• Ferran Freixa Nagoya Pendant Lamp
The Nagoya series consists of two hanging shades which are highlighted by their particular use of poplar wood in splints, a material which filters and spreads the light, subtly moulding and producing an aesthetic effect with echoes of the East and nature. The fine strips of poplar wood are woven together to create a framework which constitutes the raw material of the shade.

In the N4 they are interwoven as if to make a cloth, which takes on the form of a sunshade. The woven upper part of this framework is introduced into the circle of spun metal plate and connects to the cable which is covered in black cloth. None of the material interferes with the natural aspect of this hanging lamp, because the light bulb in the interior is hidden in a plastic cylinder treated with acid which uniformly absorbs and diffuses the light.

In the same pattern of poplar wood is the N3, different from its counterpart only in its classic drum shape, reinforced by two metal circles, which projects the light not only towards the floor but also towards the ceiling. This lamp won its author one of Delta de Oro ADI FAD Awards. Ferran Freixa is a complete pioneer, an enterprising designer who founded the company Best-Form, of which the Nagoya series was one of the best known productions. Poplar wood is used in the construction of these lamps.

A tree that grows along river banks, poplar yields a soft, white wood with few knots which should be cut before the arrival of autumn in order to preserve its whiteness, malleability and the fineness that makes it a great diffuser of light. The Nagoya series has something oriental, something Zen about it... perhaps in its treatment of light, perhaps for its subtle small pieces of wood. And its natural material, for its wise combination of opacity and luminescence which doesn't produce a brilliant intensity but rather a simple clarity, which gives it an aesthetic quality.

Design:
Ferran Freixa

Year:
1961

Manufacturer:
Santa & Cole