Muuto Contra Floor Lamp

Jamie Wolfond's counterweight floor lamp for Muuto balances on a threaded weight instead of friction, and swings its shade anywhere from near the floor to over eight feet up.

True Balance

Most counterweight lamps lean on friction at the joints to hold a position the weight alone can't. Toronto designer Jamie Wolfond wanted Contra to balance for real. A multi-start thread lets the counterweight travel along the arm, shifting the center of mass so the lamp settles into a new angle on its own, and a small twist of the weight sends the shade a long way.

Shaped by the Mechanics

The curves came out of the engineering. The horizontal arm bends to tune how sensitive the counterweight feels, and the mast bows to move the pivot without moving the base. It all rests on a concrete foot that rotates side to side.

The Details

The arm is powder-coated steel with brushed steel accents, the shade is spun aluminum, and a PMMA diffuser softens the light into a warm, layered glow. Contra stands 188cm tall with a 256cm reach, and the shade can drop to about 30cm off the floor or rise to roughly 260cm, so one lamp can hang over a sofa, a reading chair or a dining table.

The Light

A user-replaceable LED puts out 750 lumens at 2700K with a CRI above 90, and stepless dimming is built in. Contra comes in Anthracite Black for about €1,995, with North American availability following the September launch in Europe.