10 questions for Cutu Mazuelos of Stone Designs

10 questions for innermost’s contemporary lighting designers:
Cutu Mazuelos of Stone Designs

In September 1995, designers Cutu Mazuelos and Eva Prego decided to start their own studio, to tell stories from their perspectives and without censorship. Stone Designs began with interior designs, stands and displays, for companies with which they truly feel an affinity. We love how their connection with nature and taste for simplicity pours out when they approach each new project.

We spoke to Cutu of Stone Designs to find out a little more about their inspirations, experiences and recent projects with our big 10 questions…

1. You’ve designed a number of pendant lights for Innermost. Nice one! Which is your favourite design and what inspired you?
My favorite collection for innermost is always the last one!! 😉 but considering the two we have, I think Matrioshkais our favorite. It’s inspired in the traditional Russian dolls and it was a great challenge to find the way of manufacturing the three molds that it needs, offering a great quality but not expensive. Finally Steve and James found the perfect manufacturer in Europe making our dream came true.

2. Who would you invite to your dream designer dinner party? (Let’s call it your ‘innerparty’..)
The hilarious team of innermost!!! Steve, James and why not Russell as well!! hahahahahaha

3. What is your favourite piece of architecture?
No doubt La Alhambra in Granada. The calm and peace you can breath and feel is extraordinary. how the the arabs transformed the water in poetry though the buildings is one of the best examples of how to make architecture.

4. What would you name as the most useful piece of tech? Or alternatively the most pointless..?
I definitely think LED has changed not just the lightning industry, but the whole world of interiors, creating atmospheres that was impossible just a few years ago.

5. If you could take any found object and make it into a lamp, what would it be?
No doubt the moon!!

6. What’s your favourite object from childhood?
My bike. It means freedom and represents all my dreams and wishes. My bike is still the object that makes me more happy.

7. What’s the funniest or weirdest thing a client has ever asked for or said in a meeting?
I can write a book about human stupidity. But recently a Russian client that we were doing a hotel project for him, told me how to make it more “Russian style” telling me as an example; why don’t we hang on the walls some Kalashnikofvs or AK47!!! That will be definitely very “Russian Style”

8. At innermost we are big fans of the Negroni.. What’s your favourite cocktail?
San francisco, why? Because I don’t drink alcohol but I love that shit.

9. What’s the last thing you designed?
Recently, we are doing two beautiful sculptures for a super iconic places in Tokyo. It is a project that really make us feel super proud for choosing us for such and amazing project.

10. If you could choose your teachers at Fantasy College – who would you choose to be taught by?
The Eames, Eero Saarinen and Castiglioni.

 

Thanks for your hilarious answers Cutu! Find out what else Stone Designs have been up to here.

10 questions for innermost’s contemporary lighting designers: Matt Pepper of EOQ Design

EOQ is rooted in a spirit of enquiry and industrial adventure, using classic design principles with a new and constantly evolving vocabulary. They deliver perfectly engineered pieces with sublime, sleek finishes. The initial collections were made under the design direction of Michael Young, one of the generation’s most influential British designers, and the company continues to be driven by brand director, Matt Pepper. We caught up with Matt to find out what he’s been working on with our 10 big questions…

1. We adore the EOQ range, seriously beautiful pieces that look amazing in the flesh. What inspired the first collections?
As with many ideas the inspiration came by accident when working with an aluminium supplier and asking for samples of anodising finishes – they sent them over using small heat sinks as the smallest item to hand and it sparked the idea that eventually became our lighting range.

2. Who would you invite to your dream designer dinner party? (Let’s call it your ‘innerparty</strong’..)
All those ego’s around one table? More of a nightmare I would imagine….

3. What is your favourite piece of architecture?
Impossible to have a favourite but I’ve been recently reminded of the way both the Hawksmoor Church in Spitalfields and the Gridiron Building in NY can take your breath away at the right moment.

4. What would you name as the most useful piece of tech? Or alternatively the most pointless..?
Bad person to ask – still using my 20yr old hi-fi and marvelling at the wonder of my Kindle!

5. If you could take any found object and make it into a lamp, what would it be?
I’ll know when I find it I guess….

6. What’s your favourite object from childhood?
I have a fork that belonged to my grandmother and can remember using at her house. Somehow I’ve managed not to lose it along the way and at some point it became the only fork I’ll use to mix tuna mayonnaise.

7. What’s the funniest or weirdest thing a client has ever asked for or said in a meeting?
“Probably asking if one our team was asleep. He was.”

