Dezeen Magazine

Leimu lamps by Magnus Pettersen for Iittala

Clerkenwell Design Week 2013: orange glass shades sit on concrete bases to form these chalice-shaped lamps by London designer Magnus Pettersen.

Leimu lamps by Magnus Pettersen for Iittala

The Leimu lamps have tapered concrete bottoms that continue upward as glass. A bulb is placed at the top of this stem so light emanates thought the bowl above.

Leimu lamps by Magnus Pettersen for Iittala

Finnish glass company Iittala will release two sizes of Pettersen's lights in September this year. The lamps were on show during Clerkenwell Design Week, where lights made of cable ties and felt cocoons were also exhibited.

Leimu lamps by Magnus Pettersen for Iittala

Last year Pettersen contributed a side table from his Locker furniture range to the Stepney Green Design Collection curated by Dezeen, and has also designed a set of concrete stationery.

Other lamps we've recently featured include terracotta pots with conical shades and lights based on glass vats found in a milking parlour.

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The following text is by Iitalla:


Iittala is proud to debut Leimu, a new lighting piece by young Norwegian-born designer, Magnus Pettersen. As its flame-evoking name suggests, the copper-brown Leimu creates a relaxed atmosphere for enjoyable moments in good company. With its strong concrete base, the impressive glass lamp portion, inspired by traditional lampshades, makes Leimu a brand-new lighting fixture where sensitivity encounters strength.

Concrete is a captivating material for Pettersen: “It has a raw and cold feel to it. The union of glass and concrete is well known in architecture, but it isn’t necessarily always beautiful. I wanted to smoothly combine opposites in a lamp and show that fierce and sensitive, cold and warm can work well together.”

Contrast fascinates Pettersen, whose studio is based in London. His style is referred to as "industrial luxury" because opposites are a recurring feature in his work. He looks at how well different materials or colours merge in an interesting and functional way without prejudice.

Leimu lamps by Magnus Pettersen for Iittala

From a technical standpoint, harmonising the stem and glass portion was not easy. "Glass is a great material, but it is also very challenging because it is alive and it makes accurate dimensioning very difficult. However, through the know-how of and good communication with Iittala’s glass factory, we were able to combine concrete and glass into an elegant whole."

Magnus Pettersen Studio is a design studio creating furniture, lighting and home acces-sories. Norwegian Magnus has studied design at Kingston University and Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design.

He has worked as a product designer for various studios and clients in London. Mag-nus Pettersen Studio was set up in 2010, launching its first product, the Concrete Desk Set in April 2011. Since then the studio has developed a range of pieces of which some are being launched under the umbrella of internationally acclaimed brands and others being developed in-house.