Aug. 05--To add to the Pinterest board, Amazon wishlist, wedding registry or other "to buy" list: a Spokes hanging lamp from Foscarini. Inspired by antique Asian lanterns, birdcages and bicycle wheels, this contemporary-looking lighting fixture was designed by Vicente Garcia Jimenez and Cinzia Cumini -- the creative duo behind Studio Garcia Cumini Associati -- and is one of our favorite recent finds.
It's simple in shape and materials, and made of metal wires that were gently bent at the ends using special computer software. But there's a twist: Rather than put a lightbulb in the middle of the lamp, as is typical of most pendants, Jimenez and Cumini installed a bidirectional LED light source farther down. "Our focus was to move the light source to the bottom and to figure out how to bring electricity to that position of the lamp," the Spanish and Italian design duo recently told Metropolis Magazine. "We shaped the LED in such a specific way that it is not directly visible to the eye."
The cleverly concealed LED points both downward, to directly illuminate surfaces, and upward, casting a moody interplay of light and shadow onto the walls. There are two lamp shapes to choose from (round and oblong) and two colors (white and gold). We imagine installing a single Spokes fixture above a table or reading nook for a lightweight but deceptively dramatic effect, or suspending a cluster of lamps of different shapes and colors in a dining room to achieve a sculptural look. It's understated enough to complement several different living spaces and interior-design styles.
Laura Pearson is a freelance writer.
