WHEN LOOKING at any award-winning products, it’s always gratifying to come across the bells and whistles type of lighting, some glimpse into a brave new world of illumination and luminaire design. But sometimes it’s also more to the point to find a traditional fitting that just does the job better or allows more creative possibilities.
And while people can be forgiven for not being terribly fascinated by the gubbins inside a light fitting, it is often developments in sources and, as evidenced by some of the 2023 Red Dot
Design Award lighting winners below, the optics, that make all the difference to creating a fitting that does something new in terms of lit effect.
The downlight is a case in point, generally regarded as one of the more prosaic luminaires, one of those workhorse fittings that rarely gets anyone excited. But while they didn’t make the Best of the Best list, two downlights have managed to break a modest bit of new ground and deservedly won a Red Dot Design Award for their innovation and practical usefulness.