Suzanne Lovell Inc

Design

OVUUD Lighting

Filed under: BENJAMIN GILLESPIE Design Lighting OVUUD

“Invert,” made from white oak.
A dual light-faced free-form pendant made entirely from wood and featuring a high-output dimmable LED. Each major face features opposite facing light channels in order to create a blanketed glow that is a perfect compliment to the free-form curve. An even distribution of light is the end result of the perfectly proportioned curve. The LED itself is hidden in order to present a seamless product and the back-lit LED channels create a glow that beautifully highlights the wooden surface.
Image courtesy of: Gramho

OVUUD was formed out of a desire to keep lighting design simple… yet interesting. The Philadelphia-based company provides custom lighting made from natural materials and cutting edge lighting technology. Each piece is hand-crafted from locally sourced wood which includes oak, ash, and walnut.

The East Coast luminary specializes in lighting with an architectural flair. Part of this probably came organically via the classes Benjamin Gillespie was required to take for his engineering major at Drexel University. Interestingly though, as a furniture builder and designer, he has had zero formal training. About his passion, Gillespie said, “I’ve been building furniture since I was a teenager. My father is incredibly handy and he always had tools around the house. Teaching yourself, you just kind of get better at it.”

“Mobius”
The continous shape evenly distributes LED light to the entire space. As a loop, the light spans completely uninterrupted. Like many of OVUUD’s pieces, Mobius was formed by a technique called “freeform bent lamination” allowing for twists within the loop. The final result, the ultimate shape, is the resulting balance between the curve and the woods’ physical limitations.
Image courtesy of: Imagined for Uncertain Times

Gillespie is not your typical lighting designer. The full-time patent attorney set up a shop for his “side gig” six years ago. Having a creative outlet is something that Gillespie has to “make time for.” Some weekends, he spends up to 14 hours a day in the studio. There are days when he wakes up at 3 AM in order to work at the shop for a few hours before heading to his “office job”. And other days, he takes a two-hour midday break in order get some work done on his projects. It is certainly a taxing schedule, day-in and day-out; but it seems to be working for Gillespie!

OVUUD’s exhibition at the 2019 WantedDesign show in Manhattan.
Image courtesy of; OVUUD

Gillespie says his designs are Scandinavian-inspired with a minimalist aesthetic. The designer also makes furniture such as chairs and tables; but his focus is on lighting. It’s the new technology that came along with LED-based lighting which spurred Gillespie’s interest. As an engineer, he is well versed in all the different technologies available today. Quickly, he realized that not many people were designing LED-based lighting that were Scandinavian and mid-century in style.

“Shear”- a minimalist wooden column LED lamp.
Floor lamp made from ash wood, formed from a solid wooden dowel sheared into a mirrored-configuration. The dimmable LED lighting element has a color temperature of 3000k and rated for 50,000 hours. It is hidden into the shear, creating a warm glow.
Image courtesy of: Charish

Evolving from the desire to keep design both simple and interesting; it is the painstaking attention to layout that makes OVUUD unique. The visual effect is always striking!

Each and every piece that comes out of OVUUD’s shop is handcrafted, one-at-a-time. The finest sustainable hardwood, ceramics, fabrics, and metals are used to bring a distinct personality to each piece. With a strong believe in customization; OVUUD’s custom-design services provide the ability to choose exactly what each client desires.

Standing inside… Gillespie reviewing his magic!
Image courtesy of: KYW News Radio

Gillespie says, “A traditional lamp you think of is a bulb and shade emitting a glow 360 degrees all around you. The shade is the primary focus. What I am doing is the lamp itself is actually what is illuminated, not the separate shade element.”

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