Designer Craig Jenkins has a flair for making the old seem new. Among his extant portfolio of some 20+ pendant lamps, you’ll find a terracotta jug that looks more suited to pour forth cool water than a stream of cool light; a snow white spun metal “missile” that evokes the once ubiquitous imagery of a Cold War warhead; and a design of wire mesh tubing that appears best equipped to dim the visage of a Sultan’s odalisque.

Natural Birch Bark Log Lamp. Designed and Manufactured by Craig Jenkins.

A Rustic Lamp with A Contemporary Edge

But by re-fashioning these and other storied icons into lamps, Jenkins updates classical motifs while challenging us to see with fresh eyes. In regards to his Natural Birch Bark Log Lamp, the “icon” is a simple cylinder of raw wood—hardly an artifact with a storied cultural history, unless culture encompasses the infinitely broader sweep of nature.

The achievement here is not only having incorporated an unfinished component as the lamp’s central structure, but also having imbued said component with the golden shimmer of energy efficient LEDs. Said glowing staff of birch, counter posed with the simple lantern style frame and subdued linked chain, makes the Birch Log Lamp subtle but stylish—suited to a country estate or the hidden niches of a Parisian Pied-à-terre.

That terrain would be sufficient for most, but Jenkins isn’t content to leave it at that. His other recent creations include the amazing, custom Bird lamps—fashioned from real branches, actual lichen, and authentic rose petal-covered shades; and the equally compelling Illuminated Wall Art Dark Bronze Fixture with Coral, created from—you guessed it—the once living, breathing, rapidly multiplying and endlessly fascinating builders of marine reefs. So it seems that, beyond the darkened niches of the forest, Jenkins’ aesthetic terrain extends to the sea and sky as well.

About the Designer: If one were to map out the lifetime travels of designer Craig Jenkins, the resultant zig-zagging lines across the continents and oceans might be dizzying to behold. The restaurateur gone designer has enjoyed working stints in several of the great cities of the world: NYC, LA, SF, London, Milan, and beyond. Most of these forays involved the world of Alta Cucina. His experience with building and running restaurants branched off along the way into boutique hotel design and later into a directorial position at an atelier in Italy, where he oversaw projects in commercial interiors, furniture design, and sanitary fittings. As is clear from the Birch Log Light—and his growing portfolio of pendant lamps—he’s now turned to his true passion: “After years of working to the needs and desires of others, I felt it was time to turn my attention to realizing my own ideas and most specifically, to a lifelong interest in lighting.”