Inspired by sacred Islamic geometry, willowlamp’s designs enchant the Middle East
Already a feature in a number of Middle Eastern hotels, the extraordinary chandeliers created by multiple award-winning South African lighting company willowlamp radiate that classic Arabic allure.
Willowlamp’s singular luminaire designs are conceived by the company’s creative director Adam Hoets. Originally an architect, Hoets has a solid grasp on structural design. After exploring Africa, he grew increasingly in awe of the continent’s wild beauty and on returning to South Africa, practiced as an Eco-Architect. He specialized in structures that would harmoniously blend into their natural surroundings – a trait that has followed through to willowlamp, the craft that has captured Hoets’ (and a large following’s) attention since 2005.
willowlamp includes a collection of extraordinary chandeliers, pendants and lampshades given birth to by Hoets’ ingenious idea of attaching ball-chain to laser-cut steel frames. The chains hang in such a way that creates a curtain-like effect, swaying elegantly by the slightest manipulation.
Hoets’ fascination with design and patterns has resulted in his acute understanding of sacred geometry – patterns on which many of his designs are based. The Flower of Life chandelier can be seen hanging in the Mena House Hotel in Giza, Egypt – a stone throw away from the Great Pyramid of Giza, where, incidentally, the geometric shape of The Flower of Life was found engraved inside its walls. Sacred geometry is characterised by intensely intricate patterns – patterns that resonate through Middle Eastern culture and, similarly, shine through as a defining element of Hoets’ designs.
Latest to Hoets’ collections is The Mandala No.2, an adapted version of The Mandala (a design Hoets developed for design house Southern Guild and launched at the Everard Reed Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2012). Adam based the new design on sacred Islamic geometry, in honour of his fascination for these enduring and profound designs. “I spent over 400 hours drawing and decoding Islamic patterns and geometry,” he explains. The result is an arabesque masterpiece of complexities.
willowlamp can today be seen enchanting the halls and rooms of The Ritz Carlton Dubai, Four Seasons Dubai, Mena House Hotel Giza, Liwa Suites Abu Dhabi and Shangri La Abu Dhabi. We look forward to seeing these unique designs, which pay homage to the sacred, flourish further throughout the Middle East, thanks to their magnificent contemporary expression of a rich cultural and spiritual heritage.
Read more at www.willowlamp.com and contact them on + 27 (0)21 447 8529 or info@willowlamp.com
