Nano 36 in Vanity Light | Blackjack Lighting

Nano is a vanity light drawn with a ruler. A thin, perfectly straight bar of light, three feet long and barely more than an inch thick, crosses a small square metal plate fixed to the wall. That is the entire composition: a long horizontal line and a compact square, meeting at right angles. It has the clarity of a technical drawing, and above a mirror it reads as a single confident stroke.

The LED is what makes the bar so slender. A continuous strip runs its full length behind a diffuser, so the light is one unbroken line with no sockets, gaps or bright spots, and the bar needs no more depth than the strip itself. The square plate holds the bar slightly off the wall, so light falls forward onto the face and also washes the wall around it. Satin Nickel gives a soft, brushed finish; Polished Chrome makes the edges flash like the taps beneath.

Design notes

• One clean line of light: a continuous LED strip lights the whole 36 in bar evenly, with no individual bulbs.
• Geometric composition: a slim horizontal bar crossing a 4.6 in square plate, 2.8 in (7.1 cm) deep overall.
• Minimal materials: metal bar and plate with an integrated diffuser, nothing decorative added.
• Two backplates: a 4.6 in shallow backplate with the driver in the junction box, or a deeper backplate housing the driver.
• Two finishes: Satin Nickel for a soft, brushed look, Polished Chrome for a bright, reflective one.

Specifications

Downloads

• Nano 36 in specification sheet (PDF)
• Nano 36 in installation instructions (PDF)
• Nano 36 in LM-79 photometric report (PDF)
• Nano vanity IES files (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!" Nano is that slim rod at its most graphic: a 36-inch line of light crossing a small metal square.

Questions

What is the design idea behind Nano?

A vanity reduced to a line and a square. A continuous LED strip lets the bar stay thin and light evenly along its whole length, while a small square plate is the only other element.

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.

Satin Nickel or Polished Chrome, and which backplate?

Satin Nickel is softer and pairs with brushed fittings; Polished Chrome is crisp and matches chrome taps. The 4.6 in shallow backplate sits closest to the wall with the driver in the junction box; the deep backplate contains the driver and is required for the 120-277V version.

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

1270 lumens at 3000K with a 90 CRI, an even, warm line of light that is kind to skin tones. The 120V version dims with a TRIAC dimmer; the 120-277V version 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.