Svend Aage Holm-Sørensen

Svend Aage Holm-Sørensen (1913-2004) was a Danish designer best known for his highly distinctive lighting designs from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Before founding his own company, he designed lamps for Fog & Mørup in the 1950s. He later established Holm-Sørensen & Co., from which many of his best-known lamps were produced and distributed.

Holm-Sørensen was a trained ornamental metalworker, and this background can clearly be seen in his work. Many of his lamps are made in brass or copper and are characterized by sculptural silhouettes, perforations, cut edges and surfaces that were often deliberately darkened or burnished to create a more dramatic effect. His designs range from relatively restrained desk lamps to highly expressive wall lamps, pendants and floor lamps.

Although he is mainly remembered for lighting, Svend Aage Holm-Sørensen also designed furniture and smaller objects. Today, his lamps are particularly appreciated for the way they combine Danish modern design with a more rugged, almost brutalist character.

Goldkant Leuchten

In all probability, this lamp was produced for Raak by the German company Goldkant-Leuchten, Friedel Wauer GmbH & Co. KG. Friedel Wauer is generally credited with developing the technique of spraying the cocoon-like material onto metal wire frames, inspired by the self-wrapping cocoon of the silkworm.

One of the earliest and most famous lighting designs using a comparable material is the Bubble Lamp by George Nelson, originally manufactured by The Howard Miller Clock Co. in Zeeland, Michigan. Later, the lamps became associated with Herman Miller, which produces them today. Nelson later described the idea as one of those rare happy accidents in a designer’s life: he had seen ships being sprayed with a self-webbing plastic for preservation during storage, and the image stayed with him.

It should also be noted that George Nelson had already designed similar round cocoon lamps. The construction is, however, slightly different. Nelson’s lamps usually have a denser internal wire structure, with more visible ribs, while the Raak and Goldkant-Leuchten models tend to have a simpler framework.

Translated text from the original catalogue:

Floating balloons…. chrysaline

Chrysaline, a modern flexible material with a warm and lively character. Veined with tiny veins like the leaf of the plane tree and the cottonwood. Delicate in texture, but resistant to many external influences:
unbreakable, washable, strong and elastic.
Chrysaline loses its white splendor under the influence of too much tobacco smoke!
Therefore, these balloons (alone or in bunches) are ideal for use in bedrooms, children’s rooms, staircases and high vestibules.

B-1057 45 cm. Lamp for 150W – 45 guilders B-1058 35 cm. Lamp for 100W – 45 guilders

Dutch text from the Raak catalogue in 1962:

Zwevende ballonnen…. chrysaline

Chrysaline, een modern soepel materiaal met een warm en levend karakter. Dooraderd met nietige nerven als het blad van plataan en populier. Gevoelig van structuur, maar ongevoelig voor vele invloeden van buitenaf:
onbreekbaar, afwasbaar, sterk en elastisch.
Chrysaline verliest echter wel zijn blanke pracht onder invloed van teveel tabaksrook!
Daarom zijn deze ballonnen (alleen of in trossen) bij uitstek geschikt voor gebruik in slaapkamers, kinderkamers, trapportalen en hoge vestibules.

B-1057 45 cm. voor lamp 150W – 45 gulden
B-1058 35 cm. voor lamp 100W – 45 gulden

Lamps In The Movies

Dans La Brume (2018)

A cocoon floor lamp appears in the 2018 Canadian-French thriller film Dans La Brume (Just a Breath Away) made in Paris, France. Starring Romain Duris and Olga Kurylenko.

The Odessa File (1974)

The Raak Chrysaline pendant lamp or a similar lamp made by Goldkant Leuchten appears in the 1974Anglo-German espionage thriller film The Odessa File. An adaptation of the novel The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth. The film is set in 1963. The film stars Jon Voight, Maximilian Schell and Maria Schell.