New: Almendra from Flos

Almendra is a new collection of pendant lamps by designer Patricia Urquiola from Italian premium lighting manufacturer Flos. As the Spanish word of its name suggests, the luminaire is reminiscent of open almond shells attached to a branch.

Indeed, the designer approached the project in an organic, almost biophilic way, starting with leaves and progressing through a flowering branch to the seed pod, gently opening to release the almond as soft, diffuse light through 'Edge' lighting technology. Urquiola believes the LED light source is very much like an organism - no longer an obviously mechanical fixture with a bulb but a visually simple glowing shell. She also looked to nature for the colours chosen, especially ochre and nude, taking inspiration from the almond trees of Ibiza.

There is a straight, linear option with either three, four or six luminaires which can be rotated to angle the light up or down as desired. Another choice is a Y-shaped branch - long or short - with either two or three luminaires that also rotate, or an arc with two of these seed shapes. The colour temperature is warm at 2700K and all lamps are dimmable on push or Dali dimming systems.

Environmental impact was also at the forefront of Patricia Urquiola's mind. All components snap together - there is no glue or fiddley screws - so they can be easily dissembled, either for replacement or for disposal at end of life. The branch and fittings are made from extruded aluminium which is fully recyclable and the LED module is formed from a type of sustainable polycarbonate derived from a cellulose by-product of paper production. Each component is engraved with its recycling class.

Examples from the Almendra collection will be on display in store in September but can be ordered now.

Photography: Tommaso Sartori for Flos