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3rd February 2012
In 1921 Bernard-Albin GRAS designed a series of lamps for use in offices and in industrial environments. The GRAS lamp, as it was subsequently called, was astounding in its simple, robust and yet very ergonomic design. There are neither screws nor welded joints in the basic form.
In 1927 the Ravel Company purchased the patent and started production of the GRAS lamps. Bernard-Albin Gras was one of the most innovative designers of the 20th century. The functional aesthetic of his lamps and especially the design of details such as those of the arms, stems, brackets and bases were truly original and far ahead of his time. Early on Le Corbusier (pictured above left next to a Lampe Gras) was seduced by the modern design and user-friendliness of the lamps and became one of Bernard-Albin GRAS’s most enthusiastic supporters using the lamps in his own offices as well as employing them in numerous architectural projects all over the world. Others such as Robert Mallet-Stevens, Jacques Emile Ruhlmann and Eileen Gray followed this trend as well. Furthermore, such well-known artists as Sonia Delaunay and Georges Braque also used these lamps in their studios. For the first time in history, a lamp was equally popular in professional as well as in residential applications. Today, the GRAS lamp has become sought after a collector’s item all over the world, most notably in France, in the United States and in Japan. Bernard-Albin Gras’s talented and visionary design has proven to be timeless.
20 August, Tuesday 2011
Greta Magnusson Grossman (1906-1999), industrial, architectural, interior and product designer, was a woman ahead of her time and the architect of her own success; her design excellence was matched with a unique vision, supreme confidence and a will to succeed. Her Grasshopper floor lamp which is available now in most colours (anthracite and blue-grey will arrive shortly) is without doubt the most exciting item of new stock that we have bought since opening our business back in 1999.
Born in Stockholm in 1906, Grossman broke through gender barriers to win a scholarship to the renowned Stockholm arts institution, Konstfack, where she mastered the skill of technical drawing before embarking on a prolific 40-year career. Subsequently, in 1933, Grossman was the first woman ever to receive a furniture design award from the Stockholm Craft Association. When, in the same year, she opened Studio, a studio/workshop in central Stockholm, Grossman was singularly successful in a field in which women had traditionally been excluded.
A modernist through and through, Grossman believed that design should offer a relevant and interactive backdrop to daily activities. When Grossman, emigrated with her husband to the United States in 1940, her unique approach to Swedish modernism was an instant hit with the Los Angeles glitterati, particularly single, professional women who felt that Grossman designed with their needs and sensibilities in mind. The store she established on the prestigious Rodeo Drive, where she showcased the furniture and home accessories she designed, attracted celebrity clients, including Greta Garbo, Joan Fontaine and Gracie Allen.
Grossman established a one-woman architecture office and during the 50’s designed at least 14 homes in Los Angeles. She was inspired by the challenge of designing a home in an elevated location with a modest footprint on a so-called ‘problem lot’ - a scheme that was granted certain tax advantages at that time. Grossman’s houses were typically simple, rectilinear board and batten structures, perched on stilts with sliding internal and external walls of glass. The interiors featured convertible kitchens with drop-leaf counters and tabletops, built-in shelving and customised details. Grossman’s functional, distinctive, modernist houses were quite unique and appealed to progressive clients working in the arts, medicine and technology. Many were successful women who welcomed Grossman into their world.
In the course of her career Grossman designed for many companies but production runs were exceptionally small - often less than 200 pieces were made and original samples are scarce. Glenn of California, who produced some of Grossman’s most sophisticated furniture designs, characterised by asymmetric lines and unusual combination of wood, metal and plastic, had fewer than ten employees; Ralph O. Smith, who’s business catered almost exclusively to the production of Grossman’s lamps, employed just two machinists. The Grasshopper lamps, re-launched this spring by Gubi, have been lauded by the press and made Grossman’s name famous again. Today her work is highly collectible; an original Grasshopper lamp recently commanded £10,000 at auction.
19 July, Tuesday 2011
It is now one full week since our new website went live. This is the culmination of six months work which in hindsight seems to have been fairly problem free but if I am honest I did loose my cool on more than one occasion. It has been down to me to resize each and every table light picture, each floor light dimension drawing and link each light bulb to each product etc. This has been no mean task and my self taught Photoshop skills are, I am pleased to say, improving. I really have no idea how IT professionals spend an entire day in front of a computer screen without going blind.
I have spent the past months begging suppliers for good quality pictures and where they don’t exist I have been taking lights home to take pictures in my house so that they can be shown in a domestic setting. There is a very good picture of my kitchen (which I took on my phone) onto which we have added the Cobb rise and fall and also the Titan pendant (both from Original BTC). I think my favourite picture is the Anglepoise original 1227 in black next to my bed, or perhaps the AJ floor lamp by Louis Poulsen next to an old Aalto stool in my sitting room. I am now running out of locations as my home is quite small so I shall have to start calling in favours from friends and family.
