Created for Italian lighting brand Flos, which has produced the Parentesi lamp since 1972, Konstantin Grcic's OK lamp comprises a flat LED disc that slides up and down a steel cable and rotates 360 degrees.

The design is an update of Castiglioni's classic Parentesi lamp, itself a version of a 1969 concept by his friend Pio Manzù, who died before it could be realised.

The cylindrical weight hanging at the bottom of Castiglioni's design has been replaced with a conical weight that's easier to install, but the small spun metal ceiling rose remains exactly the same.

The name of the new lamp combines the round "O" shape of the disc and the first initial of the designer's name. OK is available in white, black, yellow and nickel.

Grcic's Medici chair recently won the furniture category in the Designs of the Year Awards, and he launched an accompanying chair and table this year in Milan.

In January he also unveiled a bench system based on the iconic Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe – see all design by Konstantin Grcic.

Grcic was among several designers, including Marcel Wanders, Yves Behar and Tom Dixon, interviewed by Dezeen in Milan last week – see all our coverage from Milan.

Last year in Milan, Flos presented a lampshade by Paul Cocksedge that allowed visitors to stick their heads inside to view an animation.

Here's some more information from Flos:

"It is a truly enlightening story of design evolution, the one of the Parentesi lamp. Pio Manzù’s original idea of creating a 'light source that can slide vertically from floor to ceiling and rotate 360 degrees on its axis' was adapted by Achille Castiglioni after his friend’s early death in 1969. A beautiful original illustration reveals the painstaking process of refinement that transformed the first schematic concepts into the final product. FLOS launched the Parentesi lamp in 1972 and it has been in continuous production ever since.

"Forty years later, much has changed. The world of lighting has seen a fundamental shift from conventional bulbs to a variety of new lighting technologies which in themselves are creating new opportunities for the design and manufacturing of lamps. Designing a lamp is no longer limited to working around a given bulb. Today, it means designing the actual bulb or light source. This challenged me to think of Parentesi, a lamp that celebrated the traditional bulb in the most effective and beautiful way. Would it be possible to rethink the Parentesi lamp once more and pass the Manzù-Castiglioni torch on to the future?" - Konstantin Grcic.

A light-emitting disk. A sun hanging from a wire. A luminous circle embracing space. All of these are OK, a flat circular shape with a wire that works like a rail and runs from the ceiling to the floor. The name incorporates the shape of the “O” and the first initial of its German designer, Konstantin. Once again, Grcic unites technological experimentation, design sensitivity and a taste for unadulterated shapes. His passion for technology and materials translates into design that speaks the languages of simplicity, innovative avant-garde and design history.

And so Grcic pays homage to an icon of Italian industrial design, redesigning the original light bulb as an ultra-flat LED surface with edge-lighting technology, directable over 360 degrees. The parenthesis-shaped tube of the original lamp maintains its vertical sliding function over the steel cable, but has now become a small rectangular box that houses the electronic components and a soft-touch switch.

The formerly cylindrical weight has been substituted by an easier-to-install cone shape. Only the small ceiling rose, designed by Achille Castiglioni, has remained identical: a beautifully shaped piece of spun metal. OK is available in white, black, yellow and nickel.

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for Flos appeared first on Dezeen.

The Aria lamp (above) contains a core of six light sources facing outwards plus a downward-facing spotlight, which shine through 50 sheets of translucent black plastic. Each plastic profile is slightly different so they form a fluid, asymmetric shape when hung radially.

Avia (above and below) has a similar construction, but the plastic sheets are opaque and can be white or black. This second model is available in two small sizes for residential use and two bigger forms for installation in large spaces.

The lamps will be unveiled at the Euroluce lighting exhibition taking place alongside the Salone Internazionale del Mobile at Milan Fairgrounds from 9 to 14 April. Slamp's stand will be located at A15-B12, Hall 9.

Above: Aria pendant lamp

Zaha Hadid is also showing twisting auditorium seats and limited-edition marble tables in Milan this week. See all our stories about architecture and design by Zaha Hadid.

Above: Avia pendant lamp

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Above: Avia pendant lamp

Here's some extra information from Slamp:

Aria by Zaha Hadid

Aria is a lamp designed by Zaha Hadid which combines dramatic architectural features with the intrinsic weightlessness of the materials, creating a sculpture of light and technology that fascinates and enchants observers.

The 50 individual layers of Cristalflex (a techno-polymer patented by Slamp) work together to make Aria seem as if is about to take flight, characterised by complex yet harmonic forms that embrace the light source in a veiled breath.

The large lamp is formed of a central structure capable of flooding the entire room with light, thanks to 6 light sources and a spotlight directed downwards.

With an 90 cm diameter and 130 cm high, Aria enhances any space, rendering it luxurious without losing any of its contemporary style.