8. At innermost we are big fans of the Negroni.. What’s your favourite cocktail?
More of a beer fan but have a soft spot for a well made Caipirinha

9. What’s the last thing you designed or exciting project you worked on?
I’m currently working with a designer on a new product for EOQ next year but in terms of exciting projects I think the project that I found most exciting and surprising this year was working with the UK government to provide lighting for the GREAT Festival of Innovation held here in HK. It was pulled together last minute but was a wonderful reminder of how much the EOQ products can lift an environment.

10. If you could choose your teachers at Fantasy College – who would you choose to be taught by?
Georgina Godley, Marcus Wareing, Matthew Hilton and David Collins

 

Co-Working Environments And The Importance Of Quality, Contemporary Lighting

Co-working is not only redefining the way people work, but the way offices are designed. This smart, shared workplace revolution is taking place worldwide and has lead to new demand for innovative and contemporary lighting solutions. As co-working spaces increase in popularity, so does demand for lighting that is beautifully considered and works within multipurpose, adaptable spaces.

Co-working spaces often consist of multiple modular areas and different set-ups for various work and break-out spaces. It is no longer a case of choosing just one type of fitting to light an office, but designers must mix a number of modern lighting styles to highlight a variety of social spaces.

Contemporary co-working spaces must create a balance between an impression of homeliness and professionalism. Lighting is a major component when it comes to workspace design. From computer desks to meeting rooms or ‘chill-out spaces’, lighting can help or hinder when setting the right tone and ambiance of a space.

Colours play a key role in defining space illumination, and bright colours can help create a sense of increased lighting and better amplitude.

In this Coca-Cola office, colourful Snowdrop lights have been used to bring colour and interest to the jolly canteen. The selected innermost products reflect the fun and vibrancy of the interior at the offices in Madrid.https://www.innermost.net/projects/snowdrop-by-stone-designs-at-coca-cola-spain/

Co-working spaces require areas of privacy and quiet, and a booth, like the one used in the Coca-Cola office, provides the desired comfort level for smaller meetings or independent work. Such spaces enable a level of privacy and comfort away from the desk, which helps to improve concentration while not feeling shut off from the rest of the office. Glaze has been used to beautiful effect within the retro-style booths- softly lighting the space and bringing a combination of textures for a stylish finish.As experts in office design and smart workspace transformations, Peldon Rose have styled numerous beautiful & efficient co-working spaces. With their ethos to transform office design for the benefit of people and business, they create offices that reflect the unique identity of each company. They recently used Innermost lighting pendants in their refurbishment of the Pret a Manger head office, featuring a mixture of classic pendants as well as bespoke pieces produced by innermost.https://www.innermost.net/projects/pret-a-manger/

Clusters of beautiful Circus were used in white throughout the space, and Jeeves pendants brought personality to the interior.  From the striking use of standard innermost products to the bespoke illuminated coffee cups, this project speaks of the creativity and quality behind the Pret a Manger brand, with thoughtful illumination.

This converted warehouse space in East London gives an industrial backdrop to the simultaneously playful and functional Gable, used in red. The huge windows and concrete floor of this minimal office are accented by five of the long LED task-lights, suspended from the high ceiling. Gable brings a burst of colour and a welcome alternative to the nasty fluorescent strips of traditional office lighting.https://www.innermost.net/projects/studio-office/

To create a balance, it is important to have areas designed specifically with low lighting to encourage relaxation and create a calming space. In this LinkedIn office in New York, the Jeeves Wall brings British charm and gentle illumination to the dark walls of this breakout area.https://www.innermost.net/projects/linkedin-new-york-office/

Another amazing space that has been tastefully transformed by Peldon Rose is the new Moo office in Farringdon. Although it is not a co-working space, they have adapted many of the same design devices to create an office that is fully flexible, comfortable and approachable. From the sofas & classic furniture used, to the Circus pendants which hang over their meeting area, each design choice has been made with domestic comfort in mind.

http://www.lapsefilm.com/#portfolio

The co-working environment has inspired a new way of designing office space, not just for shared office buildings but for many companies looking to embrace the ethos of contemporary workplaces with a strong company culture. To create a place that supports and encourages innovation, offices need to balance private and communal spaces, by using thoughtful domestic styling. Within these spaces the selection of good quality lighting is essential, adding to an environment of productivity and well-being.

How to Use Contemporary Pendant Lights in Inspiring Retail Spaces

Retail lighting can be tricky to spec but by using the right decorative lighting, you truly can transform a store and bring a whole new image to the interior. Lighting does not only create the right inviting environment for customers but can save energy, spotlight best-selling products and make a dynamic impact in store.

