The other day in the office we were talking about a trend we’ve been noticing: geometric pendant lamps with bright, color-blocked designs, reminiscent of 1960s and ’70s styles and made of wire or wood frames wrapped tightly with string. We couldn’t help but remark on the similarities of their makers as well: four young European women designers, many of whom also happen to be photographers. What are the chances? Here’s a look.
Ana Kras
Above: Serbian-born, New York–based designer (and model and photographer) Ana Kras makes Bonbon lights in a variety of colors and custom designs. Above: A tower of earth-toned Bonbon lamps. “Each Bonbon is handmade and one of a kind,” Kras says. Above: Kras’s lights are available on request; prices start at $1,800. Contact Kras directly for more information.
Above: Kras at work on one of her hand-strung lamps, which were featured at the NYC Makers biennial at the Museum of Arts & Design in 2014. Photograph by Jody Rogac.
Wera Jane
Above: Another set of designs comes from Wera Jane: Lamp No. 12: Leila comes in a variety of colors and designs; from €360 ($384).
“A few months ago, I did a break from my studies to start my own project with designing lampshades,” designer (and model and photographer) Jane of Wera Jane wrote to us. “These objects are influenced by the old UFO-form lampshades from the 1970s. From the beginning of welding till the process of weaving the yarn around, everything is handmade and makes each lamp one of a kind.”
Above: The lamps are made of Italian thread and woven in Jane’s studio in Leipzig. Each one takes two days to complete. Shown here: No. 4: Suki; from €720 ($767). Above: The bold No 9.: Lexar; €360 ($384).
“As a child I was totally crazy about Spirograph,” says Lansom. “If I added up all the hours I spent drawing with a Spirograph, it must have amounted to at least a year of my life.” Now her Sputnik lamps combine groovy Spirograph-like patterns with 1960s-style woven pendant lamps. (Read more at Sputnik Sweetheart: A French Designer’s Handwoven Lights.)
Above: Lansom makes her Sputnik lamps by hand in her Paris studio, wrapping cotton thread around a notched wooden frame. Photograph by Amandine Paulandré. Above: Lansom at work. Contact her directly for more information or to order. Photograph by Amandine Paulandré.
Elsa Rande
Above: Hardwired: Though similar in style, Paris-based designer Elsa Randé‘s Shining lamps are made of an oak base with plastic wires, rather than string. Above: The Shining lamps are available in monochrome or color-blocked designs; €240 ($256).
N.B. They’re made in Australia, but we also like the looks of the handwoven, natural-fiber Dreamweaver lamps by the husband-and-wife team behind Melbourne shop Pop & Scott.
Can’t get enough of hand-crafted lamps and lights? We have a few more ideas:
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