The edit: lighting at Milan Design Week 2019

Euroluce, the huge lighting trade event occurs every other year at Milan's Salone Del Mobile. It draws immense crowds and features launches by some of the world's largest, pioneering lighting brands. Whilst the 2019 edition was generally accepted as being a somewhat quiet year for the event we still found plenty that piqued our interest.

A quiet, yet impactful rebellion against newness for it's own sake seems to be emerging, nowhere was this more prevalent at Euroluce than at Santa & Cole. They presented 'The pursuit of durable objects', a display that drew attention to the timeless qualities of their existing back catalogue, encouraging us all to reflect on the objects we consume in terms of longevity rather than fleeting trends.

Elsewhere we noted several of the larger brands shifting focus towards new forms of interactivity and smart technology, be it interactive stand elements as seen at Flos and Artemide or within the products themselves. Flos always offer spectacle and this year was no exception, dramatic installations featuring new designs by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Michael Anastassiades and Formafantasma amongst others drew teeming crowds to the gargantuan Design Holding stand they shared with Louis Poulsen and B&B Italia.

Flexibility was also a key concern for designers this year, the Bouroullec's stated in relation to their new 'Belt' light "The best position for a light source is always unexpected"; and with this in mind, they and several other designers produced lighting designs that are more adaptable and flexible, offering the freedom to perfectly illuminate any space or situation without constraint. 

Also prevalent at the fair were products drawing inspiration from fluid, dynamic forms and materials, a perhaps interesting development in the context of lighting, a design specialism more traditionally associated with technology, hard materials and angular expressions.

Here are our top fifteen highlights from this year's event: 

1. Wireline by Formafantasma for Flos

Formafantasma are known for using interesting materials in unexpected ways. With 'Wireline', their latest collaboration with Flos they have combined extruded borosilicate glass with rubber, creating a uniquely sculptural suspension light that can be used solo or grouped to dramatic effect. Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin of Formafantasma explain "On a material level the lamp plays on the contrast between the industrial feeling of the rubber and the sophistication of glass." 

2. My Circuit by Michael Anastassiades for Flos

Flos' My Circuit is Michael Anastassiades' playful yet elegant take on track lighting systems. He says of the design - "I am part of a generation where growing up as a kid electric slot cars were hugely popular. But beyond the idea of racing, I was more fascinated with how simple combinations of curved and linear track sections would create fantasy circuits. Through similar imagination, one can simply map this experience to the opposite surface of the ceiling." A deceptively simple set of components, two tracks, one curved, one linear, and five pendant fixtures allow for almost infinite creativity and adaptability to any space and requirement.

3. Belt by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Flos

The Bouroullec's design style is known for it's organic, experimental and free flowing qualities. Their Belt suspension light for Flos plays to these strengths. The blend of rigid and soft gives the system an informal, fluid appearance and the leather finish lends an organic softness to the form.

Each component for the light is made from a leather belt, whether weight bearing, providing the electrical current or supporting the light source itself. The Bouroullecs say: "The beginning section falls down from the ceiling, or raise from the wall or the floor, then it’s suspended through the buckle of the first hanging belt. Then the light beam starts from there. Next step can be the end, but one can also add a new section, and this is endless. The line can grow into the space, rotate, raise or fall."

4. Co-ordinates by Michael Anastassiades for Flos

Co-ordinates developed as part of a custom design for the Four Seasons Restaurant in New York. The simplicity of the design rests in the use of two sets of strip lights, horizontal and vertical that can be combined in configurations of varying complexity. Flos and Anstassiades have also developed a series of set configurations for ease of use.

5. Giopato & Coombes - Milky Way Series

Giopato & Coombes took inspiration from space exploration for their Salone 19 show. Bridging the ground between craft and technology the designers continue to surprise with their designs, moving seamlessly between styles and reference points to find new conclusions. Our favourite project from them this year? Their Milky Way series. As seen above these luminaires blend several materials such as brass, marble and murano glass in one configuration. Cristiana Giopato and Christopher Coombes describe each element as a force that gravitate around themselves as if in orbit, finding balance in new compositions. 

6. Michael Anastassiades - Vertigo

The Vertigo suspension light by Michael Anastassiades is a minimal design encompassing clever details such as a touch sensitive dimmer placed in its horizontal beam that also functions as both a down and uplighter. The vertical strap attachment evokes the hoisting of a structural beam, Anastassiades says inspiration was drawn from Charles C Ebbet's photographs documenting construction in New York City's famed skyscrapers in the 1930's. 

