An intricately decorated Persian box provided a starting point for the latest range of designs from New York studio Radilum.
In its second series, Lantern, the brand's creative director looked to his personal heritage for influences.
The object sparked an exploration into artefacts and aesthetics from across the region, and resulted in a variety of designs all linked in some way to this culture.
"It is passed down as an idealized and melancholic memory, passed down through storytelling, food and music."
"This collection is an attempt to create a tangible connection to this place suspended in time, while also imagining it as a futurist fantasy," it added.
The collection includes 3 series of lighting. The first is a set of lamps called Comet, which feature planes of translucent alabaster intersected by fluted brass elements. The table and pendant models are designed to evoke traditional Middle Eastern jewelry.
“The stone glows from a hidden light source, illuminating the relationship between the solid and the permeable,” says the designer.
The Comet series of lamps features alabaster fixed to metal-wrapped brass structures that are based on those found on statues in the ancient city of Persepolis.
Bell-jar-shaped lamp shades made from ribbed porcelain typify the Lantern lighting series. Pendants can be used individually or in combinations, featuring metal fixtures that are also found in the floor and table versions.
The group's principles included the creation of gesamtkunstwerk, or total artworks, which meant designing every element of a space from the architecture down to accessories.
In this spirit, Radilum created an installation at Collective Design that created the mood and atmosphere they envisioned for the products.
“The Toam collection envisions objects with pan-cultural influences, blending a modernist interpretation of classical Western forms with the complex geometric styles of the city’s Persian marquetry.”
The objects in the collection are planned to be produced in two versions: in solid metal and in Italian marble. However, only the first version is currently available for purchase.
"Unfortunately, due to the current US trade sanctions against China, which were recently expanded to include works of art, and having exhausted all possible avenues, we are unable to produce a limited edition series for the foreseeable future," Radilum said in a statement.