Behind the Design: Leven Lighting Range
We've caught up with founder and designer, Tom Raffield, to learn more about the inspiration behind our latest lighting range...
Celebrating paired-back structural beauty with its tiered, timeless drum shape, the Leven Lighting Range is a new addition to our collection of handcrafted wooden lighting. We've caught up with our founder Tom to find out more about his inspiration and the Leven Lighting Range journey.
Leven has a different aesthetic to your other lights - tell us about what inspired the collection?
TR: "This past year, I’ve had more time like everyone else, to go for more walks and get extremely familiar with my local area - this time in nature has allowed me to view Cornwall in a different light and seek inspiration from different places. Whilst most of our designs are inspired by the organic beauty of our surrounding environment, the Leven Lighting Range was specifically inspired by the sea-eroded cliff faces and ridged headlands that distinguish the north coast of Cornwall. I also love the smooth lines, geometric shapes, streamlined forms of the Art Deco movement, so it felt like a natural fit to marry my inspiration with this design style."
Which rooms of the home do you feel the products best lend themselves to? Did you have this in mind when designing the range?
TR: "The Leven is such a versatile design it lends itself to a number of rooms, but I imagine the pendant and wall lights would look brilliant in contemporary living spaces and hallways to create a warm welcome. The shadows created by each of the designs bring an amazing depth to a room. Whilst designing the range, I considered a number of property styles and interior décor schemes, which is why we included the Flush Leven Ceiling Light in both a standard and large size. I sought to make this range as accessible and room inclusive as possible, each home is unique, and I wanted to honour that and make sure Leven could elevate any space."
Is there a set process you follow when coming up with a new design or product range?
TR: "After my initial inspiration, I sketch out my concept by hand and spend time experimenting with prototypes in the workshop. My talented team then model up the design on a computer software programme, where we continue to make more tweaks until we reach a sustainably engineered structure, and desirable aesthetic. Then comes several rounds of samples where we explore which wood types work best for certain products and the most successful methods of bringing the designs to life.
This is where we work out whether the design works or not. Sometimes we have to go back to the drawing board a few times, but sometimes the design just works! It is different each time and can sometimes be a lengthy process because every element is very considered, but it’s really rewarding and great fun."
How did you name the Leven Lighting Range?
TR: "Leven means ‘level’ in Cornish – which we felt very fitting for the design seeing as it’s handcrafted from ascending tiers of sustainably sourced wood. A lot of our designs are inspired by Cornwall, respecting the beauty that surrounds us and staying true to the roots of the landscape of which we continue to be so inspired by.
For the Leven Lighting Range, it was important the name considered the perfect balance of strength and vulnerability of the cliff faces I see so often throughout my walks, which is reflected in the careful, yet structured, layers of the design."
Which product in the new range is your favourite?
TR: "It’s a hard decision, but I would have to pick either the Leven Floor Light or the Leven Drum Pendant as my favourite. The Leven Floor Light is very adept at adding layers of illumination to an interior, and I think it is adaptable to any space. I can see the Leven Floor Light working well in living rooms, or in a bedroom to create some comfort. It draws the eye whilst adding a lovely glow to the room.
For this same reason I love the pendant design also, it’s incredibly versatile. The Leven Drum Pendant looks striking as a standalone pendant or as a cluster, above a dining table, as an example. I think the shadows and light work really well together in rooms with darker walls, this is where the art deco inspiration really comes through."
Posted: 06.05.21
Updated: 06.05.21