LIGHTS AS ART

The brightest British names took the idea behind statement lighting and cranked up the voltage. Tom Dixon, Bethan Gray and Lee Broom all decided bigger is better, with Lee’s Divine Inspiration collection celebrating his brand’s 15th anniversary. He explains more…

Your show was a standout in Milan. What was the thinking behind this collection? Thank you! Lighting is what we’re known for, so it made sense to focus on it for our anniversary. The pieces are lights, but also art, particularly the Requiem collection, which are essentially sculptures, ideal to hang in a corner or to light a small area where you might have a vignette.

Corner lighting was a big Salone trend – pendants that are far too big to hang in the middle of a room.

I see low-level lighting like this as a replacement for table lamps or wall sconces, architectural pieces that light warmly from the side.

Your new designs are fascinating. How did you come up with the Requiem collection?

There are only 15 of each of the Requiem lights, and each one I created myself by hand. I wanted work that I’d literally touched, dipping fabric into plaster with then having only about 10 minutes to shape it so that it’s draped around what appears to be a floating light. The Vesper lights are more classically Lee Broom. Inspired by brutalist shapes, they’re more likely to hang above an island or dining table.

ABOVE Lee Broom with Requiem Ring, one of his four limited-edition Requiem lighting designs

LEFT Polaris Swirl light, a collaboration between Bethan Gray and Baroncelli

RIGHT The new Melt chandelier by Tom Dixon