New York City, NY
Toni Ann Hoffman
Pomander Lamp
Class: Design Studio 1
School Year: Sophomore
To start off the project we had to choose an area in New York City to study and observe. I chose Pomander Walk, an apartment complex located on the Upper West Side.
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From here I had to create a product inspired by the area. What I found most fascinating in this area was the romantic ambience it held. What contributed most to that environment was the setting - a travel back in time design consisting of a romantic novel setting.
The lamps in particular stood out to me, leading to the design of a lamp for the final product.
Environment Study​
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I took images from the walk to bring detail into my ideation process. I was fascinated by the details of the buildings that made the area as a whole barely look like New York.
Initial Sketches
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I epxlored various forms of lamps that was purely inspired by pieces of Pomander walk.
Details that stood out to me was the street lamps, vinery, the variety in wall panels and the small narrow halls along the side of the buildings.
Show Beads
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I wanted to mimic a prop piece for a theatre play as this area reminded me of a stage design with how out-of-place it looked in New York. I therefore wanted a fake necklace dangling from the corner as if it's a lamp set on a characters beauty desk.
Pull Chain
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As I was mimicing a past styled design I wanted to add details from older lamps- one common detail being a pull chain.
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Fake Cigarette
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To further hint to a stage play the use of cigarettes is a common prop in theatre and film. Therefore I wanted to recreate a fake cigarette to sit on the base of the lamp, freshly burnt.
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Playing Cards
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On the base sits fake cards to give this piece an overall stagnant in time characteristic. This is a reflection of the area being a pause in the past when put in such a modern surrounding.
Faux Candle
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The lighting of the walk was what gave the romantic connotation. Therefore I created a fake cnadle to sit on the base of the lamp which would give out a soft glow when the lamps not in use.
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Mockup
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Made up of paper, the mockup helped as a guide before building the final design to finalize the details of the lamp
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Style
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With the illusion as a piece from the past I was highly fascinated with a fun 70s themed piece. I wanted the piece to feel like a movie prop in an old detective film as the place felt like a mystery could take place in it's tiny alley ways and locked gates.
Theatre Elements
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The chopped up pieces of eraser was added to the cigarette to seem like aburnt out cigarette. WIth the candle I created a fake flame, as the place resembled a pause in time this referenced te feeling I noted when visiting Pomander Walk.
Overall Style
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All of the pieces are full of life with various colors and patterns which is another note of mention from the walk- it was very lively but the decor truly gate it a pause in time reference.
Final model
The final design was a retro pattern on a cotton lamp shade and pull chain mechanism.
In Detail
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The lamp included the cards, cigarette and candle as planned. The final model is still a mid fidelity as it was only made out of styrofoam and recycled paper,