For the last 13 years, I’ve been writing about luxury design. What has always captivated me more than anything else is the inspiration behind the product. Within the corporate domain sometimes narratives are stretched or embellished for marketing reasons. Ultimately that’s why I’ve mostly gravitated towards independents. Their stories illustrate the many challenges encountered in bringing a product to market. For example, the cost implications of developing prototypes and securing reliable manufacturing partners. Two people who have embarked on this journey are Neno and Diane Murad who own NLiR33.
A lot of my time these days is invested in researching new and innovative products. This is where I discovered the Melbourne-based micro brand NLiR33. Instantly I connected with Neno and Dianne Murad who kindly shared their story with me. They explained that as Assyrians from Iraq, they migrated to Australia in search of new beginnings in the late 90’s. The primary objective was to build a sustainable future. In appreciation of their new life, they’ve established a company to give opportunities to other less fortunate people. Even though the business is still in the early stages they have released some very distinctive products. A great example is the phenomenal Carl Jung-inspired ‘Discovery Lamp’.
Normally the products I review are inspired by architecture, automotives or nature. That is why I was fascinated to learn the catalyst for the Discovery Lamp was a children’s book called ‘Prince Run’ written by Neno and Dianne. What makes this lamp so special is the five-disc structure representing the stages of life: birth, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and death. Each disc has three brightness levels, representing the people we encounter who shape our journey. NLiR33 want to convey a spiritual message. “The lamp, like life; is in your hands. You control the light”.
The Discovery Lamp is fabricated from polished rose gold tinted aluminium and Acrylic. It stands at 1200mm tall with a base of 300mm and weighs around 3 kg. Therefore it’s relatively mobile and can be easily relocated if desired. Personally. I feel this is a brilliant design and the build quality is suburb. The LED lights at full capacity are effective but I also love the ambient dimming facility. It’s also very easy to install with three sections and very concise instructions. Certainly, for $800AU I feel the price is very competitive.
In future, I would love to see the ‘Discovery Lamp’ made from materials like copper, bronze and brushed titanium with tempered glass. This would obviously have significant cost implications but is definitely worthwhile in my opinion.
For more information about the ‘Discovery Lamp’ follow this link
