Dezeen promotion: designer Antoni Arola has designed a lighting system for Spanish brand Santa & Cole, in which strips of light are shaded by curved metal sheets.

Each variation of Arola's Lámina light for Santa & Cole consists primarily of a horizontal aluminium bar, less than two centimetres thick, which is cast in matte black and suspended from the ceiling by matching cords on either end.

Embedded within this is a strip of LEDs – 72 in the smallest model, and 288 in the largest – which project upwards onto a shade made from a single curved sheet of white galvanised steel.

The LEDs are covered in a polycarbonate diffuser, whose surface is made up of prisms that reflect light in different directions.

As the light source itself remains invisible, the lights create a soft glow that gently illuminates a space, flooding it with a soft light.

The Lámina range features six variations on this theme, playing with the length of the metal rod and the width of the shade to create square and rectangular shapes of different sizes.

Far from being random, the size of each model is based on precise calculations that take into account the angles of the light for optimal diffusion.

The lamps are dimmable and can be used in isolation to create more directional light, or arranged into groups and clusters to light a whole room.

Rather than using the shade to hide the LEDs socket, Arola decided to make the slender, black metal bar a design feature in its own right, lending the range a delicate and ethereal feel.

The designer has a long history of working with Santa & Cole, previously creating the BlancoWhite collection of luminous objects that can be placed atop tables, and the Cirio family of lights with porcelain shades, which filter the light to emit a warm, candle-like glow.

Elsewhere, the brand has enlisted designers from lmari Tapiovaara to Miguel Milá to contribute to its expansive catalogue of lighting and furniture.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Santa & Cole as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.