Steelos 48 in Linear Pendant | Blackjack Lighting

Steelos is a cascade of vertical lines. From a flat 2-by-4-foot canopy, dozens of fine cords drop to different lengths, ending either in a short steel cylinder or in a slender glowing light guide. The lengths are deliberately random, so the fixture reads less like a chandelier and more like a field of rain or a curtain of light, dense from one angle and open from another.

The composition arrives pre-arranged, but it is not fixed. Each cord is held by an adjustable gripper, so heights can be changed at installation or re-arranged at any time later without cutting or splicing. The 48 in version is built from two 24 in square modules joined with Blackjack's joiner and spacer kits. In Matte Black the solid cylinders become dark accents among the lights; in Polished Chrome they turn into small mirrors that catch the glow around them.

Design notes

• Random by design: steel cylinders and light guides of differing lengths form an artistic, irregular pattern that changes as you move.
• Re-composable: adjustable grippers let every cord be raised or lowered after installation, with no cutting of cord.
• Modular canopy: two 23.9 in (60.7 cm) square modules, each 2.5 in (6.4 cm) deep, joined into a 2 x 4 ft rectangle.
• Deep drop: overall height adjustable from 12 in to 106 in (30 cm to 270 cm), for standard rooms through double-height spaces.
• Two finishes: Matte Black, or a Polished Chrome faceplate with black housing, both in powder-coated paint finishes.

Specifications

Downloads

• Steelos Modular System specification sheet (PDF)
• Steelos linear modular system installation instructions (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!" Steelos turns it into a field: slender LED light guides mixed with plain steel cylinders, so light and shadow share the same composition.

Questions

What is the idea behind Steelos?

A random cascade of lines. Mixing glowing light guides with solid steel cylinders at different heights creates a pattern that feels organic and changes with your viewpoint.

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 to make fixtures conceived for LED.

How is the light controlled?

The system runs on 120-277V with universal dimming, so the whole cascade dims together on TRIAC, ELV or 0-10V controls, at 3000K and 90 CRI.

Matte Black or Polished Chrome?

Matte Black makes the steel cylinders read as dark notes among the lights, a graphic and architectural look. Polished Chrome turns them into small reflectors that multiply the sparkle.

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.