Rotaflex ceiling lampshade

A large, ellipse shaped, ceiling lampshade, designed by John and Sylvia Reid and produced by Rotaflex Ltd. Made of coiled cellulose acetate, the horizontal ridges run in a spiral around the whole shade, originally spun on a mould by hand. This manufacturing method was patented in 1946 by Danish civil engineers Bent Hojberg Pedersen and Bent Panker. In 1953, the British lighting company Rotaflex commissioned John and Sylvia Reid to design a range of lamps which in addition to the spun cellulose acetate included the 'Christals' series, made of cellulose acetate decorated with lucite beads. Dated to the 1950s, this example won an award from the Council of Industrial Design (CoID) in 1957.

AIBDC : 000870