Abigail Klein Leichman
March 7, 2016

It’s pretty, it’s practical, it’s energy-efficient and affordable. That’s why the iLLuminite collection of LED lamps by Israeli industrial designer Amit Sturlesi is lighting up homes on three continents.

“iLLuminite is inspired by the search for a more unique and original approach to night lights and ambient lights,” says Sturlesi, a 2005 graduate of IED Milano in Italy.

Determined to use the more expensive but more energy-efficient and safe LED bulbs while keeping the product price at around $50, he experimented with materials before settling on concrete to form the base of the lamps.

“Concrete is a cheap durable material which can take on almost any form and when combined with the right materials has a high-end look and feel to it,” he says.

“buLb,” the first lamp in the series, was introduced in summer 2013 followed by the Zoo Collection. Interest snowballed to the point where lighting now comprises 80 percent of Sturlesi Design studio’s sales.

The iLLuminite Zoo Collection. Photo: courtesy
The iLLuminite Zoo Collection. Photo: courtesy

The studio, located on the borderline of the combined municipality of Tel Aviv and Jaffa, turns out a variety of lamps with different shapes and colors. Some of them share the same concrete base, so you can switch them out.

The iLLuminite line is sold online at www.illuminite.me and on Etsy, and in select shops in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France, Australia, Finland, the UK and Israel.

These iLLuminite lamps pay homage to Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus architecture. Photo: courtesy
These iLLuminite lamps pay homage to Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus architecture. Photo: courtesy

At a showcase in Frankfurt in February at the Ambiente international trade fair for consumer goods, Sturlesi introduced a new Kapsulite collection of six ceiling pendant lamps made of concrete and acrylic.

Amit Sturlesi with his Kapsulite collection. Photo by Ronen Goldman
Amit Sturlesi with his Kapsulite collection. Photo by Ronen Goldman

Sturlesi also makes the wineAbout shifting wine bottle stand made of stainless steel, PVC and an outer rubber layer; and custom-made Spoonya flexible book-storage units.

He’s got a prototype of a unique Hanukkah menorah, the Hanukimeter, made from oak, brass and leather with a measuring-tape mechanism for exposing another candle holder every night.

Sturlesi has exhibited his designs in Milan, Tel Aviv, Toronto, Paris and London. He is not the only Israeli lighting designer attracting international interest. Among others are designer Ayala Serfaty and Studio Cheha.

For more information, click here.

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