Pilzkopfleuchten

Pilzkopfleuchten is a LED steel pendant lamp whose shade is made of the enamelled socket found in the first generation of the Pilzkopfleuchte, dating back to the early 1960s. The lamp shade is clamped into the fixture. The enamelled shell of the original lamp socket is stripped of any remaining paint prior to reuse. Irregular traces of ageing give the original material its unique character. With its unique mushroom-like shape, the Pilzkopfleuchte became an integral part of West Germany’s roads and pedestrian paths in the 1960s. Today, these street lights that once graced cities and helped typify their look are being gradually replaced by LED-based technology. THPG designs give these aesthetically significant luminaires a new life as one-of-a-kind sources of light for indoors. Inspired by the original which looks very much like the British tin top lantern, THPG has taken two components of the original street light and turned them on their head to create completely new designs. The shade of the Pilzkopfleuchte – a rounded, white cylinder of tempered, weatherproof polythene with a UV-protection coating – now serves as an illuminated box that can be used as a footrest or side table. On its own, it also acts as a minimalistic overhead light source. In combination with the original sheet steel socket, it forms part of a unique enamelled hanging lamp that references the look of the modern era. The luminaires are made from the actual street lights that used to be found throughout West Germany and were originally manufactured by Rota-Form, a northern German plastics company that produced seamless, tempered, shatterproof and chemically stable hollow bodies through rotational moulding. Because the lamps are made from the original Pilzkopfleuchte street lights, some of which have been in use for 60 years, there may be irregularities in the material or their colour. As a result, every item is one of a kind.