With the long opening hours, energy efficiency is an important consideration, as well as the ability to easily adjust, dim or monitor your lighting. The use of Bluetooth control can be a huge benefit in a retail environment, offering an easy way to lower output as well as make lighting fit the changing atmosphere and mood. For example, our products can be integrated with Casambi Bluetooth control system which offers ease of installation and optimal functionality with minimal additional hardware and deployment costs. The user interface is made in a way that anyone can operate it, via tablets, iPhones or switches, so it’s a great choice for inside a retail environment where multiple staff need to access the lighting control.

Modern lighting can transform a space – it is more than just considering ambient lighting, but also how spot-lighting and directional lights can draw customers to the key areas of a store. By selecting contemporary designer lights that provide beautiful lighting, you are also investing in the longevity of the installation since they can be integrated with the latest technology and updated with changes in lighting trends.

Contemporary Ceiling Lights can be used in so many ways to excellent effect, and we have selected some of our favorite retail projects to inspire and guide you.

Isetan department store, Tokyo, Japan

We love this recent installation inside Isetan, a high end department store in Tokyo, where multiple white Stupa create a bright and luxurious display. By keeping the colors monochrome, but using a mixture of the 2 sizes of Stupa, the effect is sophisticated yet dynamic. Beauty departments stores demand bright lighting

Furla, London, UK

The reflections of the Facet Chandelier in this Regent Street Store bounce around the polished metal shelving and coving highlights to compliment the design and product. Here a singular chandelier creates a great impact – in a store where less is more and all items on display are minimal and exude luxury. The highly reflective chandelier looks contemporary and smart as a centerpiece.

Metro Department Store, Singapore

Beads & Bubble have been used in copper tones through the Metro department store in Singapore to highlight the product displays. The highly reflective pendants contribute to the glamorous feel of this high-end store.

Mint Velvet, Guildford, UK

The Circus pendant lights have been installed in multiple venues in the UK but Mint Velvet achieve a beautiful installation using a huge cluster of the grey and black pendants in all 3 sizes. This installation makes a fantastic decorative display in the window of this fashion & interior store.

Gift shop, Barcelona, Spain

The candy colored lamps bring the playfulness to this gift shop in Barcelona. A great example of a retail store that is using lighting as playful interior decor – the pendants hang low and are very much a part of the retail environment.

Morgan Furniture showroom, London, UK

Latitude has been used to fantastic effect, hanging at various lengths in this lively furniture showroom in central London, UK. Morgan, who manufacture ‘truly original, high-quality furniture’, have mixed the red, white and black pendant spotlights, all facing different directions, along two sets of tracking. The result is an exciting and playful ceiling light display which serves to highlight and compliment Morgan’s assorted furniture collection.

Harvey Nichols department store, UK

Using lighting to add a feature and personality to a store can be extremely effect. These Jeeves Pendants were given special silver reflectors to add light above these Mannequins, while adding extra character to the display.

10 questions for innermost’s contemporary lighting designers: Ben McCarthy

Born and raised in Sydney, Ben graduated Industrial Design from UNSW before moving to the UK where he worked in the Tom Dixon studio. In 2007 he relocated to Hong Kong, where he continues to work in the office of Michael Young (design legend). Over the years Ben’s designs have attracted several awards and grants. He also has an impressive array of woodworking skills and we tracked him down to ask 10 big questions…

 

1. You designed the Lateralis table light for Innermost. Nice one! What inspired you?
Initially the project was about materiality. I chose three materials, from three continents, the glass was handmade in Switzerland, the metal from a CNC machine in China and the base is Australian hardwood. Independently they are all useless shapes but they fit together using only gravity. We streamlined the supply chain for production, but essentially, it was materials and processes that inspired this project.

2. Who would you invite to your dream designer dinner party? (Let’s call it your ‘innerparty’.)
Over the years I’ve worked with some great designers who are now scattered all over the world, my ‘innerparty’ would probably be made up of friends who I don’t see very often.

3. What is your favourite piece of architecture?
I don’t have terribly strong feelings towards architecture but I was thinking about Jardine House on the Hong Kong harbourfront recently. It is sometimes nicknamed ‘the building of 1000 assholes’ on account of its round windows. Compared to its neighbours these days it seems quite small and unassuming, but when it was built, it was the tallest building in the skyline, and I can imagine the round structural windows, with open plan interior would have really blown peoples hair back in 1972.

4. What would you name as the most useful piece of tech? Or alternatively the most pointless..?
GPS running watches – the tech gets better every year.
On the other side of the scale – I’ve never had much luck with 3D printing.  I suppose the technology is evolving, and we’re yet to see the best of 3D printing, but if you believed the hype five or ten years ago, you’d be disappointed that we are not printing shoes and food at home yet.

5. If you could take any found object and make it into a lamp, what would it be?
God knows… As a student I once contacted a barber shop to collect human hair for a project, so nothing is off limits.

