Designer in Depth: The George Sowden Light
George Sowden is a British designer known for his dynamic, postmodernist approach to craftsmanship. Whilst he is associated primarily with the George Sowden light collection, he has also designed kitchenware, furniture, home accessories and textiles.
Famed for his unique, geometric and playful approach to functionality, he uses a plethora of signature techniques including famously contrasting bold colours to inject vibrancy into all his creations with a Picasso-like energy.
Sowden’s creations cross mediums and blur the lines between practical objects and liveable art, making each item a lively part of any home.
George Sowden the man
Sowden was born in 1942 in Leeds, UK. He studied in the London College of Printing and the Royal College of Art in London. In the 1970s he moved to Milan and started working with various prominent design firms such as Olivetti.
He was a founding member of the Memphis group in 1981, a design collective led by Ettore Sottass, known for its bold, postmodernist designs.
George Sowden the designer
During his time at the Memphis group. George Sowden’s aesthetic began to take shape, with unconventional materials, geometric shapes, bright pops of colour and playful experimentation emerging as the cornerstones of his future designs.
After the collective disbanded, Sowden focused on his own design studio and refined his unique approach to design with the interplay of geometric shapes, vivid colours and functional forms.
He began designing pieces like lighting and toasters, creating striking, modern objects bursting with personality, with his lighting collection being his signature creations.
George Sowden and HAY
The collaboration between George Sowden and HAY, a Danish design brand, began in the mid-2010s as they developed a variety of home and lighting products.
Hay is known for its minimalist, clean Scandinavian designs with affordability, functionality and high quality as core principles.
The brand’s collaboration with Sowden brings accessible, expertly crafted pieces like The Sowden Toaster by HAY into circulation, fusing refined everyday usability with a bold, playful approach.
What defines a George Sowden Light?
George Sowden’s light designs are some of his most iconic. But what makes them so distinct?
Typically, when you see a George Sowden light, it features simple yet striking shapes like cylinders, conicals and rectangles that create something of a sculptural presence, much like that of a vase.
They are usually minimalist in form and often have shades contrasting with the bases.
Sowden lights are crafted with multiple unconventional materials like painted metals, moulded plastics, porcelain and ceramic in one singular design. Of course, this makes them both beautiful and durable and uniquely textured.
The lights also display contrasting tones like pastel pink with bold red and sky blue with crisp white. These stark contrasts add vibrancy, texture and an injection of personality into the surroundings.
The attention is in the detail. Think contrasting power cables, the subtle texturing of surfaces, visible joinery and details like exposed screws.
This makes each light creation carry unique tell-tale signs they are a George Sowden light, as he transforms everyday objects into distinctive and artful statements.
The works of George Sowden
Sowden’s lighting collection spans table lamps, pendant lamps and floor lamps and is stocked by a curated list of retailers such as Holloways of Ludlow.
The Portable Lamp PL2 by Sowden Lighting
The first light we’ll look at is the Portable Lamp PL2 by George Sowden from his SHADES collection.
Sleek and minimal, this portable rechargeable lamp combines its contemporary design and unique colour palette with high functionality.
Complete with three brightness settings to suit everything from brighter task-based activities to a more subdued hue for relaxing, it also comes with an LED bulb meaning a long lifespan and a sustainable choice.
This lamp is available in White and Blue and Red and Yellow for a functional yet whimsical Sowden portable lighting solution.
FL4 Floor Lamp by Sowden Lighting
This floor lamp truly exemplifies Sowden’s minimalist approach with its geometric simplicity and postmodernist style.
It features an innovative silicone shade for both durability and the ability to diffuse a soft glow, creating a soft, warm ambience.
Its slender yet robust frame marries Sowden’s approach to enduring, functional and beautiful design, creating a statement piece that stands out even when not in use.
CL1 Pendant Lamp by Sowden Lighting
This innovative and stylish pendant light by George Sowden is an example of his bold approach to functionality with it white, red and black colour scheme adding vibrancy and the use again of his signature silicone shade.
A classic cylindrical silhouette, it offers an interesting interplay between shape and colour, which is a hallmark of Sowden lighting pieces.
For an unexpected statement piece that is fun, striking and high-functioning, the CL1 Pendant Lamp by Sowden Lighting is a standout choice.
Where can I buy George Sowden lights?
You can buy lights by George Sowden at select high-end retailers such as Holloways of Ludlow . We have a carefully curated assortment of George Sowden Lighting, as well as some of his homeware pieces from his collaboration with HAY.
If you are interested in adding a George Sowden piece to your home and would like advice, get in touch with our friendly team to discuss which choices best suit your needs. Email us at sales@hollowaysofludlow.com or call 020 7602 5757