I've always liked lamps with moveable arms that cantilever out, so was excited to have the opportunity to build these. The need came from my girlfriend's practice expanding and moving into new offices. As you can see the office space is very sterile and uninviting, so it definitely needs more 'nice things' in it.
The basis of the design is Chris Becksvoort's plans which he published in FWW a while ago. The globe style shade is something pretty common with some of the Danish modern lamps you find from the 60s. I like the cord management and sturdiness of Becksvoort's design a lot, though. Wood is curly maple and the finish is a mix of Honey Amber and Light Oak dye, sanded back and recoated, then 8 coats of french polish. The lamps mount to the wall using tapered connectors.
The design uses a pretty small quantity of materials. I actually made 5 lamps in all, two of which I'm giving to my sister and her significant other as bedside lamps (leaving it to them to choose what to do for wire/hardware) and one of which (a prototype from some leftover soft maple) I will try to use as a worklamp.
I bought all the electrical bits from Grand Brass.
One issue I had that left me a bit uncomfortable was the inline switches. The cloth covered wire is stranded, and the inline switch uses screw clamp terminals. It seemed to me like no matter how securely the screws clamps down on the wire (which I twisted thoroughly), it seemed like the wire slipped out a little bit as I finished making my connections. It still seemed to be tightly in there, but I've basically indoctrinated myself that the only good connection is a firm one. IS this just normal for stranded wire? Below is an illustration of the innards of the switch. Mine does not have wire with nicks in the insulation like that.
View attachment 1
Since this forum is full of people with great design ideas, I'd welcome any ideas about what else could be done in this space. The space is the private office area for four psychologists.
Thanks,
Adam
The basis of the design is Chris Becksvoort's plans which he published in FWW a while ago. The globe style shade is something pretty common with some of the Danish modern lamps you find from the 60s. I like the cord management and sturdiness of Becksvoort's design a lot, though. Wood is curly maple and the finish is a mix of Honey Amber and Light Oak dye, sanded back and recoated, then 8 coats of french polish. The lamps mount to the wall using tapered connectors.
The design uses a pretty small quantity of materials. I actually made 5 lamps in all, two of which I'm giving to my sister and her significant other as bedside lamps (leaving it to them to choose what to do for wire/hardware) and one of which (a prototype from some leftover soft maple) I will try to use as a worklamp.
I bought all the electrical bits from Grand Brass.
One issue I had that left me a bit uncomfortable was the inline switches. The cloth covered wire is stranded, and the inline switch uses screw clamp terminals. It seemed to me like no matter how securely the screws clamps down on the wire (which I twisted thoroughly), it seemed like the wire slipped out a little bit as I finished making my connections. It still seemed to be tightly in there, but I've basically indoctrinated myself that the only good connection is a firm one. IS this just normal for stranded wire? Below is an illustration of the innards of the switch. Mine does not have wire with nicks in the insulation like that.
View attachment 1
Since this forum is full of people with great design ideas, I'd welcome any ideas about what else could be done in this space. The space is the private office area for four psychologists.
Thanks,
Adam
