Mellow mood

In the form of “Bellhop Glass” for Flos, Barber Osgerby have expanded the “Bellhop" Collection to include pendular luminaires and table lamps made of hand-blown opaline glass and aluminum. Edward Barber explains the idea to us.

7/4/2024

Why did you choose glass as your material?

Edward Barber: Back in 2018, we designed the “Bellhop” for the Parabol Restaurant at the Design Museum in London; it is a small table lamp that we have since advanced to create a series. The issue we tackled was how to create light that seems to rise up from the surface. The design was always a little playful, which is why we have now sat down with Flos and thought about what a “more sophisticated” version would look like. That includes the choice of materials, namely glass and metal. For “Bellhop Glass” we retained the silhouette but transformed it into something more spacious and refined. At the same time, we wanted to create a different kind of light, to transpose the precise line of the light in “Bellhop” onto a luminaire with a glass diffusor that exudes more generous light over a greater surface area.

You always start off with a sketch in your work, don’t you?

Edward Barber: Always.

So what part of the design for “Bellhop Glass” did you sketch first?

Edward Barber: The initial ideas went in a different direction – we had a pendant luminaire in mind and had therefore realized the “Bellhop” lampshade in a larger version. During a session at Flos we then experimented further with the shade, placed it on a tumbler, and thought about how it would look as a table lamp. That was when the experiment came about with countless objects and combinations of the various elements we had come up with by that point and liked. Sometimes, a design is simply the product of chance.

As a rule, do you agree through working on it what is important in when designing a new luminaire?

Edward Barber: We always have completely different ideas but at the end of the day we are usually in agreement. When developing the “Bellhop Glass” the discussion was more about details. Such as the cord, which hitherto ran from the bottom right of the base. After further discussion and experimentaion we moved it up. Now it creates the impression of a floating structure.

You trained in architecture and interior design. How does that influence your product design?

Edward Barber: We were students in the days before laptops, and therefore worked at a drawing board. We always started with a simple silhouette, a line. That still defines our work today. If you draw things as an architect, you start with an outline and then come up with the elevations. That’s still the way we draw things.

How do you want your designs to influence Flos?

Edward Barber: It’s very hard as designers to really make a mark on a brand like Flos as they are very experienced. Over time, many of their products have become icons. I would say that with the “Bellhop” collection and the “Tab table lamp” we’ve thus far realized two projects that are good fits for their portfolio.