SOLAS | Handcrafted Luxury Lighting
Co-Creators: Nicole Tiffany, Maggie Walsh + Jack Buehler
This was a completely collaborative project, with each person touching on each part of the process.
The Problem: Create a functional lighting piece that challenges the status quo and stands out with a modern, innovative design, blending natural and manmade materials in a timeless way.
The Solution: I co-designed SOLAS, a striking lighting piece that merges sleek modern design with the warmth of natural materials, resulting in a functional yet bold lamp.
Sleek, contemporary aesthetics meet natural warmth.
Innovative design pushed creative boundaries while doing thorough user-testing and research.
Sold out in under 24 hours, becoming a standout at a competitive pop-up shop.
Key Roles & Skills:
→ Branding & Print Assets
→ Photography & Product Sketching
→ Production (Soldering, Woodworking)
→ User Testing & Trend Research
Trend and Consumer Research
We analyzed key interior design trends, including minimalism, geometric shapes, sleek finishes, and contrasting materials.
Insights were drawn from Interbrand's 2019–2020 trend report.
product moodboard
lifestyle moodboard
Through a survey of nearly 100 family and friends, we identified our target audience to guide product development.
How important is the material of your lamps to you?
What is your preferred price range for a unique lamp?
Concept Development
Round 1 - Refined Sketching
(categories: geometric, topographic, movement)
Round 1 - Lo-fi Prototyping
(categories: geometric, topographic, movement)
Round 2 - Lo-fi Prototyping
User Testing and Feedback
User tested with 9 individuals in our targeted demographic.
Golden Prototype
We chose our final direction based on feedback from user testing and refined the design through additional sketching and renders.
A golden prototype was then created to practice manufacturing techniques and evaluate the final materials.
Final Production
After finalizing our golden prototype, we transitioned to small-batch production for the remaining 15 lamps.
This process involved CNC machining, copper milling, soldering, sanding, varnishing, and sandblasting.
Branding
The final step was developing a name and visual identity for our product.
brainstorm
sketches
final hang tag
final hang tag (front)
(back)
mini-process poster and brand sticker for buyers
End Product
the team with our end products
(little did we know, they'd all find homes in less than 24 hours!)
