Regular readers of LZF’s hugely influential blog may have noticed that for the first time in years, our last project entry didn’t feature any lamps by Irish design maestro, Ray Power. This week goes a long way towards rectifying that oversight, by featuring Mr Power’s gorgeous NUT.
To be fair, our own design diva, Marivi Calvo collaborated with the Irishman in creating the NUT. In doing so, the duo set out to answer one glaring question: Can it be done? The answer of course is a resounding Si!
The NUT, which takes its name from the Valencian term for knot, twists a strip of delicate wood veneer into a thing of beauty that is at once an object of desire, as well as a functional source of illumination.
Like all LZF’s handcrafted lamps, the NUT is made from FSC certified wood and blurs the line between sculpture and utility. Two different designs are possible depending on the direction of the torsion. The lampshades are available in 9 different wood veneer finishes.
A recent project to utilize the NUT to full effect was the Stanford Health Care corporate environment in Palo Alto, California. Designed by Nicholsbooth Architects, the idea behind the brief was to overcome two big challenges: the unification of several departments scattered across the region, and retaining employees with the draw of technology companies so close by.
The huge project brought together Technology and Operations teams with other disparate departments into seven buildings within the one location. Nicholsbooth say the interiors mark a shift for Stanford Health Care away from private offices and tall workstations with conservative colour palettes, to a more contemporary design featuring smaller but more efficient workspaces, brighter colour schemes, benching for people who don’t require a permanent workstation, and collaborative spaces.
By all accounts employees love their new environment, and why wouldn’t they? Take a look at the gorgeous images by photographer John Sutton, and it’s clear to see why Stanford Health Care is a great place to come to work.
Marivi and Ray’s NUT lamps feature throughout the project, including the staff kitchen/dining area. Aside from looking damn stunning, the knot design is a subtle nod to the vital role that integrated health care plays in a modern society.
Written by Stephen Lacey
Photography by John Sutton
