The standard lamp Nan18 marks a return to the principles of classical design, as employed by Achille Castiglioni in 1961 to create lamps for the legendary Splügen Bar in Milan, which subsequently found their way into public collections after the opening of the restaurant.
In this instance the impetus was provided by a specific project of the Meier/Leder team of architects from Baden. They commissioned the Swiss designers Jörg Boner and Christian Deuber to develop a lamp for their new building project, an institutional residential project which resulted from an architectural competition. These lamps were one of the central elements of the lighting project, and were developed solely for this object. Nan18 join the previously designed Nan17.
Due to the high aesthetic and technical demands the lamps were developed and constantly optimized over a two-year period. The formal starting point was a structure traditionally feared for its dust-covered textile lampshades: the pleat structure. Thanks to the integration of contemporary aesthetic and technical aspects a surprising contrast with a new quality was achieved. The lamps comprise individual tin slats, arranged circularly to create a conic lampshade, and they stand on a concrete base.
The emergent light is soft and atmospheric. It falls downwards as direct light through an opaque sheet of acrylic glass. Indirect light rises upwards towards the ceiling, whilst an atmospheric surround light emanates from the outer shell.
