Strips by Flemming Brylle & Preben Jacobsen for Quality System, 1970s

Description

In the 1970s, when Denmark was searching for new ways to think about light and material, two young designers from Frederiksberg presented an idea considered radical at the time. Brylle & Jacobsen proposed a lamp that doesn't come as a finished product, but as an assembly kit. The idea was simple and clever: dozens of white plastic strips that lock into each other and create a precise optical form that softens the light. Around them, a smoked acrylic frame holds everything in clean and clear tension. This approach made Strips a milestone. It was one of the first lamps in the world sold as flat-pack. Decades before a global furniture giant made the method standard, Quality System already made it democratic and accessible. The design was so successful that in the 1990s, IKEA purchased the copyright and released a renewed version called Lakene. Strips has something timeless: a connection between technical innovation and the softness of light. The white strips break the glare and diffuse warm, quiet light. The smoked acrylic gives depth and form. The result is modern yet delicate, iconic yet not loud. The two lamps I found come from Danish village homes. Original from the period, preserved in an unusual way, without distortions and without scratches. True and good vintage condition. Perfect for a dining area, living room, or office seeking soft, modernist light.