Today we are spotlighting Melbourne-based lighting company Satelight. Lead designer Duncan Ward formed the business in 1998. Since then, it has grown as a successful local business designing and fitting commercial and residential interiors in Australia and overseas. Advocates of keeping Australian design local and respecting the art of handcrafted items, 80% of their work is made in Melbourne, with the remainder being outsourced.
Satelight’s architectural lighting range spans various design genres. However, a common theme throughout their creations is using natural and recyclable materials. Sustainably grown mountain ash, plantation plywood, recycled PET, Echo Panel, and, if you wish, even a hanging garden all channel references to nature and minimize their environmental impact. Satelight is so passionate about its lighting range they go to the nth degree to ensure its designs are accessible to customers around the globe. Faced with the expense of sending six boxes overseas, they had a lightbulb moment. Instead, they sent one package of disassembled lighting components, knocked up an instructional video for assembly, and voila – happy customer!
Who designs the Satelight range? Are all designs made in Australia or elsewhere? Satelight has always been a designer/makers studio; we love experimenting with new materials and developing plans. Satelight has industrial designers and artists as part of our team, and we also collaborate with other Australian designers. Our lead designer, Duncan Ward, who founded the company in 1998, came from a fine arts background and has always had a hand in developing new designs for the collection. While about 80% of the fittings are still manufactured in Melbourne, we also import products and materials, mainly due to the issues of local industry disappearing. We source and make local wherever we can as it keeps valuable skills and drive here.
At the State of Green, we love sharing intelligent, sustainable design. Which of your lighting range falls into this category? Satelight has the new Decibel pendant light, designed by Patrick Ford. The fitting joins our sound seed collection – Sinewave pendant. The right uses plantation plywood, Echo Panel, and screws. The fitting requires no tooling, can be shipped flat-packed where needed, and uses a 34-watt LED light disk. The fitting design enables the parts to be disassembled at the end of life, and all of the panels can be recycled as they are made out of 100% PET (60% recycled).