Quadra Linear Pendant | Blackjack Lighting

Quadra is a linear pendant built from squares. A long, flat frame of Polished Chrome, 47.1 inches by 6 inches, is divided into a row of square cells, some filled with luminous LED panels and some left open, so the fixture alternates between light and air along its length. It hangs from four almost invisible cables and is so thin in profile that from the side it nearly disappears.

That airiness is what makes Quadra feel lighter than its size. Over a long dining table or kitchen island it reads as a floating graphic pattern, a strip of bright and empty squares rather than a solid bar, and the polished chrome frame picks up reflections from the room. Choose the downlight version for light on the table, or the up and down version, which also washes the ceiling and makes the whole fixture appear to hover in its own glow.

Design notes

• Light in a pattern: LED panels alternate with open squares, so light and transparency share the same frame.
• Thin, long proportion: 47.1 in (119.5 cm) by 6 in (15.3 cm), almost a plane when seen from below.
• Polished Chrome: a reflective frame that catches the room and the glow of the panels.
• Two light directions: downlight only, or up and down for a ceiling wash as well.
• Floating suspension: four fine cables, field adjustable from 4 in to 97 in overall.

Specifications

Downloads

• Quadra Down Light specification sheet (PDF)
• Quadra Down and Up Light specification sheet (PDF)
• Quadra instruction sheet (PDF)
• Quadra LM-79 photometric report (PDF)
• Quadra 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!" Quadra makes the flat LED panel itself the ornament, setting glowing squares and open ones side by side in a frame of chrome.

Questions

What is the design idea behind Quadra?

To make a linear pendant that feels weightless. Flat LED panels alternate with open squares in a thin chrome frame, so the fixture reads as a pattern of light and air.

Who is behind Blackjack Lighting?

Industrial designer Stephen Blackman, President and Chief Design Officer, who has designed lighting since 1984 and founded Blackjack in 2013 around LED-first design.

Downlight or Up and Down Light?

The downlight version puts all its light on the table or counter below. The up and down version also lights the ceiling, softening the room and making the frame appear to float.

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

1827 lumens at 3000K with a 90 CRI. The versions offered here run on 120VAC and dim on TRIAC wall dimmers.

What warranty does it carry?

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