2015 Milan Salone Latest Report | Ingo Maurer

Ingo Maurer

Feature: Salone del Mobile.Milano 2015

Reviving the Classic Lucelino with the Latest LED Technology

Ingo Maurer, a globally renowned brand from Germany, has consistently moved and amazed people for years, largely thanks to its owner and designer, Ingo Maurer himself. His pure, childlike imagination regarding light has once again given birth to new creations. Though often called a "light magician" or "master of light," these monikers barely capture the boundless ideas that breathe life into his work.

Text by YUDA Takeshi (TOL STUDIO INC.)

Pure Imagination in Light

Journalists often remark, "We always start with Ingo Maurer at Euroluce..." As a trendsetting brand, its prominent green stage, always positioned at the entrance, draws many journalists. Amidst the many Italian brands at the Italian-held Euroluce, the German master's new works and prototypes welcomed visitors this year as if performing a dance, exclaiming, "Welcome!"

At the forefront was "What we do counts," a desk stand characterized by its speech bubble-like design. The name carries the message, "What truly matters?" This new creation, pursuing both functionality and humor, is particularly close to Maurer's heart among the works presented this time.

Lucelino LED: A Nostalgic Glow

Another highlight of this exhibition is the "Lucelino LED." While many lights are revived by replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs, this iconic Ingo Maurer piece features the incandescent bulb itself as an icon. Simply attaching a standard LED bulb would disrupt the design's integrity.

Therefore, Maurer, who deeply cherishes the light of incandescent bulbs, turned his attention to the next-generation LED light source technology, "TRI-R." This LED meticulously researches not only the surface color of light but also its spectrum (wavelength for each color), faithfully reproducing the light of incandescent bulbs and sunlight. Furthermore, its dimming function is synchronized with color temperature adjustment, making it virtually indistinguishable from a real incandescent bulb.

Though incandescent bulbs have disappeared from Europe, "I RICCHI POVERI," an homage to incandescent bulbs first presented at Euroluce two years ago, is finally set for release. Additionally, a floor lamp version of "Dew Drop," which garnered attention for its unique LED sheet, was unveiled. One of the two attachable LED sheets can be replaced with paper, allowing the light from the other sheet to reflect. The light diffused through the paper creates a gentle glow, reminiscent of light filtering through a shoji screen. This piece exemplifies the exquisite fusion of technology and analog, showcasing not only its practicality as lighting but also Maurer's playful spirit.