New York 2015: Apparatus has unveiled two new lines of lighting fixtures, along with a table that marks the New York studio's foray into furniture design (+ slideshow).
The new Cylinder lighting series contains six different hand-crafted fixtures, each composed of simple, metal cylinders finished in unpolished brass or tarnished silver. They can serve as primary or secondary light sources.
"[Cylinder]Â was a response to creating elegant, functional lighting," said Apparatus co-founder and creative director, Gabriel Hendifar. "We often found that clients, after specifying a number of fixtures for their projects, would ask: 'Do you have a reading light? Do you have a bedside sconce?' And largely the answer to that was no."
"We decided to tackle that realm of functional lighting and create the fixture we felt our clients would want to pair with other pieces in our collection," he said.
The Cylinder Pendant ranges in height from 12 inches (30.3 centimetres) to 52 inches (132.1 centimetres), with taller versions available upon request. The pendant can stand alone or be grouped as an installation.
The Sconce features an adjustable, six-inch-long head that extends from a circular base. The Cylinder Swing Arm Sconce version offers an adjustable pivoting head and rotating arm, paired with a brass turn-dimmer knob and leather-covered counterweight.
The Up Light and Down Light are both composed of a pivoting head anchored to a solid, circular base. The Up Light comes with a brass turn-dimmer knob and woven fabric cord. The Extended Down Light features a cylindrical head affixed to a long stem.
The Cylinder lighting series was unveiled during the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York, which concluded yesterday. Apparatus is one of the many studios that make up the "exploding" lighting scene in New York.
Another new offering from Apparatus is the Link Porcelain Pendant, which was created in collaboration with Brooklyn-based ceramicist Alice Goldsmith. Available in three sizes, the piece has a handmade porcelain chain and brass mesh cord attached to an oversized, spun-brass shade.
Some links were intentionally left broken. "We see the porcelain links as the vertebrae of the fixture, so you're seeing an exposed vulnerability," said Hendifar.
Apparatus also presented its new Portal Dining Table and Portal Coffee Table at ICFF – the studio's first line of furniture. Made of sandblasted ash, the table is meant to convey a sense of primitivism. "I really love how they have this ancient, monumental feeling," said Hendifar. "It's something that is a through-line with a lot of our work."
The idea for creating a table arose from the firm's desire to have furnishings that complement its lighting fixtures. "It's about shading in the details of the world we imagine our fixtures living in," said Hendifar.
Launched in 2012 by Hendifar and communications specialist Jeremy Anderson, Apparatus is known for creating modern lighting with a vintage feel. Aged brass, etched glass, leather, and porcelain comprise the firm's material palette. Every piece is finished and assembled at the studio's Manhattan headquarters, said Hendifar.