Nordisk Solar Pendant Lamp Oktav

Materials: White painted metal (iron) slats, square folded and stacked crosswise. Bakelite E14 socket.

Cord Length: 80 cm / 31.49’’

Height: 23 cm / 9.05”

Width: ∅ 18,5 cm / 7.28”

Electricity: 1 bulb E14, 1 x 60 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1960s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: Niels Esmann & Hans C. Jensen.

Manufacturer: Nordisk Solar Compagni, Denmark.

Other versions: This Nordisk Solar pendant lamp exists in white, purple, orange, green and possibly also in some other colours. Early editions have a white interior surface. The name of this lamp is Oktav.

Prescolite also sold a garden lamp version. For the moment it is unclear if other companies did.

Niels Esmann & Hans C. Jensen were two Danish architects who designed several lamps for the Nordisk Solar Compagni. This lamp was probably designed in 1960 as it starts to appear in catalogues and brochures in 1961. In the USA these lamps were sold by Prescolite.  Today Prescolite is part of LBC Lighting. Probably also some other companies sold Nordisk Solar lamps.

Nordisk Solar

Nordisk Solar was founded in 1919 by Jacob L. Jørgensen and Herluf Sørensen. The company started business as an import and wholesale company of electricity meters. Later they produced radios under the name Audiola. Since the early 1960s “Solar” focused on high-quality lighting.

Harald Jørgensen takes over the position as Chairman of the Board in Audiola after the death of his father. The lighting production is extracted from Audiola and carries on as an independent department under the name “Solar Fittings Production” in Nordisk Solar Compagni.

In 1990 Solar bought Swedish lamp manufacturer Hans-Agne Jakobsson A/S and sells it to Thorn Lighting in 1998.

Today, Solar still handles lighting, but now via the Solar Light concept, which is based on procured products from leading European lighting manufacturers.

Designers that worked for the company are, among others: Sigvard Bernadotte, Acton Bjørn, Max Brüel, Vagn Dyring, Preben Fabricius, Anton Fogh Holm, Jørgen Kastholm, Eva Koppel, Nils Koppel, Sven Middelboe and Jørn Utzon.

Fog & Mørup

Fog & Mørup made a lamp with 7 layers, you can find it over here.

ANVIA

The Dutch company ANVIA produced a very similar lamp but it has 7 or 9 layers of slats, this Nordisk Solar pendant lamp has 11 layers, and some other small differences. You can find a version over here.

IKEA

The Swedish IKEA sold a similar lamp, but only with 4 layers. It appears in catalogues from 1962 until 1966. It was named Nift.

In East Germany plastic versions were made by VEB Leuchtenbau.