michele de lucchi: sfera for baccarat

‘sfera’ ceiling lamp by michele de lucchi

the ‘sfera’ collection by italian designer michele de lucchi for french crystal manufacturer baccarat transcends the elegant material at its very core. while paradoxically invisible, the details of each of the lamps are inescapable, the crystal bulbs simulatneously diffusing and receiving magnified light even as they diffract.

‘sfera’ resides in the alchemy of skilled layering. its design is influenced by the first injection of air a glassblower makes into a mass of molten glass, the spherical globe imprisoning and shielding within it a variation on the form of a baccarat decanter. switched on, the bulb dissolves inside the vessel as the contained becomes the containing, in a two-way exchange between matte and glossy finishes. as a ceiling, floor or table lamp, the shadows of ‘sfera’ mingle and produce a brilliantly defracted light.

‘only diamonds are able to make the brilliance of light brighter still by magnifying its splendour through its sparkling radiance, identical to a shaft of light. only crystal can achieve that same feat.’ – michele di lucchi

‘sfera’ small size ceiling lamp

double sided floor lamp, blown and beveled, handle and base in brushed nickel-plated brass

‘sfera’ table lamp

sketch of composition

‘sfera’ table lamp display

‘sfera’ collection at the ICFF image © designboom

first presented at baccarat highlights during the milan design week 2011, the ‘sfera’ collection was most recently on show at the ICFF international contemporary furniture fair 2011.

Michele De Lucchi from emencia on Vimeo.