1/6
Chad Jacobs Feels the Light
The article profiles Chad Jacobs, founder of Bone Simple Design, and his approach to lighting and fiber arts. Jacobs, who dislikes bare lightbulbs, emphasizes the importance of diffused light and multiple light sources to create a comfortable ambiance. His designs, primarily made with string and rope since 2015, are both decorative and functional. Jacobs's Truro home, which he shares with his husband Stephen Orr, showcases a variety of his creations, including large hanging fixtures, wall sconces, and tabletop lights.
Jacobs, with a background in architecture, integrates structural integrity with soft materials in his designs. He advises using at least two light sources in a room to achieve proper illumination, typically a combination of table, wall, and ceiling lamps. In his home, an orb-like fixture made from white rope encloses an opaque globe pendant, illustrating his commitment to obscuring the bulb while allowing light to emanate. He notes that this particular piece, while experimental, was too time-consuming for large-scale production.
The article highlights some of Jacobs's ready-to-produce designs, such as a drum light and wall sconce in his entranceway, which offer flexibility for bright or atmospheric lighting through dimmer switches. He meticulously considers bulb shape and silhouette during the design process. The drum fixture, made from opaque fabric, casts a warm, round glow, while the wall sconce, with its spaced rope strands, subtly reveals chandelier bulbs, dispersing light gradually on the wall.
Jacobs's architectural background from the University of Texas, Austin, informs his design philosophy, leading him to create rigid underlying structures that complement the soft materials. An example is a large, terra-cotta-colored lamp above his stairway, reminiscent of Brunelleschi’s Dome in Florence, demonstrating how scale is crucial in integrating a fixture within a space. While he has created larger pieces, his Truro home features designs scaled appropriately for its modest size.
Fiber art profoundly influenced Jacobs's work, especially after an exhibition in 2015. Since establishing Bone Simple Design in 1993, he has explored various materials, but fiber became his primary focus, leading to a successful collection of wrapped, dyed shapes produced by his team in New York City. He believes fiber art continues to evolve and holds significant artistic potential.
#ChadJacobs #LightingDesign #FiberArts #HomeDecor #InteriorLighting #BoneSimpleDesign #ArchitecturalInfluence #TextileArt #HandcraftedLighting #ChadJacobs #LightingDesign #FiberArts #HomeDecor #InteriorLighting #BoneSimpleDesign #ArchitecturalInfluence #TextileArt #HandcraftedLighting
No comments yet
Lighting Up
jeff da-yu shi: LED bamboo lighting
