The wood species sets the colour of the light

There is no shade in the usual sense. In a Mernøe fixture the LED is hidden inside a solid wood body and never seen directly; what reaches the table is light bounced off the timber. Sipo mahogany, walnut, elm or ash: each returns a light of a different warmth, so choosing the timber is choosing the colour temperature. The wood is the reflector, and the reflector is the design, which is why the studio offers the same four species across its whole range and leaves the rest alone.

Mernøe is run from Østerbro in Copenhagen by Morten Mernøe, a designer and engineer, with his sons Ulrik and Jakob. Local workshops near the studio machine the wooden parts; the family then treats the surfaces by hand, fits the LED and assembles the fixture. Nothing is held in stock. Every lamp is made to order and leaves from Denmark, with metal parts in polished brass, matte brass, chrome or bronzed brass to match the timber chosen. Three of the studio's lights are listed at The Oblist.

The No. 1 is a long, shallow wooden body hung on two thin textile cords from a ceiling canopy that hides the driver. Seen from below it is a single plane of wood and two lines. The No. 1 in 100 centimetres covers a table for four to six or a kitchen island; the No. 1 in 150 centimetres is cut for a long dining table or a meeting room. Both are listed with the gallery's pendant lights. The No. 2 brings the same wooden reflector down to a square base: a thin curved metal pipe carries the cord up to the wood, with the LED tucked underneath and a switch at the back. It belongs with the wood table lamps at The Oblist and pairs with a No. 1 hung in the same room.

The Oblist lists Mernøe among its collectible lighting from Scandinavia; wood and metal finishes are chosen at order. Architects and interior designers specifying these pendants or table lamps for residential, hospitality or office schemes can order through the Architect Trade Program.