It’s amazing what a difference a couple of decades makes. Back in the 1970s, fiber optic lamps were some of the ugliest, tackiest things you could possibly bring into your home. And as this photo proves, fiber optics can truly be used for evil. Thankfully, tastes have changed, and the dynamic illumination medium has found new life in this modern lighting fixture.
Created by Jakob Staer of German lighting maker Refer + Staer, Black Fiber is the name of this futuristic pendant lamp, which gets lights up your space using hundreds of tiny fiber optic strands.
Black Fiber lamps are available from Swedish design house PID in medium (21.7″ diameter) and large (35.4″ diameter) variants.
The fixtures are available as shown, or with an additional 20W halogen bulb in the center to provide additional spot illumination. Prices range from $2800 to $3800 USD, a far cry from the tacky $29 fiber optic lamps of my youth.
