KERFLIGHTS
LINE Graypants
DISCIPLINE lighting
YEAR 2017
ROLE ideation, concept development, prototyping, design for manufacturing, aesthetics and CMF, project management
ELEMENTS interchangeable shade, modular, tool-free assembly
MATERIALS steel wire (CNC formed, spot welded, powder coated), birch plywood (laser cut, finished), acrylic (laser cut)
OBJECTIVES
Develop a new line of UL listed light fixtures.
Introduce an entirely new material palette that adds depth to the company’s offerings.
Offer this line of lights at a price point that is more accessible than the company’s existing lines.
INSPIRATION
The inspiration for this light fixture came from an experimental lighting design that featured a flat panel of corrugate, sliced to allow it to stretch around a frame and create an accordion-like shade.
A bent steel wire frame gave each fixture structure and its unique form.
Dozens of materials - including leather, felt, and wood veneer - were tested with various cut patterns. Few materials offered the necessary flexibility and rigidity.
DEVELOPMENT
The modular shade panel was the core concept. A single wood panel, applied in varying quantities on different wire frames, was used to construct the shades of all seven fixtures. The fixtures used between two and nine panels each. This modular concept required fewer unique parts to be manufactured, simplifying production and reducing costs.
The key to this modular panel was finding the right materials. After extensive testing, it was determined that certain wood had the physical properties necessary for this shade to work. Maintaining form, offering flexibility, and creating tension were critical. The wire frame provided structure and maintained a slight profile that did not interfere with the light.
Bent wire production allowed for controlled, repeatable, and economic manufacturing.
Stretching the panel to fit onto the pegs creates tension, which is the only force needed to secure the panel to the wire frame.
RESULTS
This line was launched as a series of five fixtures; two table lamps, two pendants, and a wall sconce. A year after the initial release, two drum pendants were introduced.
This line utilized powder coated bent steel wire and laser-cut wood panels for the first time in the company’s history.
Because of the materials and manufacturing methods, this product line launched with a retail price that was 40-60% less than similarly sized models from the company’s previous line, creating a new presence in the market.