Being Miami born and bred, I have an innate affection for tropical foliage. Give me the voluptuous and velutinous greenery of Elephant Ears, the frothy pink fronds of the Bromeliad. Out in the desert, I’m at a loss. I just can’t find anything to love in all those spindly, spiny stickers and stems. Except when it comes to the Agave. This desert succulent has an irregular growth habit and a variegated rosette of leaves that recalls a viridian octopus. As you might imagine, then, I’m quite charmed by Luceplan’s Agave Pendant Lamp by Diego Rossi and Raffaele Tedesco.

Agave Pendant Lamp. Designed by Diego Rossi and Raffaele Tedesco for Luceplan

Transparent Diffuser Creates an Interplay of Color and Light

The piece may not entirely share my impression of the Agave Plant. The “injection-moulded transparent methacrylate rib diffuser” (whew!) is fashioned more in the form of a cosmic starfish, so in some ways, Rossi and Tedesco have synthesized the oceanic and astronomical connotations of Agave. However, Luceplan assures us that the form of the methacrylate ribs has a practical component as well. The fish-fin like projections keep the lamp functionally transparent (no direct light interference to the inquisitive eye), while obscuring the light source just enough to prevent excessive dispersion: “Their radial composition in fact causes a dematerialization of the luminous source, while their quick disassembly allows easy maintenance.”

“Easy maintenance” is sweet music to my ears, since, as readers may remember, I’m often intimidated by the dust-collecting potential of intricate lightpieces (see Ayala Serfaty’s Soma). Like its naturally-occurring namesake, Agave is easily cleansed. It’s also easily altered as befits ambiance and mood: simply swap out any of the included red, yellow, blue, or cream colored filters to change the tenor of its illusory yet illuminative emissions.