John & Sylvia Reid Lighting

A rare set of four Post War ceiling lights designed by John and Sylvia Reid for Rotaflex GB, established by Bernard Stern. The eclipse-shaped lampshades in spun cellulose acetate, were formed by spinning the threads on a special former. The transparent material diffuses light without reducing it. The shades simply hang from metal bulb holders. The measurement of the longest light as displayed in the images is: 138cm High x 28cm Diameter. The shades on their own measure 28cm diameter x 15cm high. Price is for all four. In good period condition, with age-related wear. Professionally rewired with white flex, which can be adjusted to suit your preferred height, as each of the cables has been given 180cm of flex. The manufacturing method was patented in 1946 by Danish civil engineers Bent Højberg- Pedersen and Bent Panker. It involved first extruding the cellulose acetate plastics material through a nozzle, to create a filament with a circular cross-section. It became known as the rotaflex process and was licensed out to other manufacturers by Pedersen and Panker before they set up their own company several years later, also called Rotaflex. There was an Iconic series of British press adverts from 1958/59 showcasing John and Sylvia Reid’s designs produced via the cellulose ‘rotaflex’ process, beautifully art-directed by Layton Award, two of which can be seen in the last two images. (Images credited to Post War British) John & Sylvia Reid established their practice in 1948, working from a rented flat in London. The couple soon became involved in work on the 1951 Festival of Britain working alongside many notable figures of the time. One of the defining features of their design partnership was that it covered their entire output. In contrast to other famous designers of the period such as Robin and Lucienne Day...

Rotaflex pendant lamp designed by John and Sylvia Reid and manufactured by Rotaflex in the 1950’s. Ribbed cellulose acetate shade. 60 watts E-26 medium bas...

REID John (1925-1992) & Sylvia 1207 lamp, Rotaflex edition, Disderot maker, France, circa 1960 Lacquered metal, patinated brass and Rotaflex (kind of archaic plastic) Diameter 76 x Height 50 cm Literature: Meubles et décors, n°793, 1964 August Commercial catalog Rotaflex, circa 1960 Restrained and functional, the Reids’ designs were perfectly proportioned, with subtle detailing and imaginative use of materials – designed ‘for the young of heart and pocket’. John and Sylvia Reid...

Vintage cream sugar ball hanging lamp 1960s Sugar Ball Sphere Hanging lamp just the name is already beautiful and natural cream. Beautiful hanging lamp w...

Hanging lamp "sugarball" Vintage light yellow, 1960s Sugar Ball Sphere Hanging lamp just the name is already beautiful and beautiful light yellow. B...

This rare pendant lamp was designed by John Reed for Rotaflex, in the 1950's/1960's. A very beautiful design because of the simplicity. The shade is made out of Cellulose Acetate (pl...

Vintage XL orange sugar ball hanging lamp, 1960s Sugar ball sphere pendant lamp just the name is already beautiful and of course orange above. Beaut...

Sugar ball sphere pendant lamp Materials: Orange imitation of sprinkled sugar crystals on a Rotaflex (cellulose acetate) sphere or ball. Bakelite E27 socket. Aluminum socket holder. Electricity: 1 lamp E27, 1 x 100 watts maximum, 110/220 volts. Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one is preferred. Period: 1960 - Mid-Century Modern. Designer: John & Sylvia Reid. Manufacturer: Rotaflex Ltd, Rotaflex House, 241 City Road and Princess Street, London, United Kingdom. Other versions: This sugar ball Sphere hanging lamp is available in many colors and 5 sizes. Sphere is their original name, as you can see in the catalog image. The plastic type Rotaflex was invented by Rotaflex together with the French company A.R.P. – L'Atelier de Recherche Plastique (workshop for plastics research). Rotaflex Rotaflex was founded in 1953 and was led by Bernard Stern, who took the company to one of Britain's leading lighting makers in just a few years. John & Sylvia Reid were two of the most famous consultant designers for the lighting manufacturers Rotaflex. They are known for their Metallux, Interplay, Honeycombs, Fernland Cylinders lamp designs and many more. John & Sylvia Reid also designed furniture for Stag between 1952 and 1962. Their S Series furniture is back in production, you can find it on their website. Rotaflex received several design awards in 1957, including iF Design awards for this type of pendant light. The company Rotaflex no longer exists. Atelier de Recherche Plastique The Atelier de Recherche Plastique was founded in 1954 by Pierre Guariche (1926 – 1995), Joseph-André Motte (1925 – 2013) and Michel Mortier (1925 – 2015). The three young designers wanted to shake up the codes of classicism by drawing new shapes to create more accessible furniture and lamps. All three met while working at designer Marcel Gascoin's office. In 1954, they took part in the Salon des Arts Ménagers (Household Art Fair) and received numerous awards. Their furniture and lamps were produced by companies such as Airborne, Disderot (Atelier Pierre Disderot), Meubles TV, Huchers-Minvielle, Luminalite, Steiner and Rotaflex. The ARP, Atelier de Recherche Plastique did not last long. 3 years later, in 1957, the company stops. In Germany it was Sompex Licht und Form, Rolf O. Burghard KG Düsseldorf, who produced and sold them. In Belgium and some other countries in Europe they were sold by Massive. Disderot produced and sold them in France. Philips from the Netherlands had a number of lamps in its collection. In Sweden, these lamps were called Rotoflex and were produced by Bergboms. Designers: Alf Svensson, Bertil Roos, Sigvard Bernadotte. IKEA also sold these sugar pendant lights, as you can see. But at that time, IKEA was only active in Scandinavia. In Finland they were sold by Oy Plastex AB and Stockman ORNO. Here on Vintageinfo you will find several lamps in the catalogue. In the US they were produced and sold by Heifetz, Lightolier and Verplex. Cellulose Acetate Cellulose Acetate is an early acrylate, sold under the trade names Rhodoid in France and Great Britain, Tenite in the USA and Cellon in Germany. It was first prepared in 1865. Cellulose acetate is used as a film base in photography, for eyeglasses, cigarette filters...