This year marked the debut of the biennial Euroluce exhibition at the new Rho-Pero fairgrounds in Milan. Exhibitors made the most of the occasion by creating fantastic booths that put clever and often futuristic fixtures center stage.
- Rita Catinella Orrell
 

Lane of light
Lane, designed by the Swiss-Argentinean designer Alfredo Häberli, is a new family of linear lamps that creates a soft, diffused lighting effect upward and downward on the wall. Made of extruded and die-cast aluminum, Lane lamps are designed in various lengths according to the source of light they contain (150-watt halogen, 39-watt, 54-watt, or 90-watt T5 linear fluorescent, or 54-watt T5 linear fluorescent). The fixture is also available in a version with an integrated acoustic diffusion system or with two LED spots for direct light for reading. Luceplan, New York City. www.luceplan.com

[Reader Service: August 2007 #209]
 

Secret garden
The Skygarden pendant, designed by Marcel Wanders for Flos, was inspired by an antique decorated plaster ceiling in the designer’s former home that he literally took with him when he moved. The lamp features a plaster body with a “hidden” textured decorative pattern on the inside. The exterior is finished in opal gold, or matte white, black, or rust paint. Skygarden is available in 35'' and 24'' sizes in 250-watts and 150-watts, respectively. Flos USA, Huntington Station, N.Y. www.flos.com

[Reader Service: August 2007 #210]
 

Missing link
In addition to a new fixture by Foster+Partners, Nemo (the lighting brand of Poltrona Frau Group) introduced the Chain desk lamp by Ilaria Marelli. The easily foldable lamp offers widespread LED illumination, the intensity of which can be regulated by a stroke of a finger. With a body and base of aluminum and joints made of fiber-strengthened plastic, Chain is available in a polished or pearl white aluminum finish. The light measures 21.7'' x 27.5'' when fully open (left) and 2.75'' x 10.6'' when closed (right). Illuminating Experiences, Highland Park, N.J. www.nemo.cassina.it

[Reader Service: August 2007 #211]
     

Bioluminescence
Flora, designed by the London-based architecture and design firm Future Systems, is an organic interpretation of the traditional arch floor lamp. The lightness of the lamp’s polished aluminum body is made possible by the latest hydroforming technology used for bicycles and racing equipment. An additional component frees the lamp from the base, allowing it to be installed on any horizontal surface. A diffuser in opal blown glass produces a soft light source. FontanaArte, New York City. www.fontanaarte.it

[Reader Service: August 2007 #212]

Flexible tubular fixture
Initially designed as a lighting solution for subways, stations, and parking lots, the tubular iSign fixture also works well in spaces ranging from offices to retail, including exterior-interior borderline installations. iSign is available in surface-mounted, wall-mounted, horizontal and vertical suspended versions, and with individual or double modules. The fluorescent T16 lamp comes with a polycarbonate exterior in 3'' or 4.3'' diameters, two lengths, and monolamp or bilamp versions, including an RGB version with DALI control gear. iGuzzini, Recanti, Italy. www.iguzzini.com

[Reader Service: August 2007 #213]

Fields of light
Fields, designed by Vicente Garcia Jimenez, was inspired by the aerial panorama of the fields in the designer’s homeland of Mancha, Spain. The lamp is composed of white/ivory or red/orange methacrylate and aluminum sheets that diffuse the light and create a range of lighting effects on the wall. Fields is ideal for illuminating both large and small areas, according to the number of elements used. Lightology, Chicago. www.foscarini.com.it

[Reader Service: August 2007 #214]