Malene Nielsen has worked with design for 20 years and currently works as the Head of the Danish design company Verpan. The historical, Danish company that carries the designs of the world-renowned Danish designer Verner Panton, offers some of the most sought-after Danish designs.
We spoke with Malene about her relationship with lighting and her tips for a beautiful and functional interior with lamps.
Photo: Malene Nielsen
Head of Verpan, Malene Nielsen has been present in the Danish design industry for 20 years and she herself has a huge passion for lighting and design.
In this interview, she tells us all about her relationship with the design industry, the importance of design in interior and her joy of working with lighting on a daily basis.
What does light and design mean to you?
"It's an exciting business that I've been a part of for 20 years and especially Verner Pantons values of designing light where both form and function go hand in hand, is essential to me.
An aesthetic, beautiful lamp can create the frame for an eye-catching design in a room and if the design has a simultaneous functional effect that gives good light, the design really comes together. To me, light and design is also a way to express yourself and to show some of your personality."
What do you find especially interesting about working specifically with designer lighting in contrast to other forms of design?
"Design can offer an extra element for the interior and designer lighting is, to me, especially essential in our part of the world, where, during winter, we only have a few hours of daylight and therefore, have the need for good lighting in our everyday life.
Designer lighting, therefore, is not just a question of beautiful design that can decorate the interior - it's also about the unique functionality that lighting has. With just a few elements and by decorating light, you can really change the expression of, say, the living room."
"To me, light and design is also a way to express yourself and to show some of your personality"
Photo: Verner Panton Globe Pendant
What considerations do you have about incorporating both aesthetics and the technical aspect in designer lamps?
"To me, it is a significant element for a designer lamp that aesthetics and technique go hand in hand. A lamp that has a beautiful design, but doesn't deliver a decorative or functional light, loses its value in the interior.
What a lot of people might not be aware of, is that Verner Panton was a renowned and popular interior designer and I am very fascinated by how brave Panton was to use decorative lighting in his projects.
I've integrated this approach in my own home, where I use pendants atypically, by hanging them low as decorations and preferably in clusters that strengthen the expression."
When do you experience that light is especially important for you in your everyday life?
"The past year has given me significantly more days in the home office than normally, and here, it has been especially important with a good working light and with a direct light.
In my office, the Pantop Ø23 is my best friend and creates the ideal lighting for my working day."
"With a few elements and by changing decorative lighting, you can really change an expression"
Photo: Verner Panton Pantop Portable Table Lamp
Why is quality of light important to you?
"Lighting quality cannot be ignored and, for me, it's a very important part of the interior. I think most of us have tried sitting in a restaurant with a lack of light or perhaps a glaring, sharp light.
You can often see, how a beautiful interior is destroyed by bad lighting quality. Therefore, it's essential to think about this from the start."
What is the typical mistake that you see with private consumers, when they decorate with light?
"Generally, our customers are really good at decorating with light and they use Verner Panton's designs in many inspiring ways that we can learn from. When decorating a room, it's essential to know that a lamp is not just a lamp.
It's important to think about which activities that are linked with a room and what type of light that fits these activities best. When you've figured this out, it is much easier to choose the right type of lighting.
For example, there is a big difference from choosing a pendant in a transparent design that emits light in the entire room, as opposed to a pendant with a closed screen that only sends the light downwards in a defined area, which gives you a more concentrated and cozy light."
Photo: Verner Panton Fun 10DM Pendant
How do we best place and use our lighting in the home?
"First and foremost, it's all about creating a good base of light in the room, a light that reaches all corners. This can be done by choosing a pendant with a transparent exterior that send out a soft light in the entire room and then complement this with extra lighting in some specific zones in the room.
In my home, we use decorative lighting to create intimate zones for concentration and relaxation and, at the same time, we use it for creating a special element in our interior."
Can you tell us one thing that you do in your everyday life, which clearly shows that you work with design and designer lighting?
"Mostly, it's about getting excited and, after 20 years in the industry, I still get excited about our designs and the people I work with on a daily basis.
There are so many interesting things happening and I am thrilled to be a part of that!"
Explore Verpan's designs here.
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