While old glass bottles are being used to create a chandelier that looks like an installation, geometric patterns are an inspiration for intricate designs. Shrabasti Mallik discovers innovative lighting concepts that will soon be trending in the industry
While walking down the pebbled path that leads to the pavilion hosting the India Design 2015, all that one can see are scattered, make-shift tents that lend the look of a camp site to the NSIC Grounds. Once inside the pavilion, you feel like you are at the sets of a Sanjay leela Bhansali movie — everything’s dramatic and grand here. The pavilion is housing an elaborate and wide range of home furnishing and upholstery. What stands out in this wide variety are interesting lighting concepts. Simple yet innovative seems to be the design philosophy of the designers who have come up with a range that blends traditional patterns with modern ideas.
Here’s an example. Over eight glass bottles, painted in acrylic and half-filled with lED lights, hang from the ceiling. What looks like an installation is actually a chandelier made with used glass bottles. The area of interior lighting has now emerged as a functional art and designers are picking up unconventional, old objects and converting them into a highly decorative, modern piece. “Today lighting is also a style statement, it is all about how you play with it in a given space. For our collection, we pick up wheels of old chariots or a broken glass bowl and wire it. The result is a work of art and also a decorative piece. The best part of it is that everything is simple and minimal,” says Derde D’Elia, creative developer of Sarita Handa. She points at a suspended metal piece which looks like a complex molecular structure with grain lED lights. “People are no longer apprehensive in choosing such kind of concept lights for their interiors and this is encouraging the designers to come up with out-of-the-box ideas,” she adds.
Kiku lights designed by lekha Washington look like a giant metal spider with more than eight metal tentacles. “The tentacles are adjustable and therefore it gives the customer the liberty to use it wherever they want and in whichever way they want,” says lekha. If you come across something called asteroid, geodesic and equilibrium, do not confuse them with celestial and geometric objects. They are overhead light installations in various shapes and designs. As the name suggests geodesic is a collection of glass structures of different shapes in a metal structure. “These have been inspired by the architecture of le Corbuisier and are made entirely with glass and they are all suspendible,” informs Prateek Jain of Klove.
Hanging lights, which can be used as a cluster of six to eight or just as a single piece, are also seen around. The glass designs range from circular, oval, bulb shaped to different patterns. “It’s ideal for any kind of home. Different room of the house demands different kind of lights but these are suitable for both the living room and the dining,” says Sussainne Khan, owner of The Charcoal Project. Mostly metal, wood and stainless steel is used for the designs. “A well fitted bulb is a perfect way to play with shadows and figures. This concept is catching up with the urban population because it is romantic and mellow,” says Hemant Singh, brand head, Dorothee.
But for those who prefer vintage designs, there are beautiful hand-crafted chandeliers and wooden mashals. Rahul Singh, creative director, House of Handloom, says, “We craft crystal chandeliers. Crystals are imported from Asfour in Egypt. We customise them as per the client’s requirement.” They have also given a new definition to the concept of mashal by turning it into a roughly six foot structure with a big bulb which can be either placed at the entrance or in a quiet corner.