Surface Novo Tall Semi-Flush Mount | Blackjack Lighting

Surface Novo Tall takes the Novo pendant off its cable and fixes it straight to the ceiling. What is left is a slim 1.6-inch cylinder, 16 inches long, that drops from a flat round canopy and ends in a small optic where the light appears. Without a cord, the fixture becomes a rigid vertical stroke: a pure line hanging from the ceiling plane.

The light is made at the very tip. With the Luminous Ring, a band of acrylic light guide glows softly at the base of the tube, so the rod seems to end in a halo. With the Reflector Ring, the LED is shielded by a metal cup lined in gold or white, sending a focused pool downward and warming the edge with color. In Matte Black, White or Polished Chrome, a row of them reads like a measured series of marks across a ceiling or down a wall.

Design notes

• Rigid line: a 16 in rod mounted directly to the canopy, with no cable, for a fixed and precise vertical.
• Light at the tip: the integrated LED sits at the end of the tube, so the cylinder stays dark and the light becomes a point of focus.
• Three optics: Luminous Ring for a soft glowing band; Reflector Ring with gold or white interior for directed light and a colored rim.
• Two canopies: a 2.5 in thin canopy for a remote driver, or a 5 in canopy with an integrated universal driver.
• Light quality: 5 W, 365 lumens at 3000K, 90 CRI, dimmable on TRIAC, ELV or 0-10V.

Specifications

Downloads

• Surface Novo Tall specification sheet (PDF)
• Surface Novo 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!" Surface Novo Tall distills it to a single rod with light at its tip, fixed to the ceiling like a drawn line.

Questions

How is Surface Novo Tall different from the Novo Tall pendant?

It uses the same slim 16 in cylinder and optics but mounts directly to the ceiling instead of hanging on a cable, so it holds a fixed, rigid line.

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 LED-native fixtures.

Luminous Ring or Reflector Ring?

The Luminous Ring gives a soft glowing band at the tip and spreads light gently. The Reflector Ring directs light downward, with a gold interior for a warm accent or white for a clean, bright rim.

Which canopy should I pick?

The 5 in canopy has its driver built in and connects to a standard junction box. The 2.5 in canopy is thinner and needs a separate remote driver, which suits projects with planned driver locations.

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.