Milo Vanity Light | Blackjack Lighting

Milo is a vanity light reduced to two parts: a long frosted tube and a small metal plate that holds it. The tube is a 2-inch cylinder of frosted acrylic running the width of the mirror; the plate is a 5-inch piece of stamped steel in Satin Nickel that wraps the tube at its centre and fixes it to the wall. There are no end caps to speak of, no arms and no exposed lamps, just a clean horizontal line of light with a neat clasp in the middle.

The integrated LED is what lets the tube glow so evenly. A continuous strip runs inside the full length of the acrylic, so the whole cylinder lights uniformly with no hot spots or shadows from sockets, and the round section throws soft light both forward onto the face and up and down the wall. It is a modest object, but a precise one: the contrast of the milky tube against the satin metal is what gives it its quiet, contemporary character.

Design notes

• Even, face-friendly light: a fully frosted acrylic tube glows from end to end, spreading light softly across the face and wall.
• Line and clasp: a 2 in (5 cm) tube centred on a 5 in (12.7 cm) stamped steel plate, the only visible hardware.
• Two widths: 24 in (61 cm) or 36 in (91 cm), both 5 in wide and 4 in deep, to suit a single or a double basin mirror.
• Two backplates: a 4.6 in shallow backplate with the driver in the junction box, or a deeper backplate that houses the driver.
• Satin Nickel: a soft brushed metal that reads well with chrome or nickel taps without competing with them.

Specifications

Downloads

• Milo 24 in specification sheet (PDF)
• Milo 36 in specification sheet (PDF)
• Milo 24 in installation instructions (PDF)
• Milo 36 in installation instructions (PDF)
• Milo 24 in LM-79 photometric report (PDF)
• Milo 36 in LM-79 photometric report (PDF)
• Milo 24 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!" Milo is that slim rod at the mirror: one evenly lit frosted tube held by a single satin clasp.

Questions

What is the design idea behind Milo?

A vanity light made from one continuous frosted tube and one small metal clasp. A full-length LED strip inside the tube makes it glow evenly, so there are no bulbs, arms or end hardware to interrupt the line.

Who designs Blackjack Lighting?

Industrial designer Stephen Blackman, President and Chief Design Officer, who has designed lighting since 1984 and founded Blackjack in 2013 to make fixtures built around LED.

24 in or 36 in, shallow or deep backplate?

Choose a width a little narrower than the mirror: 24 in for a single basin, 36 in for a wider mirror. The 4.6 in shallow backplate sits closest to the wall with the driver in the junction box; the deep backplate holds the driver itself and is required for the 120-277V version.

What is the light quality, and how is it dimmed?

1280 lumens at 3000K with a 90 CRI, diffused through frosted acrylic for soft, even light on the face. The 120V version dims with a TRIAC dimmer; the 120-277V version works with TRIAC, ELV or 0-10V controls.

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.