Design
Konstantin Grcic
From the Noctambule Collection.
Image courtesy of: Interior Zine, photographed by: Santi Caleca
Not your typical lighting designer, Konstantin Grcic is a German industrial designer who creates furniture, household products, clothing, and now lighting. He is described as having a pared-down aesthetic; his functional pieces are often characterized by geometric shapes and unexpected angles.
When in high school, Grcic worked for an antique furniture resorter… a natural progression since he loved to “build things” as a young boy. His high school job lead to an apprenticeship with a cabinet maker where he realized that more than building, he enjoyed designing. Grcic went to the Royal College or Art in London and studied furniture design… the rest is history.
Grcic with a pendant from the Noctambule Collection.
Image courtesy of: Flos
Grcic’s work is well-known for the logical thought process that it is influenced by, as well as for using the best materials and having a respect for the production process. As such, his clients include Iittala, Flos, and Krups.
With so many different avenues that he continues to explore, Grcic knows that he is extremely lucky to be doing something that he loves so much. He hopes that he can inspire young designers to realize their good fortunes. He says (courtesy of Interior Zine), “It’s hard work, serious work. You have to think not only about the object you’re designing, but everything else about it, from how it will be produced to who will be using it, to what happens to it after it goes through its life cycle. So designing is big responsibility. And I believe you can only do it well if you truly enjoy it.”
His work is known for its logical thought process, honesty of materials and respect for production methods, and his client list reads like a who’s who in both furniture and household goods: Authentics, Flos, Iittala, Krups, Lamy, Magis, Moroso, Muji, Plank and Vitra, among others.
From the Noctambule Collection.
Image courtesy of: Interior Zine, photographed by: Santi Caleca
The new collection, Noctambule, is a poetic assemblage of blown glass lamps and lights. The large-scale sculptural lighting is made of cylindrical see-through glass modules that can be interconnected to create floor and pendant lamps. The pieces are “enriched” by either a cone-shaped head or a glass bowl. Specific pieces can be joined together for up to six elements in order to create a “lighting column.”
Konstantin Grcic describing his Noctambule Collection
The light is nearly invisible during the day; however once nighttime hits, it becomes “active.” Using transparent glass elements, the light’s shape is outlined in the dark by the LED stripe hosted at the modules’ bases and connecting rings.
There is a pedal dimmer located on the power cable that allows the light intensity to variate from 10% to 100%. Grcic also invented a way for the LED technology to power the lamps by discreetly integrating the elements into the glass parts.
One of the glass-blowers at work!
Image courtesy of: Damn Magazine
The lamps have been described as both poetic in appearance and high-tech in function. It is the transparency of the glass-blown cylinders that becomes visible when the LED rings are lit that makes the lamps “see-able.” By combining the handmade crafted shapes with the newest technology available, the individual modules can be stacked and diffused to different tones of light.
The name, “Noctambule” means “the night owl” in French; however Grcic stresses that there is another meaning to the word which is “the reveler.” Specifically, that refers to the “creatures that comes to life at night”… for this collection, that is an entirely appropriate name!
