Benjamin Hubert experiments with
glass blowing to create Beacon lamps
Maison&Objet 2015: hand-cut patterns cast shadows from within these blown-glass lampshades by London designer Benjamin Hubert (+ slideshow).
The translucent pendant and desk lamps in Benjamin Hubert‘s Beacon collection both share a similar internal element, but feature slightly different outer shells.
“The Beacon lamps celebrate purity of form and comprise two simple and elegant blown-glass components,” said Hubert.
The inner tube-shaped glass pieces are hand-blown and then cold-worked using a traditional technique known as battuto, which involves hand-cutting the material to create patterns across the surface.
When the lights inside the cylinders are illuminated, the markings cast muted shadows on the sand-blasted lining of the exterior glass casings.
Four different battuto patterns feature in the range, including a honeycomb motif and a rippling water effect.
Also hand-blown, the outer elements of the lamps are created as pear-shaped forms. The pendant lamp hangs from its thinner end, while the inverted desk version is extended to form a base.
“Beacon was designed to explore how traditional glass-working techniques can be adapted to contemporary use in lighting, and how light itself can be used an integral element to the design,” Hubert said.
The Beacon lamps were designed during the Glass is Tomorrow workshop held in Denizli, Turkey, last year.
Both versions are available in white, light blue and pale grey, with inserts coloured slightly differently to create variation.
The designs were first presented during Istanbul Design Week in November, and shown at the Maison&Objet trade fair in Paris earlier this week.