Attractive and functional features, suitable for a wide range of environments
The Ohm Pendant is a new splash safe suspended porcelain light fixture for bathrooms and all interiors beyond, designed by Kauppi & Kauppi for Ifö Electric.
Ohm Pendant is a new addition to Ifö Electric’s grand Ohm Collection. The first splash safe suspended light fitting in the company assortment, opens new possibilities for how and where a pendant can be placed. A luminaire design that fits as well into the bathroom, as the bistro or by the bedside.
The design by Kauppi & Kauppi is inspired by old porcelain insulators and connection boxes, to celebrate the company’s long history and tradition of timeless functionality.
A new pendant for bathrooms and all interiors beyond
The Ohm Pendant has attractive and functional features, suitable for a wide range of environments and situations – from bathroom and bistro to bedside. Designed to be splash safe for indoor use to offer a new way of thinking when planning interiors and illumination.
The pendant allows the interior and lighting designers to place suspended porcelain lights in bathrooms, spas, and other wellness interiors – where splash safe certified lighting is required.
“We see the Ohm Pendant as a luminaire for the next generation of bathrooms, developing into something comparable to living room interiors. The design may be recognized as both classic and contemporary, the innovation occurs when the pendants are installed in new types of situations. A porcelain fixture that can easily fit in all types of rooms – where it fulfills a purpose”, says Nina Kauppi.
In addition to installations in bathrooms, the soft curves and the restrained silhouette invites the luminaire design to blend into various interiors.
A numerous group of pendants can form a space-defining and shining cluster in a lounge environment. When placed as single pendants over a restaurant table, the Ohm Pendant becomes a pleasant focal point.
In a bedroom, the dimmed light from Ohm will contribute to a cozy atmosphere, when used as a suspended bedside lamp.
“Our design contributes with soft shapes to the assortment, something which is partly visual, how the luster of the glaze is reflected in the rounded silhouettes. What we mainly wanted to add is a sensory and tactile dimension to the products. So that the advanced industrial production can be experienced by the hand. The relationship we build to objects through our hands, is important”, Nina Kauppi concludes.
One base, two colors and three glasses
The Ohm Pendant is high gloss glazed in black or white with a matching textile cord. Equipped with a classic E27 light source socket or G9. The pendant and the corresponding ceiling cup are IP44, splash safe certified for indoor use.
The design has taken the IP-classification one step further than usual since the solution also secures the ceiling installation.
“Making the Ohm Pendant splash safe and fully certified, without compromising with the stripped simplicity of the design, has been a challenge. The new technical solutions and tools developed for the porcelain parts have been an effort worthwhile since the durable porcelain fitting will last for decades”, says product manager Måns Kiaer.
The Ohm luminaires share a shade program across the entire collection. The pendant’s shade sizes match the previously launched Ohm Table lamp, as well as the wall and ceiling fixtures.
A concept kept within narrow limits of three selectable shades, keeps the production resources to a wise level, binding together the collection and the different areas of use. The white opal shade comes in two lengths. One for a short dense appearance, and a long shade for a more stretched silhouette.
The clear glass option gives a possibility to create an individual look when choosing a light source from today´s wide range of expressive lightbulbs.
Ohm Pendant: a unique and challenging production
Ifö Electric, Scandinavia’s only factory producing pressed porcelain, uses a challenging production technique. The press tools consist of a positive and a negative element. Together they shape a cavity where the clay grains, with 15 % humidity, will be compressed and formed by a hydraulic press in one single stroke.
“Pressing porcelain is by far the most challenging production method we have encountered as designers. Behind every pressed detail lies a tremendous amount of work and development. The large investments and the product’s long life cycle brings a certain responsibility for us designers. A long-term perspective must be present, not only in functions and solutions but also in design and expression”, says Nina Kauppi.
The tool is highly complex and resembles a watch construction with winding wheels, slots and threaded taps. Once the porcelain parts are pressed, glazed and high temperature fired, they are ready to be tightly connected and sealed in a way that enables the lamp’s IP44 certification. The production is made with a long-term perspective in focus.
The light fittings are designed and constructed in a way that enables all components to be disassembled and replaced if necessary. If light technology standards change in the future, new parts can be added.
This means that the luminaires, together with the material’s own durability, have the conditions to achieve an exceptionally long lifecycle – neither wind, water nor strong sunlight changes the glazed porcelain surface.
