by Shane Henson — May 13, 2013—Contemporary lighting designer Flos recently announced the release of Kelvin Green II, a “green” version of the Kelvin LED table light designed by Antonio Citterio with Toan Nguyen, and Aim, by Rowan and Erwan Bouroullec, which is an industrial version of the Liane lamp presented at the Kreo gallery in Paris in 2010.
Kelvin Green II features two technically innovative advancements. The first is a motion sensor that enables the fixture to turn off automatically when it doesn’t sense someone in the space, to save power. The second feature is a sensor that enables the lamp to detect the level of additional light sources, including sunlight and overhead light. Kelvin Green II will automatically compensate by dimming or brightening, which is another energy-saving and cost-saving feature.
Simply brush the head of the light to activate a sensor that detects the ambient light level and adjusts the intensity of the LED accordingly. The on/off optical switch changes color from orange to green to show that green mode is activated. Brushing the head of the light again deactivates the function, Flos explains.
Kelvin LED reportedly revolutionizes the design of angle-poise table lamps: length and base are minimal and the flat head does not clutter one’s view of the screen in any position. Thirty LEDs combined with a special chemically photo-etched diffuser guarantee a warm, soft and comfortable light, avoiding harsh visual contrasts and dazzle. Switched on/off and adjusted using a special optical sensor.
As with the other products in the Kelvin LED line, Kelvin Green II features a fused aluminum alloy body, pantograph arm, adjustable head, and SoftTouch technology to turn it on/dim/off with the touch of a finger. Kelvin Green II will be available in chrome, black, and white, the company says.
According to the Bouroullec brothers, the idea underpinning the Aim project was “to offer a lamp which can be infinitely adjusted to satisfy all lighting needs. We have developed a new type of lamp that is naturally positioned in space—like a plant—with long cables providing maximum freedom to adjust the direction and height of the light source.”
With their playful, minimalist design, these suspension lamps create a vivacious tangle of wires that seems to develop and grow like branches or climbing plants. The designers reportedly contemplated the simplicity and naturalness of organic forms, and were inspired to create equally simple and basic objects. By reducing the suspension lamp to its essence—a wire and a light source—the Bouroullec brothers breathe poetic life into a lamp with a striking graphical impact and an original shape, says Flos.
A new type of lamp that is naturally positioned in space with long cables, Aim provides maximum freedom to adjust the direction, height, and overall design of the light source. Poetic and cheerful, the Aim lamps adapt to the style of different settings with the ability to direct the light freely and adjust the height of the diffuser by sliding it up and down the suspension wire.
Composed of strong materials like polycarbonate and die-cast aluminum, Aim is available in black, white, and polished aluminum and utilizes a N°1 Multichip LED (2700K – 1250 Lumens – CR182 – 20W).
