Geodome Pendant Light | Blackjack Lighting

Geodome is about making the most of what is not there. Its 32-inch sphere is built entirely from slender triangular struts, a geodesic lattice with every face left open. There is no shade in the usual sense, only an outline of one: the frame describes a globe while the spaces between the struts do the work a solid surface would normally do, framing the light and letting the room show through.

That constructed negative space is a quiet nod to the traditional shade form. Each strut is finished in Matte Black or Polished Chrome on the outside and white on the inside, so when the light at the center comes on, the inner faces catch and reflect it and the whole lattice glows as a web of bright lines. From a distance it reads as a large, airy volume; up close, as a precise piece of geometry. Its scale makes it a natural centerpiece for a double-height living room, a stair void or a generous dining space.

Design notes

• Negative space as the shade: a geodesic frame of open triangles suggests a globe without enclosing it.
• Two-tone struts: Matte Black or Polished Chrome outside, white inside, so the light draws the lattice from within.
• Architectural scale: 32 in (81.3 cm) in diameter and height, light in weight to the eye thanks to the open faces.
• Quality of light: the LED version gives 1,737 lumens at 90 CRI, in 3000K as offered here.
• Two ways to light it: an integrated 23 W LED, or an E26 socket for a bulb of your choice.

Specifications

Downloads

• Geodome LED specification sheet (PDF)
• Geodome E26 specification sheet (PDF)
• Geodome instruction sheet (PDF)
• Geodome LM-79 photometric report (PDF)

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!" Geodome takes the idea in a sculptural direction, letting an open geodesic frame and its white inner faces shape the light instead of a solid shade.

Questions

What is the idea behind Geodome?

It replaces the solid shade with its outline. An open geodesic lattice suggests a globe, and the empty triangles between the struts become part of the design, framing the light and the room behind it.

Which Blackjack collection does it belong to?

Geodome is part of the Signature Series, Blackjack's line of decorative statement pieces.

Matte Black/White or Polished Chrome/White?

Matte Black gives a strong graphic lattice against light walls and glazing. Polished Chrome is brighter and more reflective, so the sphere reads lighter and picks up its surroundings. Both have white inner faces that glow when lit.

LED or E26, and how is the light controlled?

The LED version gives 1,737 lumens at 3000K and 90 CRI, with a 120-277V driver in the canopy for TRIAC, ELV or 0-10V dimming. The E26 version takes a screw-in bulb of your choice.

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.