Against the Flow
Text by Nimbus
Stuttgart, Germany
14.04.14
The luminaires by Stuttgart-based LED specialist NIMBUS are known for their technical ingenuity, aesthetic sophistication and guaranteed moment of surprise.
Freethinker Dietrich Brennenstuhl: an informal corporate culture allows the best designs to flourish
Freethinker Dietrich Brennenstuhl: an informal corporate culture allows the best designs to flourish
×"I do not seek. I find." This saying adorns the canteen wall at Nimbus and is a perfect description of the company spirit. "Searching means wanting to find something that's already known in something new. Whereas finding – that's something totally new," says Dietrich Brennenstuhl in explanation of his corporate philosophy. The firm's founder and managing director is no fan of going with the flow. Instead, for the last 25 years, he has been practising the strategy of "doing things differently" – with great success. A perfect example: ten years ago, Nimbus was the first firm in the lighting sector to commit to LED. In the meantime, LED technology plays a crucial role – and the wealth of experience the small lighting manufacturer has been able to acquire puts it at an advantage – even as compared to major corporations. When it comes to LED-based interior lighting, Nimbus continues to be regarded as an innovation leader even today.
Supple: thanks to its friction joints, "Roxxane" can be effortlessly adjusted into any position
But Nimbus doesn't just focus on the development of the light source: the firm is passionate about the form and function of its luminaires as well. The company, which employees 160 people and manufacturers its products in Stuttgart, always manages to surprise customers with its technical ingenuity. The LED desk lamp "Roxxane", for instance, features a mechanism otherwise familiar from the field of medical technology.
The new LED pendant lamp "Squeeze", created in collaboration with New York designer Karim Rashid, caused quite a sensation when first launched. "People were either euphoric or appalled," recalls Dietrich Brennenstuhl. The expressiveness of the lamp's forms – a contrast with Nimbus's otherwise very purist aesthetics – came as a surprise. But Brennenstuhl isn't bothered by such reactions. And why should he be? After all, his lamps don't just provide light. They touch people's emotions. UN
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Photos: Markus Leser, Nimbus
Nimbus Group
Sieglestrasse 41
DE-70469 Stuttgart
Tel. 0049 (0)711 63 30 14 0
Fax 0049 (0)711 63 30 14 14
info@nimbus-group.com
www.nimbus-group.com
