Lighting that you could only imagine before

LED technology, processes and materials: trends today of the sector go in directions that were previously unthinkable.

Everything has changed in our life, even the light and the lighting fixtures that surround us. How are companies coping with the social distancing they are forced into and which deprives them of physical events? How are they using the new technologies available?
In the series of direct social media “Icone Talks”, the art director of Icons Giulio Cappellini and the journalist Andrea Calatroni spoke about it.

The latest trends in light

Giulio Cappellini. With your online magazine you have contacts with many companies in the lighting sector, do you think there are trends that are more visible than others at the moment?

Andrea Calatroni. Looking at the whole Italian and foreign panorama, I basically see three. The first is that of LED technology and flat, essential shapes, pulled to a minimum. Without large superstructures, very slender but still performing lamps can be made.
The second trend is that of warm finishes, although this is linked to the period we are experiencing, which is very complex, for which woods, bronzes, copper … These are all materials, compared to aluminum and glass, which are highly sought after today.
The third trend is the compositional freedom that technologies (such as 3D printing), processes (such as milling), and new materials allow to have.

Giulio Cappellini. The miniaturization of technology has greatly influenced design in general. In the past, ultra-flat or super-thin shapes could not be created because the lighting technology did not allow it.

The lost communicative power

How are companies moving in a landscape without physical events, without trade fairs?

Andrea Calatroni. With direct on Instagram and Zoom, trying to communicate as much as possible with the word or in any case with the story. But in our world, compared to others, as well as in that of furniture, it is fundamental to touch things, smanacciale them, touch the finishes, feel the porosity, also play with them, move them and understand how they work. So live video and online presentations are ok, but fairs are a cornerstone of our work because they allow us to touch and compare even the grain of the finish. It is only in presence that they can compare two similar objects, understand which is the most beautiful finish, which is more responsive to light and to the hand. So yes, companies are moving digitally but losing some of their communicative strength.

Lightness and movement

Giulio Cappellini. Let’s say we all really want to get back to reality.
Another interesting theme is that of movement: many furnishing objects are static, such as a table or a sofa; in lamps, not only in technical lighting but also in home lighting, movement is becoming another important element. There are lamps that work by overlapping or that change appearance, we can also find them in the Icons catalog. So there is really a very strong relationship between the lamp object and the user himself.

Do you think this is also a trend?
Andrea Calatroni. Yes, I can also think of some Icon lamps that have this characteristic, for example Caveau, or whose heads and arms are oriented according to the position or use made of them.

Today lamps are thin and light therefore also very manageable, easily movable. The various unplugged products come to mind, an incredible amount is being born, all companies have at least one or two in their catalog. They represent precisely the idea of carrying around the light, which until a few years ago seemed utopia.

Giulio Cappellini. Also Icone is moving in this direction. Having your own light on a restaurant table is something that creates an atmosphere, when we return to the premises we hope to be able to enjoy that light.

Follow Icone Talks on the IGTV of the Instagram channel @icone.luce

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