I like this idea. Updating a classic for the 21st century. In this case, the 1960s Gae Aulenti Pipistrello Lamp gets a Bluetooth upgrade.
The design dates back to 1966, the work of Gae Aulenti and to be honest, a statement of the era. Bold, futuristic, almost space-age in look. This is a lamp from the 1960s but it could be a lamp from the future. It looks like nothing else.
And that individuality is why it remains so popular. This is a lamp not just designed to illuminate a room. This is a lamp to turn heads.
It has been updated over the years, with the white finish followed by some coloured bases. Also, the lamp has been offered in a smaller format too. Same lamp, but for smaller spaces (and bank balances). But it hasn’t been updated quite as dramatically as this new version.
OK, the design itself is still faithful to the one Gae Aulenti introduced us to over 50 years ago. Why would you even consider changing it? The difference here is all about the inner workings.
You no longer have to get up to turn your TV on and off, so why do we get up to turn lamps on? With this one, you don’t.
Maker Martinelli Luce has introduced version 4.0. It offers Tunable White LED technology which lets you control and personalise your lighting using a free app that can be activated and used via Bluetooth on your smartphone or tablet. So the same lamp, but with improved lighting options by modulating the colour temperature of the LEDs via the app.
Of course, you get that amazing piece of design in your home too. A lamp with the wavy-shaped shade inspired by a bat (‘pipistrello’ in Italian), with a diffuser, made from methacrylate, sitting on a conical coloured aluminium base.
Still made in Italy by the Martinelli Luce factory, the lamp is available in all the colours you see here, each one selling for around £1,391.
