CORONA SOLAR LIGHT
by Emily Pilloton, 05/24/07
One of our favorite discoveries at this year’s ICFF (and winner of the ICFF Editor’s Choice Award for Best New Designer), was Emi Fujita and Shane Kohatsu’s brand new Corona Solar Light, an outdoor lighting solution that combines a photovoltaic cell, LEDs, and sunflower-esque form to bring a lovely solar-powered glow to your outdoor spaces. The self powered Corona Lamp can be used indoors and out – attached to a wall, staked and “planted” like a flower, or just placed on a tabletop- all without glues or fasteners.
The inspiration for Corona came from an evening spent at Southern California’s Viceroy Hotel, in which the duo’s brainstorming session went something like this: “space…. mood…. decoration…. sun…. SOLAR! LIGHT!” The dish & flower form grew out of a metaphor that the designers saw as a natural direction for a solar-powered and outdoor product, celebrating the technology while blending into the outdoor environment.
You may remember the name Emi Fujita from last year, when she debuted a chair design with Bernhardt Design and the Art Center College.
Sometimes it’s the simple ideas that really amaze. I think the solar light in the direct form of a flower is certainly fitting and quite beautiful. This is what keeps me coming back to inhabitat. Bravo on the Corona.