The prolific design team at Japanese studio, Nendo, shows no signs of slowing down, even in a turbulent year we have all had to experience. Under the guidance of Oki Sato, Nendo has designed an outdoor lighting collection for the Italian lighting brand, Flos. With a combination of a thin frame and an illuminated sphere, the collection offers two configurations of objects: either as side tables or as floor lamps leaned against a wall.

There are two types of tables shaped as a square and a rectangle. Both types consist of two frames, one used for lighting and the other used to secure the tabletop in place. A shared leg connects the two together and serves as a concentric hinge that allows the user to adjust the angle between the frames. The same leg also conceals the electricity cords that connects between the light fixture and the battery hidden within the tabletop surface, enabling mobility and outdoor use.

An intentional bending of the metal structure is designed to make the frame appear to softly sink under the “weight” of the illuminated sphere. This detail is also incorporated in the floor lamps that are made of thin frames slightly bending and sinking against the wall and around the spheres of light. The corner lamp type can be used in two directions and can be placed either vertically or horizontally.

The soft shape of the frames, grants the objects a sense of character and creates a unique visual, as if capturing the weight of light itself. Although originally designed as an outdoor product, these pieces do feel like they would be a wonderful interior feature. Particularly the leaning floor lamp, which would offer a bold yet unobtrusive visual statement to a space.