Solette Lamp
Making of a Tiffany 90s minimal-inspired lamp. A blend of timeless artistry and modern elegance.
"Solette" - originates as a name with French and Latin roots, meaning "little sun".
About Me
My name is Ayesha, and I am a second-year student studying Product Design Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University. I am passionate about innovative, creative design projects that require hands-on skills and imagination. Minimalism is my biggest fear, and I chose to become a design engineer because of it. As they say, "chase your fears". Bringing back original and unique intricate designs is my motivation in this field, but since there is no way to ignore the rise in minimalism as of now, I try to slowly implement simpler designs into my projects while also staying true to myself, like in this project.
History behind the Tiffany lamp
Tiffany lamp
Since this design is inspired by the techniques used in a Tiffany Lamp I did some research on it's background.
Louis Comfort Tiffany is founder and creator of the original Tiffany lamp. Born in 1848 in New York City as the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, the founder of the world-famous Jewellery retailer, Tiffany & Co. This meant he was always surrounded by decorative art and design from a young age, but his inspiration was sparked by the Roman Glass collection at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. That was when his passion for glassmaking began in his 20’s.
A lot of Tiffany’s glass making style differed greatly from other glassmakers at the time. He was drawn to more rustic look of glass rather than smooth and sleek. His glass was characterized by rich and bright tones making his work stand out.
FUN FACT!
‘Did you know that Louis Comfort Tiffany didn’t actually design the intricate depictions on the glass shades of Tiffany lamps? Not many people know that the genius behind these iconic designs is, in fact, artist Clara Driscoll. This highly talented and celebrated artist and craftswoman was head of the Tiffany Studios Women’s Glass Cutting Department and lead her team in the selection and cutting of the glass based on Driscoll’s original designs.’
A woman not given proper credit for her work? not surprised at this point, are we? I created my design, keeping Clara Driscoll in mind, bringing light to her ideas but with a touch of modern and more youthful designs.