Dr. Strangelove embodied director Stanley Kubrick’s strange aesthetic perhaps more physically than any other of his films. The war room—a product of set designer Sir Ken Adams—even outdid the excellent stars-capes and futuristic spaceships of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Airflite. Manufactured by Kinzo and idee.design.licht

You may or may not remember the large table, giant screen, and hearty telephone (like a plastic brick) of Kubrick’s disastrous governmental dais, but surely only die-hard fans of the movie will recall the war room’s imposing lamp, a colossal ring emanating a cold glow like some evil halo—apparently, Berlin-based firm Kinzo never forgot that cinematic light either. In a striking tribute to Dr. Strangelove‘s war room, Kinzo offers the 21st century version of ceiling-mounted lighting, boldly titled Airflite: a flame red lacquered ring of aluminum and acryl glass with an impressive 2.20 meter diameter.

Even though Airflite weighs 48 kilograms, its specially designed mounting makes assembly surprisingly easy. Besides the ease of installation, Airflite’s suspension also gives the lamp a streamlined look. Kinzo explains: “Combined with a transparent feeder and suspended by a variable high-grade steel cord, the luminary seems to float free and weightless in space.” This flying quality makes Airflite as fanciful as a Calder mobile—if said mobile had been envisioned by Dalí—yet it retains the simplicity of form so crucial to the Bauhaus. In this case, the circle.

Stanley Kubrick inside the war room from Dr. Strangelove.

As good-looking as it is, the Airflite lamp doesn’t skimp on illumination. The four arc segments that make up the circular pendant are all equipped with dimmable fluorescent tubes. Unlike the horrors of standard office fluorescent tube bulbs, Airflite manages the light in two distinct ways: first, the tubes are covered by satinized acryl, which hides the bulbs; second, 70% of the light shines upward toward the ceiling, which reflects the light instead of being harsh and direct.

Airflite is the first product that Kinzo designed in conjunction with idee.design.licht. The pair has plans for the future, however; the two companies intend to produce a full range of lighting fixtures. Kinzo and idee.design.licht synthesize their partnership: “From IDEA to DESIGN to LIGHT—a fusion of innovation and creativity with lighting know-how and outstanding craftsmanship.” In a way, the partnership that gave us the Airflite is similar to the Kubrick/Adams duo, with each expert working symbiotically to fulfill an otherworldly vision.