I am very pleased with the new website and I hope that customers will also be impressed. The main reason for the update is functionality. Our old site was two years old now and things have moved on. The new site is now fully integrated with our shop EPOS stock control system which makes our life much easier and hopefully will make the buying process much easier for customers. The check out is vastly improved with the added bonus of an address look-up function and in general the whole shopping experience is much simpler and faster – far less clicking between entering the site and completing a purchase. Any comments would be gratefully received as each time I log on I notice another typo or spelling mistake. I guess that the nature of the beast is that a website is always a work in progress and is never actually finished (or at least that is what I tell myself to stop myself from going mad). Happy shopping to one and all.
27 January, Thursday 2011
Last year the modern design icon Bestlite celebrated its 80th year in continuous production.
Heavily influenced by the Bauhaus philosophy, Robert Dudley Best designed the Bestlite collection while studying industrial design in Düsseldorf in Germany. Upon his return to Britain in 1930, Bestlite was put into production by the manufacturer Best & Lloyd in Birmingham. Over the years Bestlite has grown in importance, and is today a true part of Bauhaus history.
Geoffrey Harris Lighting has now added these two products to our floor light selection.
17 November, Wednesday 2010
The Semi pendant was designed in 1967 by the two young Danish architects, Claus Bonderup and Torsten Thorup. The Semi won the first prize in an industrial competition at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of Architecture. Following early difficulties in convincing any manufacturer to produce the lamp it went on to outsell the Jacobsen Ant chair which up until then had been the best selling Danish design product.
Claus and Torsten designed the Semi lamp at a time when they were greatly inspired by geometric shapes such as circles, triangles and rectangles. The pendant is therefore shaped like two quarter circles put together - hence the name Semi.
The innovative Danish design manufacturer Gubi obtained the rights to reproduce the Semi in 2010 and we are thrilled to add these covetable fittings to our range of pendant lights.
07 October, Thursday 2010
La Pedrera lamps were designed by the Spanish architect Barba Corsini in 1955 when he was commissioned to redesign the un-used attic space of the Casa Mila, one of Antoni Gaudi's famous houses in Barcelona.
La Pedrera, (which means 'stone quarry') was a nickname given to Gaudi's castle like building in Barcelona. Corsini was asked to turn the loft space into thirteen apartments. Part of the project included the design of furniture and a floor lamp. During the renovation of these apartments in 1990, the architect Joaquim Ruiz Millet discovered the floor lamp and agreed with Corsini to relaunch them. In collaboration they also designed a matching table and pendant lamp which is called H20 after the gallery at the Casa Mila.
The black and white pictures above show the floor lamp in one of the original apartments.
We are very pleased to add these superb products to our range of lighting from Gubi in Copenhagen.
05 March, Friday 2010
We are pleased to now offer the Como range of IP44 rated bathroom spot lights from Astro lighting. Available in a triple on a round ceiling plate or a rectangular bar and also as a single spot. Como is finished in bright shiny chrome to match your taps and each spot uses a 35W GU10 mains voltage reflector which come supplied with the fittings.
Along with the the Como we now also have the Idaho which make a nice change from the ever popular Roma and also has the Denver ceiling light to match. The Cube works very well around a bathroom mirror in twos and threes like theatre make up lights, and finally the Padova which is an excellent incandescent alternative to a conventional fluorescent strip above a mirror.
21 October, Wednesday 2009
The Dokka pendant was designed by the designer Birgar Dahl in 1954.
Dokka was the first Norwegian lamp ever to be awarded the highly regarded Golden Medal at the Milan Triennale.
It was originally produced for many years by the Norwegian Electricity Company Sönnico (Oslo) until their lighting production ceased. As this fitting is a very well know and much loved product in Norway, Northern Lighting sought consent to relaunch Dokka to its original specifications in 2007. It is available in four colourways, black, white, brown and chrome. The brown has a rusty brown inside the refector - all the others are white inside.
Dokka is a small pendant with a high degree of design detail making it something very special.
Dokka is also supplied with a hemispherical metal ceiling rose which matches the shade colour.
20 June, Saturday 2009
As the sun is now shining and summer is upon us, we have begun to stock the Tolomeo Micro Pinza clip-on from Artemide in the following colours - red, turquoise, yellow, bronze, orange, green and blue to brighten up our shop and your home.
The Micro Pinza is ideal on a shelf in the kitchen or the study as a reading lamp. It is also particularly suitable in children's bedrooms clipped onto a bunk bed with a low energy light bulb (very low heat output).
The Micro Pinza is part of the classic Tolomeo range designed by Michele De Lucchi in 1987. The clamp is very sturdy with rubber grips which work well on a flat surface or a pole. The reflector rotates through 360 degrees making it very flexible.
20 April, Monday 2009
Retailers News Bulletin Produced by The Lighting Association - January 2009
Incandescent Bulb Phase out
As you may know the incandescent light bulb is being phased out over the next few years under a voluntary agreement between major retailers, the lighting industry and UK Government. The 150W phase out began in January 2008 followed this month with the 100W.
