ADI Design Index, the annual publication that identifies the excellence of Italian design, has chosen for its 2023 edition the lamps Nile, designed by Rodolfo Dordoni, and Chiaroscura, born from the collaboration with Alberto and Francesco Meda. This recognition sets the stage for participation in the Compasso d’Oro ADI, the most prestigious award in the design industry.
After numerous rounds of selection that culminated in two Compasso d’Oro awards over the years—first for Marc Sadler’s Mite in 2001 and later for the editorial project Inventario in 2014—the Permanent Design Observatory has once again chosen Foscarini for its design care and innovative character. Representing these distinctive qualities of the Foscarini brand in 2023 are the lamps Nile designed by Rodolfo Dordoni and Chiaroscura by Alberto e Francesco Meda, both selected in the Lighting Design category (Design per l’Illuminazione)
Below a presentation of the Foscarini projects featured in the ADI Design Index 2023:
NILE
Table Lamp – design Rodolfo Dordoni
Conceived by Rodolfo Dordoni, Nile is a decorative lamp of remarkable character, with a vivid presence that brings sophisticated elegance to any space. Beautiful even when off, it takes on even more allure when light filters through the precious blown glass, casting illumination both downward onto surfaces and upward through the two open sides of the diffuser.
A lamp-sculpture where contrasting elements coexist, unified in a composition of volumes seemingly defying gravity, symbolizing the balance between opposites: the solidity of marble and the delicacy of glass, the coldness of extracted material and the warmth of blown material. The base and diffuser, at different angles, remain in place thanks to an invisible game of weights, positions, and joints, resulting in a dynamic overall effect.
Designer Rodolfo Dordoni states, “I wanted a sculptural presence, a true diffuser of light, with a form that was not necessarily tied to the function. I designed two intersecting volumes: the small marble base and the large glass diffuser. When I looked at them, I was reminded of the famous bust of Queen Nefertiti, which gave me the name Nile.”
The marble base, polished in a matte finish to enhance its natural veins, is handcrafted—available in Carrara (white) and Marquina (black) marble. The diffuser is made in white jacketed blown glass.
CHIAROSCURA
Floor Lamp – design Alberto and Francesco Meda
Chiaroscura stems from a design challenge: to explore the possibility of enhancing the functionality of a classic luminator, which by definition only emits indirect up light. The elegant and lightweight body of Chiaroscura, which is totally illuminated rather than just illuminating,was the goal which led to the definition of the shape, the choice of materials and manufacturing technologies. Simultaneously understated yet packed with character, it is a discrete presence that masks a concealed technical complexity.
Chiaroscura is made up of three semi-arches which describe a specific triangular cross-section: a design choice that proves to be a balanced presence which thinks outside the box, because it is capable of changing depending on the perspective. The lamp consists of elements of different materials that slide into and interlock with each other, without sacrificing ease of assembly and disassembly. Its frame is an alternation of matt and luminous surfaces which lighten the visual impact of the lamp, made with extruded aluminium and PMMA in longitudinal prisms that concurrently ensure transparency and comfortable diffusion of light
Chiaroscura casts both a powerful indirect light, originating from the LED inserted at the top, as well as an indirect light on the wall or diffused into the room depending on how the lamp is adjusted, thanks to the LED strip housed inside along the full height of one of the extruded aluminium components. Integrated grooves allow sliding between aluminum and plastic, while side caps prevent undesired movements.
