Flos and Patricia Urquiola create a chandelier for our times

An evolution of the mediaeval candelabra, chandeliers have long illuminated interiors by shaping space and setting moods – from the spectacular, think 18th century Venice, to the geometric, think 1920s Paris. So when international light manufacturer Flos joined forces with multi-hyphenate architect and designer Patricia Urquiola to create a contemporary chandelier, it was only right that its design should reflect this early 21st century moment.

For this innovative team, that meant combining sustainability, technology and biophilia into a modular lighting system that could evoke a warm, sensual atmosphere; meet the Almendra light system. Almendra (which means ‘almond’ in Spanish) is a simple branch with three ‘seeds’, resembling two shells of an open almond and connected by a central pin.

The biophilic shape – like nature itself – lends itself effortlessly to modularity and flexible compositions, ideal for different residential environments and especially for the hospitality sector, where a sense of continuity can be adapted across many scales of interior. The ‘petals’ can be assembled on a linear or curved shaft, to a series of solutions with three, four, or six lights that can be positioned downwards or upwards.

'Almonds are organisms: the almond is not a fruit, it is a seed that is a kind of oval container, it must open to let the almond come out. I like it because it has remained a very simplified modular object that looks like a small open shell, natural but also mechanical. Technological and natural, and at the same time very simple in language and poetics,' says designer Urquiola.

Crucial to any conscious designer or client working today, the mechanics of Almendra are concerned with sustainable material use and the circular economy – in line with Flos’ innovative sustainability initiative. The ‘petals’ are made from polycarbonate derived from a by-product of paper production: tallolja or ‘tall oil’ (literally pine oil), which has been used for years to produce inks.

The shaft and the lighting fixture on which the modules attach is made of extruded aluminium, which is 100% recyclable. The design was defined according to the criteria of the ISO standards on LCA (Life Cycle Assessment); invisible screws make the piece easily disassembled for maintenance or recycling – with the recycling class engraved on each piece.

In crafting a contemporary approach, Urquiola’s intention was not to make a chandelier as a ‘hanging object’ but to create a ‘light presence’, with a flexible relationship to the space. The light is functional and efficient – for illuminating spacious lobbies, yet is also soft and gentle – making it appropriate for more intimate living spaces alike.

Further developing the technology of Urquiola’s 2015 Serena collection for Flos, which included flexible diffusing elements, Almendra's ‘seeds’ have a thin skin and the LED source positioned in the central pin spreads its light evenly along the edge of the shells thanks to an optical guide system, pleasantly diffusing their surface. The branches and seeds can be positioned to evoke a strong stage presence or an atmosphere of domestic warmth; on one hand severe and linear (for illuminating large tables for example) and, on the other, organic and floating like a sculpture.

Responding to its biophilic form, Almendra’s colour palette has been drawn from nature, and the organic tones of the almond itself; including off-white, nude, ochre, anthracite, metallic bay blue and metallic lilac. 'I looked at almond trees in Ibiza. Starting from green, we chose the colours of an almendro; the white (off-white) of the flowers, to the ochre of the branches and shells (with a hue that tends to orange). And the nude, is a colour that refers to the branch. While the metallics speak of the union between nature and technology,' says Urquiola.

It is this union that creates the sublime Almendra, a chandelier that moves effortlessly between nature and technology, mechanics and poetry to encapsulate our contemporary 21st century lives.

© Architonic

Head to the Architonic Magazine for more insights on the latest products, trends and practices in architecture and design.