From innovation in materiality, construction, function and more, these six luminaires go above and beyond just lighting up the interiors they occupy.

Cover and above: Donghyi Kim.

Haneul Kim x CGV

In collaboration with CGV, a Korean cinema chain, designer Haneul Kim designed a lamp using discarded movie projection screens. The portable screen lamp repurposes the PVC material, sourced from disused screens. The upcycled design offers a solution to the significant amount of wasted material produced when damaged screens are replaced or theatres are demolished.

Photo: Alberto Strada.

Drop 5

Nemo Lighting

A modern, minimalist spin on the chandelier, Drop 5 was designed by Bernhard Osann for Nemo. The slim, linear structure is made from aluminium and maintains its visual lightness thanks to technical innovation in the fixture’s construction that makes use of miniature contact points between profiles and connectors.

Black Flag

Flos

Extending up to 3.5 m from the wall, Konstantin Grcic’s dismantlable Black Flag lamp for Flos resembles a sleek sculpture when closed and provides a striking centrepiece when unfolded. The lamp’s extendable elements include uplights, while the third horizontal bar emits light both upwards and downwards, offering powerful, comprehensive illumination for various settings, including large work areas and living spaces.

Layer

Marcus Angerer

Capitalizing on innovation in additive manufacturing technology, the Layer lighting system leverages 3D printing’s ‘Vase Mode’ to form its namesake layered form. Marcus Angerer’s design makes use of a spiralized layer structure and screw-threaded interiors and exteriors, allowing for the fixture’s seamless combination without the need for additional connectors.

Pupa

Pearson Lloyd

Pupa – currently realized as lighting elements but with the potential to extend to the likes of acoustic absorption – explores circular economy principles. Described by Pearson Lloyd cofounder Tom Lloyd as a ‘formal experiment in biotechnical design’, the project combines natural and waste-capturing materials with advanced technologies like 3D knitting and additive manufacturing.

Dune

Baulmann Leuchten

3D-printed quartz sand forms the interlocking, spheres that comprise Werner Aisslinger’s Dune luminaires designed for Balumann Leuchten. The rough sandy surface lends the lamps a tactile quality. Used as suspension, floor, table and wall lighting, the series is a hybrid of atmospheric and spotlight luminaires that can be used across interior settings.