped to create cosy spaces.
The lighting was an essential part of this project and the main lamp chosen was Marset’s Ginger model, designed by Joan Gaspar. This piece is made of pressed oak wood with a concave metallic module housing and it gives off indirect light that defines the personality of the space. Different versions of the Ginger lamp – suspension, table and wall – have been used throughout the space.
The interior design lends itself to the lighting through its use of oak wood. Two different finishes differentiate the areas with a dark, dyed oak for circulation spaces, and a natural oak in the rooms to accentuate the lighting.
With this upgrade, the Classico45 team has managed to perfectly combine tradition and modernity in a unique, warm and cosy space.
Les Amis des Messina, France
The Les Amis des Messina restaurant in Paris’ rue de Réaumor was created by the Sicilian studio mf2arch in collaboration with its founder Mariano Farinella. Red brick walls and dark resin floors are the background to this charming local restaurant which is divided into three zones.
These zones are differentiated by Karman lights that mark the paths. The gastronomy area is illuminated by Biancaluce lights realised in raw cement, the cellar corner uses bone-white Gangster fixtures with a bronze interior, the open kitchen is illuminated by four Dharma lamps designed by Edmondo Testaguzza, and in the private room we find the Lucilla, a lamp with a minimalistic yet refined design.
Natural materials such as iron, wood, stone and glazed ceramic were used to create an intimate atmosphere. The large glass entrance is pierced in iron and glass and carved marble and natural wood are skilfully combined with stone and iron to create a strong contact between ancient and modern. The materials used in the project were chosen to accentuate the original features of the building and to maintain its industrial character.
Arabeska, Germany
The extraordinary company restaurant in the office complex Arabeska in Munich officially opened in April 2015. Their industrial lamps support the modern and communicative room concept and play their part in creating a relaxed atmosphere.
The Industrial Collection, created by Dreizehngrad, is inspired by the design of classic industrial lamps. The crystal glass is mouth-blown and combined with turned oak wood. The glass shade is supported by a wooden cone that, once switched on, creates a precise cone of light without residual glare.
The fixtures come in three variations, Industrial 15/16p, 26/14p and 36/08p, and two colours, clear and anthracite. Over 90 of these lights were used in the space with the varying styles combined for extra effect.
Enoteca Nostrana, USA
Award-winning chef Cathy Whims and her partner David West opened their new wine bar, Enoteca Nostrana, next door to their renowned Italian restaurant Nostrana in Portland, Oregon. The bar was created by Rick Potestio in close collaboration with Director of Operations Nicholas Suhor.
All the lights, whether sitting atop the quartz bar, suspended from the ceilings or fixed to the walls are from the iconic Anglepoise Original 1227 range, featured in sizes from Mini to Giant and including a new Original 1227 Mini Ceramic Pendant Cluster. But, the glowing heart of Enoteca has to be their two-storey, glass fronted wine cellar, housing Enoteca and Nostrana’s impressive wine inventory at optimum temperature. Here an Original 1227 Giant Brass Floor Lamp stands guard.
The bold geometry, intense colour palette and heavy use of patterns takes its cue from the work of the Memphis Group, a Milan-based design collective that produced post-modern furniture and art pieces in the 1980s. Deep indigo sets the background atmosphere, layered with pops of colour like surf blue and pale pink. A 15-seat quartz bar is lined with Champagne cork-inspired bar stools designed by renowned Italian design studio Orlandini Radice. Striking, intricately patterned custom tile work by Portland-based architect Rick Potestio runs from the floor all the way up the faces of the bar and stairs.
“I’ve always dreamed of opening a wine bar to build off what we’ve created at Nostrana,” says chef/owner Cathy Whims. “The innate connection between Italian wine and food is so powerful. We’re also seeing a growing curiosity among our diners for interesting wines, so we knew now was the perfect time to expand with Enoteca. It gives us the chance to bring some amazing wines to the forefront and share them with our community.”
Le Vita - Faro Barcelona
Le Vita, a collection of luminaires designed by Daniel Vila and Esther Pujol from Nahtrang Studio for Faro Barcelona, evoke the weight of gravity.
The simplicity of its design, the softness of its forms and the delicacy of its materials make Le Vita a lamp that illuminates any space, from sophisticated and luxurious to modern and contemporary. The fixture has an aluminium structure surrounding an opal glass diffuser and comes as either a floor or table lamp.
Double win for Modular Lighting Instruments
(Belgium) - Modular Lighting Instruments wins two Good Design awards for Qbini trimless and Marbul suspension lights.
The Good Design logo is one of the world's most recognised public certification for consumer design excellence and is used by the world's foremost corporations, manufacturers, and designers to identify their product's design merit.
The Qbini trimless is the latest addition to the Qbini family and allows architects to effortlessly express a unique lighting concept in every project. Qbini can now be combined with two different frames, with or without a trim, and comes in white struc, black struc as well as the newly launched luxurious gold.
The Marbul suspension lamp comes with a particularly thin, matt black cable and a fixed or adjustable sphere. Choose a gold, champagne or aluminium reflector for your desired light effect. The adjustable version features a small cap that can be used to incline the sphere by approximately 45° to highlight specific elements in a room, and the cable itself can be rotated around 360°.
Dispensa Emilia, Italy
Dispensa Emilia, designed by Area-17 with lighting by Martinelli Luce, is a modern take on the traditional Tigelleria Emiliana, telling a beautiful story about Italian food and design excellence. The contemporary and functional interiors develop around a central island, where food is prepared as if on stage.
A rich colour and material palette, together with the strong presence of own branded products, creates a welcoming and familiar atmosphere. The furnishings are custom-made, including a signature edition of the Modena lamp designed by Area-17 for Martinelli Luce that plays with references to central Italy icons such as the typical Ferrari red shade.
Pearl - Karakter
Pearl, designed by Nick Ross for Karakter, is a glowing orb of light shaded by clear, mouth-blown glass. The shade is dome-shaped with a delicate flick at its rim whilst the inner acid-etched glass sphere is oversized so that it reaches beyond the edges of the shade.
This fixture has a wall version and the shade comes in either smoked or clear glass.
Triangle - Victoria Wilmotte
Triangle, self-produced by Paris designer Victoria Wilmotte, has a handcrafted shade made of folded aluminium. A triangle plate with rounded corners forms the top of the shade with folded edges running down the side forming a rough circle at the bottom. The folds in the metal create dynamic lines of light and shadow inside the shade.
The Triangle pendant comes in two sizes with your choice of steel blue, ultramarine, or a grey-powdered finish.