There has been a great deal of press activity during January this year initiated by a front page headline in the Daily Express on Wednesday 7th January. The article was full of misleading facts which has led to a flurry of similar articles and many TV and radio pieces.
In order to better inform our customers the following is a breakdown of the facts surrounding both the UK voluntary phase out and the forthcoming EU legislation. This information comes from The Lighting Association.
UK Voluntary Phase out
As the title says this is a voluntary phase out and is NOT law. The phase out is backed by the British Retail Consortium, The Lighting Association, The Energy Saving Trust, Energy Retail Association and DEFRA. The aim is to save up to 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2012 from UK electricity generation-the equivalent to the carbon emissions of a typical 1 Giga Watt coal fired power station.
Most major retailers have signed up to discontinue stocking incandescent lamps in a timed phase out as follows:
NB 'GLS A-shaped incandescent bulb' means 'ordinary pearl light bulb' in plain English.
European Union Phase out
Over the past year The Lighting Association has been heavily involved in discussions with both the UK Government and the European Commission concerning a forthcoming piece of EU legislation which will bring about a LEGAL BAN of incandescent light bulbs under the Energy Using Products (EUP) Directive.
Initially the EU wanted to ban just about everything except compact fluorescent lamps. The Lighting Association has fought hard to argue that domestic light fittings need a variety of different lamps and that clear filament lamps are the only option for certain types of luminaire such as crystal chandeliers. After months of lobbying the draft implementing measure was passed in early December 2008 for the EU Parliament to vote on in the Spring of 2009. The result was a relatively positive one in so far as clear filament lamps will remain for a while and energy efficient halogen lamps are safe at least until 2016 (we expect LEDs to have made strong in-roads into the market by then).
It must be stressed that, at the time of writing, this EU law is still a draft and will not become law until the EU Parliament vote in the spring. It is very unusual for a measure to get this far and then be voted out so we fully expect this to become law by April 2009.
A brief summary of the proposed EU ban is as follows:
As it stands G9 and R7s linear halogen will remain but these are likely to be addressed under the next part of the legislation late in 2009. There is also an exclusion for special purpose lamps such as those used in domestic appliances.
More information on the next part of the legislation which will cover reflector lamps and luminaires will follow when we have it.
Neither The Lighting Association or any person acting on its behalf a )make any warranty or representation, expressed or implied with respect to the information contained herein; or b) assumes any reliability with respect to the use of, or damages from the use of this information.
Not to be copied without the consent of The Lighting Association.
17 April, Friday 2009
George Nelson (1908-1986) was, together with Charles and Ray Eames, one of the founding fathers of American modernism.
George Nelson was born in Hartford Connecticut in 1908. He died in New York City in 1986.
George Nelson created the 'Bubble Lamp'" range for Howard Miller in 1947. Howard Miller continued to sell the line until 1979 after which they were discontinued. George Nelson never named the different lamp designs and they were simply given numbers by Howard Miller. A large Saucer lamp was simply sold under 'Bubble Lamp H-727', a large Ball lamp was sold under 'Bubble Lamp H-725'.
Howard Miller did not sell the lamps directly, rather outsourced the sales to 'Richards Morgenthau, Inc' who handled their national sales. In the 1990's Modernica reissued the "Bubble Lamp" line and "named" each individual Bubble Lamp design, for example Saucer, Ball, Cigar, etc. The image on the top right was created by George Nelson Associates and was printed on most sales brochures of the Bubble lamps.
Modernica has reissued the Nelson Bubble Lamps to the original specifications using the original Howard Miller tooling.
The Bubble Lamp is featured in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Geoffrey Harris is pleased to add these iconic symbols of 1950's America to his range of pendant lights.
22 March, Sunday 2009
At Geoffrey Harris, we are thrilled to be celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the first 1227 Anglepoise® lamp. To mark this occasion we are now stocking the original lamp. This product is featured on a Royal Mail stamp issued on 13th January, celebrating ten British Design Classics such as the Mini, Concorde, the Routemaster bus, and the Underground map.
The Terry family have been continually producing Anglepoise® lamps since they were invented in 1932 by George Carwardine. In 1934 the refined three spring version was introduced and subsequently its form and function have become iconic benchmarks. When it was launched the world had never seen anything quite like it, and this particular design inspired generations of users including The Queen, Roald Dahl and Lloyd George. In its journey it has come to represent something quintessentially British.
The Original 1227 is made of aluminium with a cast iron base, and is available in four colours: red, black, blue and ivory. It has been adapted to meet worldwide electrical safety standards; and in the spirit of our times, it is supplied with an energy saving light bulb. But traditionalists can adjust it to balance an ordinary 60 Watt light bulb, if desired.
Geoffrey Harris Lighting Ltd,
537 Battersea Park Road,
London, SW11 3BL
