Bullet 8 in Pendant Light | Blackjack Lighting

Bullet is a pendant drawn as a single tapering curve. The shade is spun from one piece of aluminum into a tall, rounded nose that narrows to the cable and flares slightly at the open rim, so from any angle it reads as one confident line. Outside it is painted a flat colour; inside it is lined with a warm metallic finish that only shows when you look up or when the light is on.

That contrast is what the lamp is about. The integrated LED sits up in the crown of the shade, so the lit interior becomes a glowing ring of copper or gold beneath a matte shell, and the light falls downward in a soft pool. Matte Black with copper is graphic and a little dramatic, a dark silhouette with a warm mouth; White with gold is lighter and more sculptural, the gold reading like a gilded lining.

Design notes

• Warm, directed light: the metallic interior tints and reflects the LED downward, giving a focused, warm pool beneath the shade.
• One-piece form: spun aluminum, 7.5 in (19.1 cm) across and 9.5 in (24.1 cm) tall, with no seams or visible fixings.
• Two-tone finish: painted exterior with a contrasting copper or gold interior, so the lamp changes character when lit.
• Clean suspension: a fine cable to a slim 4.6 in canopy with the driver built in, keeping the ceiling uncluttered.
• In families: the same shape is made in a 4 in size, so the 8 in can be grouped with its smaller sibling.

Specifications

Downloads

• Bullet 8 in specification sheet (PDF)
• Bullet installation instructions (PDF)
• Bullet 8 in LM-79 photometric report (PDF)
• Bullet 8 in IES file (ZIP)

Stephen Blackman and Blackjack Lighting

Blackjack Lighting is the studio of industrial designer Stephen Blackman, its President and Chief Design Officer. Trained in industrial design at Syracuse University, Blackman began his lighting career in 1984 at Sonneman Design Group, then founded Blackman Design Associates in 1988, designing decorative and architectural lighting for manufacturers including Kichler. He launched Blackjack in 2013 in suburban Chicago, now based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, to build fixtures conceived for LED from the first sketch.

His argument is that the LED should change the shape of a light, not just its efficiency. Rather than hiding a new source inside old bulb-and-shade forms, Blackjack designs around the small, flat, cool-running LED: thin discs, slim rods, glowing rings and lenses that let the light itself become the object. In his own words, "Decorative lighting by its nature is not primarily about optimizing lamp efficiency, it is primarily about decoration!" In Bullet, the compact LED tucked into the crown lets a single spun curve and its glowing metallic lining do all the talking.

Questions

What is the design idea behind Bullet?

A single spun-aluminum curve with a contrasting metallic lining. Off, it is a crisp matte silhouette; on, the copper or gold interior glows and colours the light that falls below.

Who is Blackjack Lighting?

A lighting studio in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, led by industrial designer Stephen Blackman, who has designed lighting since 1984 and founded Blackjack in 2013 to build fixtures around LED.

Black with copper or white with gold?

Black with copper makes a strong graphic outline with a warm glow at the rim, striking against pale walls or in a row. White with gold is softer and more sculptural, the gold lining showing as a bright band of colour.

How does the light behave, and can it be dimmed?

The 5 W LED gives 206 lumens at 3000K with a 90 CRI, aimed downward as a focused, warm pool. The universal driver in the canopy works with TRIAC, ELV or 0-10V dimmers.

What warranty does it carry?

Three years on the integrated LED and its power supply, and one year on materials and workmanship, for the original buyer in the US and Canada.