SWD Chandelier | Blackjack Lighting

SWD is a cluster of nine white glass globes hung from one square canopy, each at its own height. The globes are small, five inches across, and the cables are fine, so from a distance the composition reads as a loose, floating constellation of moons rather than a chandelier with arms. The canopy above is a flat 24-inch square, deliberately plain so the attention stays on the scattered spheres below.

The glass is opal white, so each globe glows evenly all over with no visible source, and the LED inside is small and cool enough to sit in a sphere that size. Because the nine are spaced randomly in plan and in height, the light is soft and layered, with globes catching each other's glow. Over a dining table, in a stairwell or above a lounge seat, it brings a gentle, playful scale. The finish applies to the canopy faceplate and sockets: Matte Black for a crisp graphic frame, White to let the canopy disappear, Polished Chrome for a touch of shine.

Design notes

• Soft, layered glow: nine opal white glass globes lit evenly from within, at staggered heights.
• Random pattern: globes spaced irregularly under a 23.9 in (60.7 cm) square canopy for a natural, floating cluster.
• Small scale, big presence: each globe is just 5 in (12.7 cm), so the cluster stays airy.
• Field adjustable: pre-set to a 30.5 in drop and adjustable up to 104 in overall.
• Three finishes: Matte Black, White or Polished Chrome on faceplate and sockets; white has a white backplate, the others black.

Specifications

Downloads

• SWD specification sheet (PDF)
• SWD 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!" SWD lets tiny LEDs turn nine small glass spheres into a softly glowing, floating cluster.

Questions

What is the design idea behind SWD?

A chandelier without arms: nine small white glass globes hung at random heights from one flat square canopy, so the light reads as a floating cluster of soft moons.

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.

Which finish should I choose?

The finish shows on the canopy faceplate and the small sockets. Matte Black frames the white globes most graphically, White makes the canopy vanish into a white ceiling, and Polished Chrome adds a little sparkle.

What is the light like, and can it be dimmed?

744 lumens in total at 3000K with a 90 CRI, a soft, diffuse glow from opal glass rather than a task light. The universal driver dims 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.