6. What’s your favourite object from childhood?
I have a small wooden spirit level my grandfather made by hand, which lived in Dad’s workshop, and now in mine. He was a die cast tool maker, and also made may of his own hand tools. It’s a beautiful object, plus his name was Bob, so the initials carved into it, are the same as mine.

7. What’s the funniest or weirdest thing a client has ever asked for or said in a meeting?
The funniest thing is always the budget and the timeframe. honk.

8. At innermost we are big fans of the Negroni.. What’s your favourite cocktail?
I’m a classic Chuck Taylor, Eames chair, SM-58 kinda guy, so I like a stiff G&T (with extremely mid-range gin).  That’s about as cocktail as i get.

9. What’s the last thing you designed?
I was recently working on a hobby project with Innermost’s own James Bartlett. We built a few machines as an art installation for a music festival. My favourite was a machine with a big red button, which simply counts the number of times its been pressed, from 100 down to zero. When it reaches zero, a small automated finger comes out of a box, and hits the reset button on the counter. Its whole purpose is to reset itself. We called it counter-productive. In today’s busy world there is nothing more satisfying than spending loads of time creating an entirely pointless object.

10. If you could choose your teachers at Fantasy College – who would you choose to be taught by?
Tom Sachs, Tom Ford and Tom Dixon … my three favourite Toms.

Bluetooth control options

Everyone wants control; it’s the new buzz in lighting. Smart phone, smart home.

We’re now pleased to offer Bluetooth Mesh options for all our major pendant ranges. These new advances will allow any Innermost light to be controlled wirelessly – from full dimming to some colour tuning options – using a flexible system that can be paired with a single lamp or with complex configurations. This can all be achieved and controlled from a free app by Casambi, which combines ease of installation and optimal functionality (with Bluetooth switches also available).

What is Bluetooth Mesh?

Bluetooth mesh works by linking multiple bulbs or fittings in a chain so each unit can communicate and relay a message to any other unit. There are multiple benefits to Bluetooth, it uses less energy than Wi-Fi and won’t slow down your internet connection; most importantly, there is no extra kit to buy and you don’t lose control of your lights if your Wi-Fi crashes.  Pairing and system set-up is incredibly simple and can be used instantly, without the need for hubs or routers. There are many more in-depth features to explore; allowing the user to configure, save and recall scenes or animations, use motion sensors, define timers using sunrise/sunset, and much more.

This means now that whether it’s just one light in your living room or one thousand lights in your office building, you can get the same level of sophisticated lighting control without the expense or installation disruption of a traditional control system. Perfect for situations like listed buildings where it is not an option to run new cabling, or projects with tight budgets but where programmable lighting control is still needed.

Most importantly all the units and bulbs work together, once paired they sit in a single network that allows the user total control over a group or a single unit no matter what the source or driver type. Pair it and forget about it.

Bluetooth control works with most of the range, so you can have the most beautiful and unique lighting with the latest technology and control solutions. Compatible with Casambi, also used by Occio, Osram and Reggiani. Later this year we will also offer a Circadian rhythm option; a truly human centric lighting source to provide the best light for the time of day or the activity you are doing at the time.

Bluetooth options can now be added to any Innermost pendant order, with the option of colour tuning if an E27 fitting.  This is an integrated solution that is elegant, practical and affordable with a delightful and modern smartphone user experience.

We are offering bluetooth options with only a £35 to £50 surcharge.

Get in touch with us for more information and to discuss your next project!

Darc Awards Night 2018

We had an absolutely fantastic night celebrating the Darc Awards at Fabric last week! Our installation of Kepler & Brixton looked superb in the cavernous interior of the iconic Fabric nightclub, and became one of the most Instagrammed displays of the night!

As a unique addition to Darc Night, we had designed a special version of the futuristic luminaire, Kepler, as a one-off floor lamp. Using the same highly innovative materials as the pendant light, 3 of the specially designed free-standing units were installed in the “Gallery” area of the Darc Awards venue.

We were also delighted to be shortlisted in the Ceiling category for our Kepler pendant light. The night is always great, but the standard this year was incredibly high and we are very proud to be an original sponsor. Co-founder, Russell Cameron commented ‘All awards evenings should be this good!!’

For a closer look at our installation, watch the video highlights here.

Thanks Darc, see you next year!

Clerkenwell Design Week – Launch Party & Bluetooth Talk

It was great to see so many people at the Kepler launch party last night at Morgan Furniture, it was a great night of Jazz, nibbles and Ginnermost gin!

Today, we are back at Morgan Furniture as our co-founder Russell Cameron will be talking about the Casambi bluetooth control system, demonstrating with the Kepler lights on display. If you would like any information about Bluetooth control in lighting, get in touch!

Dates: May 22nd-24th
Location: London