Raak Balance Wall Lamps

Raak Balance wall lamps design: Bertrand Balas rectangular gold coloured brass shell lampshades C-1550, C-1551 1960s

Raak Balance Wall Lamps – 1972 Catalogue Picture

Raak Balas, Balans, Balance Wall Lamps C-1551.16, C-1551.28.

Raak Balance Wall Lamps – 1978 Catalogue Picture

Raak Balans Wall Lamps C-1551.16.

Raak Balance Wall Lamps – 1982 Catalogue Picture

Raak Balans Wall Lamps W-1882.2100 and W-1882.2200.

Lamps In The Movies

De Modernisten (2020)

A Raak Balance wall lamp appears in the documentary series De Modernisten (The Modernists), broadcast by Klara radio, Belgium. Above the table, Raak pendant lamps model B-1198.

Many thanks to Frank from Flowermountain for the pictures.

Materials: Rectangular gold “safari” coloured metal (brass) shell lampshades. White Bakelite or porcelain E14 sockets.

Height: 40 cm / 15.74”

Width: 20 cm / 7.87”

Depth: 14 cm / 5.51”

Electricity: 1 bulb E14, 1 x 40 watt maximum, 110/220 volt.
Any type of light bulb can be used, not a specific one preferred.

Period: 1960s – Mid-Century Modern.

Designer: Bertrand Balas (1935)

Manufacturer: Raak, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Other versions: The Raak Balance wall lamp exists with either porcelain or Bakelite sockets. It was also made in a bronze-green colour, as model C-1551.28.

In Raak Catalogue 8 from 1968, the lamp is called Balance. In Catalogue 9, it appears under the playful names Balas, Balans and Balance, very much in keeping with Raak’s fondness for wordplay. In Catalogue 11 from 1978, it is called Balans, the Dutch word for Balance.

The model numbers also changed over the years: in Catalogue 8 it is listed as C-1550, in Catalogue 9 as C-1551, and in Catalogue 11 as C-1551.16. Raak Catalogue 10 was never published.

In Catalogue 12 from 1982, the name Balans was used again for another wall lamp, this time the outdoor models W-1882.2100 and W-1882.2200, as shown on the left.

Bertrand Balas

Bertrand Balas is a French architect and designer, born in 1935 in Toulouse, France. Although not much biographical information seems to have survived, he is best known for the celebrated pendant lamp later named Here Comes the Sun, designed in 1970. The design was inspired by the sun over the Garonne river in Toulouse. Since 2015, the lamp has been back in production by the French company DCW éditions.

This is the same lamp as the Raak Springfontein. In other words, Springfontein was the Raak name for the design that later became widely known as Here Comes the Sun. Raak catalogues clearly attribute the Springfontein pendant lamp to Bertrand Balas.

According to later accounts, the original title Here Comes the Sun was temporarily avoided after the release of the famous Beatles song, apparently because of possible copyright concerns.

Raak

The Dutch lighting company Raak was founded in 1954 by Carel O. Lockhorn (18 June 1923 – 6 October 2004), who had previously worked for Philips Lighting in Eindhoven. The Dutch word raak can be understood as “on target” or “to hit the mark”, a fitting name for a company that became known for its progressive and carefully considered lighting designs.

Raak is best known for its distinctive Dutch modern lighting of the 1960s and 1970s. Many of their best designs combine glass and metal in a way that feels both elegant and futuristic. Their lighting often has a strong architectural presence, while still retaining a warm and decorative quality. Because of this, Raak became one of the most recognizable names in post-war European lighting.

Over the years, Raak collaborated with a remarkable range of Dutch and international designers and architects, among them Bertrand Balas, Evert Jelle Jelles, Frank Ligtelijn, Ger Vos, Jan Jasper Fayer, Li Helo, Maija-Liisa Komulainen, Nan Platvoet, Nanny Still-McKinney, Nico Kooi, Sergio Asti, Tapio Wirkkala, Willem van Oyen, Rico Baltussen, Kees Terlouw, Yki Nummi, Tobia Scarpa, Berend Bodenkamp, Arihiro Miyake and others.

Collaborations

Raak also worked together with several other lighting and glass companies. For the well-known Globe series, the glass was produced by the German company Peill+Putzler. Raak also sold lamps made by Peill+Putzler, including models designed by Aloys Ferdinand Gangkofner. For the Discus flush mount, the glass was made by the German company Bega. In the late 1950s, Raak also cooperated with the Belgian glass manufacturer Val Saint Lambert for the Stalactites flush mounts. In addition, Raak marketed several lamps produced by Staff Leuchten in Germany, as well as models connected to other European manufacturers.

Carel Lockhorn sold the company in 1974 to ITT, although he remained director until 1977. In 1980, Raak merged with BIS Lighting from Aalsmeer in The Netherlands and continued under the name BisRaak. In 1986, the company became independent again. By then, the collection had changed considerably: the more expressive and decorative character of the 1960s and 1970s gradually gave way to a more restrained, architectural look, often in black, white and grey.

In 1999, Raak merged with Artilite B.V. and Indoor B.V. and became CLA: Centrum voor Lichtarchitectuur B.V. in Drachten. The term Lichtarchitectuur had already been used by Raak as a slogan from the early years onward. CLA was founded by Egbert Keen. The company was declared bankrupt on 19 May 2011.

Raak received 26 iF Design Awards. As the company only began entering the competition in 1980, that number might otherwise have been even higher.