For many years now, I have had an obsession with glass and light. Lighting as such then became more of an obsession when working with David Trubridge in the early days of his expansion off shore, travelling around the world with lights packed in every corner of our suitcases, assembling, dis-assembling, top and tailing NZ style on the floors of other Kiwis who offered their home to us. Ex Pat Kiwis seeing just how ambitious our goal of taking NZ Design to the world was!

Zona Tortona in Milan with Katie Brown Whisper Lights, 2008

Many years after that, the passion for lighting continued, and I guest lectured at AUT with 3rd year product design students for a semester, resulting in them responding to a brief to create a light relecting New Zealand and the core values of my then company, essenze. Below are some of the examples, of which a couple went into production.

Many years later, a child and a GFC and now in the beautiful Matakana, it allows for this conversation to continue: light with materials that delicate and manipulated by hand to play with light. Ambient lighting is one of the most important aspects of creating an atmosphere in a home - away from the obligatory downlight that allows for sterile room lighting, mood lights enhance the system to wind down, relax, recharge and take in the surrounding in a new ‘light’!

View here how a select number of artists responded to our brief to enjoy the topic of light. See what some of our artists have come up with here.

Posted by Clare.

Light & Bright