Seattle-based graypants is the creative consortium-come-enclave of designers Jonathan Junker and Seth Grizzle, two young men whose marquee-ready names are matched only by a yin for the absurd, a surpassing sense of humor, and a presto-chango workspace where "we get our hands dirty… existing walls and spaces have been reconfigured to make efficient and shared use of the multiple daylight sources, while created walls and movable panels allow the studio to immediately transform and accommodate the many needs of a live+work approach to design." Too bad I can't devote an entire post to said space, such are its OSB-trapdoor laden charms; not to worry, graypants' sleek, circular steplight is a more than worthy substitute.

steplight. Designed by graypants.

Raw Aluminum Reveals Innumerable Illuminations

Hopefully you'll forgive the onomatopoeic alliteration of the above, but something about graypants provokes me to such linguistic indulgence. Not that there's anything remotely smarty-pants or even fancy-pants about steplight. To the contrary, the piece is a suave synthesis of industrial modern and old world Japanese. Constructed of descending-sized rings of reflective raw aluminum, steplight's structure is its shade. Four wooden slats-each with the profile of a quarter arch-provide the metaphorical glue, as steplight coheres via this impressive joinery.

Grizzle and Junker reveal much when they talk of steplight's "reveals": "the natural process of prototyping different models led to interesting plays on light and shadow… the reveals left between each layer cast concentric shadows on the surrounding walls and ceiling." They also facilitate the unique nature of every individual steplight, as the random pattern of pixels on the fixture's surface give each a distinctive aspect.

steplight's versatile aesthetic has a counterpart in its high functionality. The piece works equally well as a pendant, floor, or table lamp, without the need for any adjustment of alteration between uses.