7. Fienile by Daniel Rybakken for Luceplan

Daniel Rybakken has a long standing relationship with Italian lighting brand Luceplan. His designs are often characterised by a technical fascination with light and have distinct architectural qualities. With Fienile, Rybakken has taken this one step further, looking to the architecture of his childhood for inspiration:

“I chose the name Fienile (hayloft) as a precise reference to the farm in Norway where my grandfather spent his childhood. A memory that has inspired me from afar to create this table lamp. With its low pitched roof, lateral pillars and central wall, I wanted to explicitly suggest the world of Nordic architecture. Most table lamps are organized around a vertical axis but Fienile takes a different direction; it is symmetrical around its length with two ends and two main “facades.” Thinking about this project, I imagined creating a product that could also welcome and shed light on our own objects of affection, to keep close at hand on a table, in a preferred or special position.”

8. Pole by Philippe Malouin for Roll & Hill

Designer Philippe Malouin has worked with American lighting brand Roll & Hill to product Pole, a modular lighting design that can form giant curves allowing a broad range of illumination within a space. Crafted from telescopic aluminium poles, silicone LED tape and steel weights it can be sourced as a floor standing or wall/ceiling light.

9. Primitive Structure - Michael Anastassiades

Primitive Structure is Michael Anastassiades' first task light. It is wireless allowing you to place wherever needed. It's rechargeable battery lasts up to eight hours at a time and can be charged via usb. The light comprises of two rectangular forms, one atop the other, where they meet is the point of rotation for the light source, a gentle pivot of this horizontal element controls the intensity of the light.

10. Fulcrum Table Light by Cheshire Architects for Resident

Cheshire Architect's Fulcrum Light for Resident operates in a similar fashion to 'Primitive Structure', it's movable shade is used to control the light source, a gentle sweep of the finger increases or decreases the intensity of light as needed. The base can be supplied in brass or cork with a delicate Japanese paper shade that adds warmth to any room.

11. Sainte Collection by Rachel Bussin & Samuel Lambert for Lambert & Fils

Not techically spotted at Euroluce, but we're including them anyway, were Lambert & Fils who created a pop up called Caffe Populaire in collaboration with DWA Studio. Situated in the atmospheric former panettone factory occupied by Alcova the Canadian lighting brand presented two new lights, the first of which, Sainté, is pictured above. Coloured glass rectangles containing the light source are suspended from robust black nylon straps creating the illusion of floating elements in space. The humble nylon straps conceal a flat wire that carries the electricity to the light source conveying a sense of visual lightness.

12. Hutchison Collection - Lambert & Fils

The Hutchison pendant light, also by Lambert & Fils takes inspiration from the classical forms of Middle Eastern archways and Roman terracotta roofs. It’s simple undulating form is designed with use in multiples in mind; Lambert & Fils describe it as “a rivalry of vertical and horizontal forces and a play of scale and repetition”. The shade can be ordered as a single, double, tripe or quadruple arch in a series of colours including white, textured black and terracotta.

13. Parabole Light by Dimitri Bähler for Karimoku New Standard

Most readers will be familiar with Karimoku New Standard and their furniture collection, but this year the Japanese brand presented two prototype lights for the first time in their ten year history. The first, pictured above is the Parabole Light by Dimitri Bähler.  Bähler is a young Swiss designer who has also worked with Hay and Established & Sons in the past. Their collaboration for Parabole utilised KNS's woodworking mastery by producing intricately milled patterns onto the surface of a thin wooden shade, the resulting markings playfully cast unexpected shadows and graphic forms onto the surface of the diffuser. It's thin cable allows the disc to hover in space as if floating.

14. ChainDelier - Davide Groppi 

Davide Groppi was one of the many designers tackling the idea of flexibility at Euroluce this year. His Chain-delier is designed to allow the user to 'decentralise' the light from it's wall source allowing interior designers and architects almost infinite control over the illumination of a space. Chain-delier, takes inspiration from jewellery, it's golden elements gently bow under their own linked weight, emitting light from its central point. Davide Groppi say : 

"ChainDelier can be whatever the user wants it to be, inserting more chains and/or lighting devices, with the lights facing up or down. The number of lighting combinations makes this lamp truly unique."

15. Santa & Cole 'In pursuit of the Durable Object'

Santa & Cole's strong showing at Euroluce focused less on the notion of novelty and more on the subject of durability. Their stand featured selected pieces in a range of formats and finishes, that showcased the highlights of their existing catalogue. The aim being to celebrate "Objects that never go out of style thanks to their design, technical solution and carefully selected materials". 

In addition, the Spanish company did showcase two early prototypes, one of which pictured above is 'Sylvestrina' a portable lamp scheduled for launch in 2020.

Also on the journal - Our Milan 2019 highlights for outdoor and accessories and our review of the best Salone 2019 new indoor furniture releases.