SPHAER is a Vienna-based design studio specializing in the design and manufacture of
lighting elements. Founded in 2023, it offers design that combines the craftsmanship of ceramics and glass with the poetic vision of its founder, designer Leni Piëch. Born in 1993, Leni majored at the renowned Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, earning a master's degree in Innovation Management. In her enchanting studio-laboratory located in the Viennese hills, surrounded by vineyards, the past merges with the present, resulting in forms that imagine the future. The brand name, meaning “sphere,” recalls the infinite spaces of the cosmos and the exploration of other worlds and unknown dimensions. Each object is unique and is handmade by assembling carefully selected recyclable materials. A meeting with Bade Erol, a young Turkish designer trained in London in Product Design and specializing in Lighting Design at NABA Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano and Phillips Lighting University, resulted in the first two collections in the SPHAER catalog. Both collections caught the attention of industry experts and the public at Vienna Design Week 2024. A debut that bodes well for the future.
Calliope pendant lamps, novel geometries and striking lighting
Honored with the Elle Deco Design Awards Turkey 2024 in the Lighting category, Sphaer's
Calliope collection of pendant lamps casts us into an enchanted world. Geometric shapes draw asymmetrical compositions with a strong impact that characterize the space. The
Aglalea pendant lamp, inspired by one of the Three Graces of Greek mythology, “Splendor,” is fixed to the ceiling with two iron tubes, on which the horizontally unfolding structure is mounted. At the ends, the two pink blown glass spheres, fixed in different orientations, house the light body, and diffuse a soft light, reflected by the parabolic-shaped diffusers. The delicate balance of the composition is emphasized by two oval-shaped ceramic elements. The
Hecate pendant lamp, evoking the ancient Chthonic goddess of fertility, guides us into subterranean worlds with its gentle light. The pink blown glass sphere is topped with dark green ceramic graphic elements, symbolizing the crown that adorns the goddess' head. The
Ourania pendant lamp evokes one of the nine Muses, a symbol of the cosmos inhabited by spheres and luminous stars. The pink blown glass diffuser in the shape of a sphere this time features a small petrol green ceramic sphere on the surface.
Sphaer, the delicate balances of Pythia pendant lamps
The Sphaer catalog is completed with the
Pythia hanging lamp collection, played on delicate geometric balances. After all, peace is made of delicate balances, personified by the goddess after whom the
hanging lamp Eirene is named. In the darkness, the pink blown glass sphere, enclosed in a transparent glass cylinder, lights up and reveals the contours of the ceramic composition from which it is suspended, creating an evocative shape. The lamp is attached to the ceiling with a chrome-plated iron rod, the oval-shaped lamp holder is made of orange-colored ceramic, and the disc holding the two glass diffusers is made of petrol-green lacquered wood. The
Bia hanging lamp combines different shapes and materials in a composition with a strong aesthetic impact. The diffuser consists of an ovoid sphere made of clear glass and a conical-shaped inner element made of pink glass. The lamp holder is made of two overlapping discs with different diameters, one in dark green ceramic and one in light green wood. The lamp is suspended from an iron tube with gold or silver finish, with variable length as desired.
Theia pendant lamp sports a complex composition, colorful and elegant at the same time. The lamp inspired by the goddess of light is composed of a pink glass shade enclosed in a clear bell-shaped glass, and a lamp holder with overlapping ceramic discs colored in light green, orange, light blue and purple. The lamp is attached to the ceiling by an adjustable iron rod declined in gold or silver finishes.
