Story | Zu Hui Photography | Courtesy of Pholc
Swedish designer brand Pholc has been illuminating the world for nearly 60 years, even though it was only incorporated in 2015. Evolving from its previous incarnation as a traditional lighting brand in southern Sweden dating back to 1962, it continues to shine with new ideas under a different brand image.
Apollo, by Broberg & Ridderstråle: Available in a range of colours, it can be used stand-alone, or in a mix of colours and composition.
Founded by couple Maja and Samuel Norburg, Pholc hails from the southern Swedish province of Småland (small land), proof that high design doesn’t always come from big cities. This tranquil area has been a cradle of Swedish style for years.
Edge, by Monika Mulder: The smooth silhouette of the light is soothing, off or on.
Glass manufacturers are aplenty here, with some workshops dating back to the 18th century. The region is also home to many Swedish furniture designers, including national icon Bruno Mathsson, whose works are well known and have inspired other furniture designers. Beech and ash are still used widely in many classic Swedish furniture plants here, including iconic Ikea.
Donna, by Nina Jobs and Stina Sandwall: This piece evokes the softness of pleats in hard metal.
Småland is synonymous with hardworking, experienced and meticulous artisans, including those at Pholc. A case in point is Pholc’s signature product Mobil, which earned its designer, Monika Mulder, the Elle Decoration Swedish Design Award.
Mobil, by Monika Mulder: A Pholc signature product.
Strangely, though, this “designed in Sweden, made in Sweden and awarded in Sweden” creation was actually inspired by New York. Mulder had in mind a simple and functional lamp for a New York loft. She blended the black finish on many of New York’s balconies with the lights on the Brooklyn Bridge to deliver a unique Swedish design. Mobil’s pendants can be turned every which way to form a variety of desired compositions, yet remain one cohesive, elegant form with clean lines.
A bouncy, whimsical spin
Scandinavians have a reputation for being relatively reserved, but the Swedes may be the playful lot among them. This is apparent in Bounce, another Mulder creation. opal glass globes hanging off the tips of understated metal arches look straight-laced and minimalistic on their own, but when many pendants are added, they provide a bouncy and whimsical spin—perfect hanging above an oblong table.
Bounce, by Monika Mulder: Choose the number of pendants to create a bouncy light for your home.
The Kandinsky, on the other hand, was inspired by the abstract circular paintings of 20th-century Russian artist wassily Kandinsky. Its form consists of a long spear piercing a sphere. Designers Mats Broberg and Johan Ridderstråle celebrate Småland’s tradition of hand-blown glass with this piece, seamlessly shaped custom-made smoked glass spheres that glow. It’s an art piece in its own right, and its soft diffused light defines the mood of a space.
Kandinsky, by Broberg & Ridderstråle: Inspired by Bauhaus style, the hand-blown glass globe softens the mood in a space.
Romb is a table lamp designed by Broberg & Ridderstråle. The duo experimented by utilizing rippled cardboard, a material used mostly for making architectural models. The Romb design is simple, with two rhombus forms of different sizes stacked together to cast light upward and downward. The final product is not made with cardboard, but with durable and easy-to-clean custom-pressed steel. Broberg & Ridderstråle intended it as a sculpture, in tune with Pholc’s ethos of blending art into stylish living through illumination.
Broberg & Ridderstråle intended it as a sculpture, in tune with Pholc’s ethos of blending art into stylish living through
illumination.
Romb, by Broberg & Ridderstråle: The cinnamon tone and rippled effect give it a masculine appeal.
