Lighting by Tom Rossau
Tom Rossau‘s passion for design can be traced back to his childhood, when he began to explore building with the help of Lego bricks, evolving his imagination. His first serious departure into the field of design would take place in the 1990s, however. What started as a project for making leather clothes, eventually led to the opening of a shop in Copenhagen in the year 1997.
Later yet, from 2004 onward, Tom Rossau started to get involved with wood veneer as a building material. The result of this pursuit was a series of lamps, which were sold at his Copenhagen shop, not yet available to a large customer base. A breakthrough happened in 2006, when his designs TR4 through 6 were first presented at the Copenhagen Furniture Fair, where, for the first time, they gained wider exposure and won him an award for the TR7 model.
Today, while his company is in the process of growing, Tom Rossau remains faithful to his very core passion of design, the development of which has a history reaching back to his very beginnings.
Tom Rossau: The Evolution of an Idea
According to Tom, the designing process provides him with a great thrill, which is why it is satisfactory in and of itself. It all starts with a blueprint capturing the imagination, enthralling with the step by step formation of a design taking on growing detail.
It doesn‘t end there, however. Once the planned materials are gathered, unforeseen problems may lead to another conceptualization, opening up before the eyes of the designer a range of new possibilities. It is then that the challenge has to be accepted with a novel vision in mind, taking shape with the help of the newly found inspiration.
Thus, Tom Rossau understands that limitations ultimately lead to different paths and knows how to cease the opportunity. He even goes as far as to attribute the material he‘s using with a leading role in the designing process, him only assisting in the discovery of its various potentials. Customer demands further specify what needs to be done, adding another variable to be considered. When it comes to Tom Rossau‘s philosophy, the randomness and challenges are all elements of the excitement design has to offer.
Tom Rossau: Bright Naturalness
Tom Rossau‘s assortment is comprised of pendant lamps, table lamps, floor lamps and wall lamps in playful, modern designs, all made according to standards of sustainability and functional soundness.
The TR7 pendant lamp is persuasive in that it is both eye-catching and natural, emitting a warm and inviting diffused light that follows a curved path along the grooves of its sculpted lamp shade. Although it is fabricated with natural birch veneer, the ingenious design gives it the soft appearance of a malleable material. One can also obtain a TR7 pendant lamp made with white plastic and a standing floor lamp variant based on the same idea.
The TR28 table lamp is another charming creation by the Danish designer. Available in both natural birch veneer or white coated paper for the lamp shade, this object features the grooves and natural color scheme characteristic for Tom Rossau‘s concepts. The body of the lamp is similar to the shape of a mushroom, with grooves fanning the surface and being held together in a button at the top. The sculpted body is resting on elegant tripod legs, giving this lamp a lightweight look.