Nord is a table lamp designed to recreate the feeling of a candle using modern fabrication methods. The light source is hidden within the stem and reflected off a custom compound aluminum parabolic reflector. Instead of a simple on/off state, the LED is driven by a microcontroller running a mathematical model of a flickering flame, creating a gentle and realistic flicker that never repeats. The materials were chosen to foster a pleasant tactility: the base is 3D printed in a weighted wood-fiber HTPLA, and the dimmer dial is made of sandstone, giving a cool, natural surface to touch when adjusting the light.
As a Norwegian designer and recent graduate, I wanted to translate the Nordic concept of hygge (coziness) for a contemporary American setting. I am interested in how technology can create atmosphere rather than just distraction. With Nord, I focused on the intersection of digital precision and natural comfort. While the code and the aluminum reflector are precise and engineered, the light they produce together is warm, organic, and calming.
A project by
Oscar Tangen/Vinegar Hill Basement
Oscar's background spans a decade of ceramics with Carina Ciscato, studio work with Piet Hein Eek, and product development leadership at MIT. More recently, he ran sustainability challenges at RISD and Brown. Currently, Oscar designs full-time for a major home retailer in Brooklyn while stocking independent shops with work from his own studio in Vinegar Hill.