The problem: Nothing but brass hooks to position and suspend cable hung pendant lights.
The solution: A hand crafted, hand cast, truly minimal form, designed for the job!
For years, Melbourne interior designer Dominique Hunter was frustrated with the makeshift method in which cable hung pendant lights were positioned and secured. The common solution at the time – a brass hook – was not appropriate for many of the great lights she used in her interiors.
So she enlisted the help of her partner Antony Richards to create an elegant and natural way to hang pendant lights in her projects. While managing their business Hunter & Richards, Antony used his spare time and background in jewellery design to carefully hand craft a hook that could position and suspend cable hung ceiling lights with no knot, clamp, bolt, screw or clip.
“We wanted a solution that would not stand out as a feature, one that would let the cable hang naturally” says Dominique. A decision made early in the project was to have the cable lock itself down. This lead to a form that was beautiful in itself, but when wrapped with the electrical cable it took a step back and let the design of the light fitting do its job, letting (pardon the pun) the light shine!
“There are so many cool light fittings around, and just because you’re not spending a lot on one doesn’t mean you have to compromise on the minor details of an interior project by using a cheap hook from the hardware store. We wanted something that was designed for this purpose alone, and be a solution that would suit any pendant no matter the budget or style of interior,” Dominique adds.
After some workshop experimentation, a prototype was born. A small run of cast reproductions allowed Antony and Dominique to test the design on one of their interior projects. They were very happy with the result, and decided to develop the product further.
Antony turned to the internet to raise funds and gauge people’s interest. The popularity of crowd funding made Kickstarter an obvious choice, with its ability to spread the word quickly and keep people updated on the status of the project proving to be a powerful tool in the birth of a new product.
Antony said: “The Kickstarter campaign was a great way to get people in on our story and to have them join our journey as a small, independent design practice doing good design work and getting their first product out to market. It’s also a great way for people to be first with a new product or to grab a bargain, as the ideas featured are usually priced a lot lower than existing products and established brands.”
The campaign was successful, raising $15,467 or 309% of the funding goal. This allowed the pair to complete the development of the Little Bishop and then move ahead with production. Next month will see the first batch of Little Bishop Pendant Light Hooks delivered to expectant Kickstarter backers, as well as buyers who’ve purchased from the online store.
