83
Caboche
Gregg
Binic
Plass
Buds
Nile
Filo
Madre
Gioia
Chiaroscura
Foscarini
Chap. 2 — The defi nition of an identity
Drawings by Ionna Vautrin of the Fabbrica del
vapore vases collection for Industreal. The
design of Binic forms a bond of continuity of
shape and colour with these vases.
The French designer Ionna Vautrin,
originally from Brittany, was inspired by the
maritime imagery of her home coastline,
and so the iconic shape of the lamp, which
is subtly cartoon-like, brings together the
iconography of a lighthouse – hence the
name – with that of a wind sock on a ship.
The fi rst prototype was twice the size but
there was something not quite right, hence
the decision to reduce its proportions to the
fi nal version in the small, lightweight and
portable format, designed to blend in with
any setting. Binic consists of a few
elements: a conical base with a diffuser
on top, both moulded in ABS. The diffuser,
which is reminiscent of a mini projector,
is closed with a simple, satin fi nish
polycarbonate screen, behind which the
light bulb is placed, projecting an intense,
homogeneous light. Colour, or rather the
range of colours in which it is available,
helps defi ne the personality of the lamp.
“A fun, colourful, small lamp”, as its
designer defi nes it, also recalling Eclisse by
Vico Magistretti, and emphasising that
colour is not a secondary feature. For this
reason, and exceptionally, some special
versions have also been launched, including
Be/Colour! – a limited edition collection
interpreted by Ferruccio Laviani for
Foscarini in 2018 – that breaks away from
monochrome to use two contrasting shades
for the head and the base, or the special
version in satin fi nish red launched in 2021.
The range of gentle yet bright pastel hues
(white, pink, blue, green, yellow and
anthracite) was updated in 2015. In the
product communication too, Foscarini
wanted to underscore the playful,
non-committal personality of the lamp with
the production of a video animation, and
themed packaging in simple,
natural-coloured cardboard was devised to
complete the purchasing experience.
The lamp was awarded the honourable
mention at the Compasso d’Oro in 2014.
Binic /2010 — design Ionna Vautrin
About shedding light
83
Lamp components.
Right, a frame taken from the video
produced with Ionna Vautrin for the market
launch of Binic.
