{"id":332699,"date":"2019-05-15T14:05:20","date_gmt":"2019-05-15T18:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/?p=332699"},"modified":"2020-07-16T11:30:48","modified_gmt":"2020-07-16T15:30:48","slug":"custom-lighting-creators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/custom-lighting-creators\/","title":{"rendered":"The Process: 5 Creators of Chic Customizable Lighting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Masquespacio<\/a>
Masquespacio for Houtique Wink wall lamps with pink fringe<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For those looking to pep up a particular room, customizable contemporary lighting is a fuss-free way to introduce a fresh look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mesmerized by the sculptural, floating glass works of Roll & Hill<\/a>? You can make a big impression with the brand’s Art Deco\u2013inspired Cora 8 lights<\/a>, choosing your own size, shape, color, material and even texture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are five top contemporary designers lighting up our radar right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Beau & Bien<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\"Beau<\/a>

Le Merveilleux chandelier in black<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy inspiration comes from my dreams,\u201d says Beau & Bien<\/a> partner Sylvie Mar\u00e9chal, whose Le Merveilleux chandelier<\/a> is a cutting-edge take on an old Maison Delisle fixture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you look at Le Merveilleux,\u201d says the Paris-based designer, \u201cyou see the original shape.\u201d But its metal armature has been replaced by LED lights in the form of candles and dangling spheres suspended by golden steel wires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Roll & Hill<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Karl
Karl Zahn for Roll & Hill Cora 8 light<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been called a hoarder for never throwing things away,\u201d says Roll & Hill<\/a> designer Karl Zahn. \u201cBut I actually find a lot of inspiration in tiny trimmings and offcuts.\u201d In the case of his Cora 8 light<\/a>, it was a neighboring stonecutter\u2019s scrap bits that served as muse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI broke a piece in half, and the jagged, raw edge was really interesting,\u201d says Zahn, who credits a stack of cinder blocks \u201ccatching the light\u201d with helping him nail down the final form. He then experimented with polishing, brushing and painting, cycling through many materials on his path to perfection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Ladies & Gentlemen Studio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Ladies<\/a>
Float round pendant<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like all the custom pieces produced by Brooklyn\u2019s Ladies & Gentlemen Studio<\/a>, the Float pendant<\/a> is intended \u201cto interact with its surroundings and those using it,\u201d says firm cofounder Dylan Davis, who describes the pendant as \u201ca simple brass armature supporting an oval sheet of matte-finished aluminum.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept for the piece grew out of the designers’ fascination with the way various components react to gravity and light. \u201cWe asked ourselves how this effect can translate into the needs of a space,\u201d says Davis. \u201cChandeliers have a dual function of lighting a space and also defining it.\u201d The result looks like a pared-down homage to Alexander Calder<\/a>\u2019s sculptural mobiles \u2014 but with the Float pendant, every element has a function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Teemu Salonen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Teemu<\/a>
Chinese Restaurant 7 table lamp<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Finnish sculptor Teemu Salonen<\/a>, who hails from the small municipality of Padasjoki, begins every project with a series of sketches. Then he grabs a hunk of clay and gets busy. \u201cI don\u2019t use a computer\u201d or any molds, he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each medium-size handmade ceramic lamp takes up to 200 hours to shape, plus ample time for curing and firing, which produce what Salonen describes as \u201clively\u201d effects. Several layers of opaque full-matte paint give his creations their otherworldly look. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Masquespacio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Masquespacio<\/a>
Masquespacio Shade suspension light<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Buzzy Spanish design firm Masquespacio<\/a> loves to translate the exuberant glamour of Art Deco<\/a> into striking contemporary lighting. A prime example: the handmade Shade suspension lamp<\/a> it created for lighting company Raco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe chose to mix raffia, leather, marble and brass,” says Masquespacio cofounder and designer Ana Hern\u00e1ndez, “creating a design inspired by the Mediterranean light, postmodernism and the materials themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t

\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
More Masquespacio Lights<\/div>\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t