The elegant black veiled finish lends a touch of mystery and seduction.

Avia by Zaha Hadid

Avia combines the majesty of great architecture with a lamp for day-to-day use, perfectly integrating large volumes with advanced lighting techniques and technology.

To give shape to such an ambitious project the designer used 52 different layers of Opalflex, a techno-polymer patented by Slamp, creating an effect of fluidity, dynamism and harmony resulting in a perfect architectural form that gently embraces the light source.

Avia captures the gaze of anyone who draws near, offering constantly changing perspectives and reflections, transforming itself from a simple light source into a genuine sculpture to be admired, making any space more suggestive.

The central structure is capable of providing 360 degrees light, thanks to its numerous light sources and a downwards-facing spotlight.

The lamp is available in 4 different sizes, making it capable of adapting to any kind of space: two smaller sizes, ideal for use at home and two larger versions for enhancing large-sized spaces. Two colour tones are available: the uncontaminated purity of total white and the absolute elegance of total black.

The post Aria and Avia lamps by Zaha Hadid
for Slamp appeared first on Dezeen.

Named Semplice, Industrial Facility's lamp for lighting brand Oluce comprises a round glass stand capped with a metal shade in black or white.

Other projects by Industrial Facility include a wooden chair that combines robotic and handcrafted production processes for Mattiazzi and an alarm clock for IDEA International that uses a bell as part of the casing.

Semplice will be presented at Euroluce in Milan from 9 to 14 April.

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for Oluce appeared first on Dezeen.

The fabric for the Drawstring Lamps was originally made by textile brand Svensson Markspelle for use as sun shades, but the designers discovered that the tonal qualities and rigidity of the fabric would also work well for a lampshade.

The cords for the lamps were sourced at Gothenburg’s Belt Factory and the wooden components were salvaged from a local carpenter's workshop. “We use industrial waste and select recycled materials from local businesses and organisations, and show their possibilities by creating interior products,” explains Kerstin Sylwan of Design Stories.

The lamps form the first part of the designer's Merry-Go-Round collection, which they presented at Stockholm Design Week in February. The project is a collaboration between Kerstin Sylwan and Jenny Stefansdotter from Design Stories and the producers and artisans at Returhuset, a recycling workshop in the city that gives old furniture and bicycles a new lease of life.

The lamps are available as pendants in two sizes or table lamps with stands made of bicycle spokes. They can be purchased from the Merry-Go-Round Online Shop.

Similar lamps on Dezeen include a layered lamp called Baklava by architects Claesson Koivisto Rune and a polypropylene light in a hand-knitted net for Swedish design brand Zero.

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and Returhuset appeared first on Dezeen.

Above: Gem lights

Tom Dixon's Rough & Smooth collection includes Gem, a family of angular lights, tables and mirrors inspired by gemstones and sand-cast from nickel-plated aluminium.

Above: Gem tables and mirrors

The Spun champagne bucket and tables are made from sheets of hand-spun solid brass polished to a mirror finish.

Above: Gem lights

The Flask light combines a ridged sphere of hand-blown glass with a smoked glass hood, while the Cell light is inspired by the growth of cells and made from layers of etched and polished brass.

Above: Spun champagne bucket and tables

The Bell floor lamp and table lamp have chrome-plated dome for a shade and another dome as a chunky base.

Above: Flask pendant lamps

An extension of the earlier Fan chair, the Fan dining chair, stool and table are formed from machined wood spindles.

Above: Cell wall lamp

The Mass coat stand, book stand, dining table and console table are chunky pieces of furniture clad in brass, which will develop a natural patina over time.

Above: Cell pendant lamps

The collection will be shown from 8 to 14 April at MOST in Milan's National Museum of Science and Technology, an exhibition set up by Dixon last year as he explained in a filmed interview with Dezeen.

Above: Bell floor and table lamps

Other products by Dixon we've featured include a set of iridescent stoneware pendant lamps and a light that casts geometric shadows on surrounding surfaces – see all design by Tom Dixon.

Above: Fan dining chair, stool and table

Here's some more information from the designer:

This year we take visitors through two contrasting environments – Rough and Smooth. Celebrating the joy of contrast, this year we are highlighting the opposite qualities of our new products. Rough because this season we have worked on even more textural honesty and material weight in our production. And smooth because we are still fascinated by extreme polished surfaces, sharp lines and modern manufacturing.

Above: Mass dining table

Follow a rollercoaster journey through the rough and tumble of our warehouse where fresh stock is unloaded and unpacked fresh from the manufacturing process and on through tearooms and shop windows into our spanking new show space which we furnish with our latest lighting and furniture, ranging from the textured sand-cast nickel- plated aluminium to the ultra-polished chromed pressed steel.

Above: Mass coat stand, book stand and console table

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by Tom Dixon appeared first on Dezeen.