Saflex is a manufacturer of PVB (poly vinyl butate) interlayers and laminates for glass.  Saflex’s Vanceva product line is a decorative line aimed at architectural installations.  I especially like the color selector tool, that shows how colors and transparencies can be layered to achieve different effects.  A great way to infuse color, transparency and translucency into architectural lighting designs.

The Black Pearl is an office building/research lab in Taipai, Taiwan, designed by Shin Takamatsu Architects.  According to the Solutia World of Color Awards blog:

Cross-shaped LED lights mounted at the intersection of each window sash create the effect of constellations of shining stars on the buildings exterior – set against a pristine black, subtly curved glass façade that corresponds to the “flowing” shape of the Keeloung River which winds in front of the building.

Black Pearl is surrounded by buildings with light colored panels and glazing, further highlighting the arresting black appearance of the building. Solutia’s black Saflex™ interlayers for glass were chosen to create the intrigue and mystique surrounding the building, which has been called a sparkling wonder in the night.

Georg Bechter Licht is a small startup by an Austrian architect turned product designer.  I’m giving them the unofficial Lucept award for “Superb Tiny Booth Design“.  In a show like Light + Building, filled with massive booths and endless gorgeous presentations and product design, Georg’s booth was simple, elegant, and enticed passers-by to stop, look and linger.  Bechter Licht’s first product is a porcelain-ceramic recessed fixture; a simple affair really, as if an old-fashioned porcelain socket got-busy with one of the many plaster-spackle recessed fixture designs.  You can see one of the fixtures mounted to the wall in the right side of the picture.  I suggested to them they really need to add a Zhaga standard socket and module instead of their Edison socket to complete the design.

Swedish manufacturer Fagerhult had some nicely detailed LED pendants, flat panels with grids of LEDs.  Very difficult to photograph properly, the fixtures had an elegant optic design that ensured the individual points of light were distinct but maintained a pleasant brightness.  The design is certainly capitalizing on the trend of using far greater quantities of medium power LEDs due to their steep price decreases.  I can’t find the fixture on their website yet, and it is doubtful that this is a modular or repairable fixture, but the appearance was top notch.  Below is a wall mounted version so you can see the actual optic design.

I LOVED this graphic from Barcelona-based decorative company Modiss.  It completely hooked me into their booth.  Their affiliated brand, Plightster, has some interesting and unique plaster-integrated fixtures.  Lots of trick details, some of these really help bring a futuristic feel to architectural details, but specifier be warned:  You better have a damn good contractor to get the plaster finish and painting just perfect.   I captured a few images from their website…lots of interesting project photos for inspiration boards.