Bright ideas

The right lamp in the right room can be a jewel - that's why your lighting should be customisable for the environment it's in. This is the main premise of Brooklyn-based lighting company Roll & Hill. The second is that really good ideas are often rare. With that in mind, Roll & Hill chose to work with a variety of designers from the start instead of an in-house team. Over the past ten years, they have managed to gather the very best ideas from innovative creators and produce handmade jewellery to lamps.

Before starting Roll & Hill, Jason Miller had been running his own design studio for several years where his lighting designs were in high demand. He noticed that many other independent designers in New York were also designing lamps and saw an opportunity to bring something new to the lighting front.
– Most modern lighting came from Europe - particularly Italy - and most had a similar aesthetic. "I wanted to design lighting that would fit the American aesthetic, stand out in a room and make a difference," says Jason Miller.

The lamps are made by hand in Roll & Hill's studio in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Being able to customise each lamp and adapt it to the customer's wishes was another important aspect.
– If a customer wants one of our lamps to be a few centimetres bigger or smaller, we can make it happen. But above all, we chose to have our own production because it gives us a better opportunity to put design first. We could have manufactured in another country and produced large editions, but if we mass produce, we have to design products that we know will sell in large quantities. I'm not interested in that. Because we hand-make, we don't have to look for best sellers that will fit everywhere. Instead, we can be more daring with our designs.

The fact that the lamps are designed by independent designers also gives Roll & Hill the breadth and variety that Jason Miller believes is important.
– I always try to choose designers that I think have a unique vision and then let them do their thing. They come with sketches and then we take it further. Going from a two-dimensional sketch to a three-dimensional object is always a big step. A lot of adjustments are often needed to make the lamp look, feel and function in the best possible way. It normally takes a year and a half to develop a new model," explains Jason Miller.

For him, it is important that each lamp has a unique expression and adds something more than the purely functional.
– Our lamps have a sculptural feel. We try to design lighting that people don't see as a consumable or a fast trend, but something timeless.

According to Jason Miller, a really good lamp should be able to change and activate the room it is in.
– Not only does it have to fulfil its function and illuminate the room well, but it also has to be able to hold attention. Unlike the furniture in a room, the lamp is usually the only thing that adorns the ceiling. Therefore, it should be something that really catches the eye.

Roll & Hill often mixes historical elements with modern forms to create lighting that feels familiar yet surprising and new. Materials such as brass, bronze, leather, wood and glass can come together in unexpected forms, blurring the line between a lamp and a work of art.For Jason Miller, lighting offers great design freedom. There is plenty of room for personal creativity and expression.
– It gives you the freedom to design objects that are decorative and not just functional. Lighting allows us to play around, which is great fun for us as designers.

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