Korum is a family of indirect lighting products designed by Karim Rashid for Cini&Nils. Its name, inspired by the word ‘corum’, meaning shield, recalls a design conceived to enhance soft, gentle light. Available in suspended or wall-mounted versions, it embodies the creative approach of one of the most iconic designers on the contemporary scene, with a vision that combines aesthetics and function.
Korum is distinguished by the possibility of modular installation: single, double or in multi-coloured combinations, with different light orientations depending on requirements. The large wall and ceiling versions are also available with a mirror-effect front cover, adding an extra functionality that makes it perfect for those seeking a multifunctional and visually striking piece of furniture. The finishes with great attention to detail, stand out thanks to the introduction of the new Glossy and Flip Paint versions, which represent an evolution from the standard Cini&Nils finishes. These options enhance the three-dimensional design, capturing the light and adding depth and character to the lamp. With its scenic presence, Korum is a furnishing element that enhances contemporary environments, lending personality and style to any space.
“I created this product, Korum, for Cini&Nils – explains Karim Rashid – as an object with a soft, calm surface. A product family with different sizes for different installations. The mirror is not just a mirror because it allows the product to have this over-dimension. The concept of making something very small and flush is very important because, for example, when you have a wall and the object which are very close together, it’s important for energy of the space. Almost like the feng shui of the space. And in fact, most of us have too many things. So, the more things we gather, the more of sort of negative energy of space we have. And you don’t have a good experience or a good sense of living, or a good mental well-being. To have good mental well-being, things have to be sort of the becomes soft, like an extension of our organic world. Extension of nature, extension of us. I played with some very nice colours and also colours that flip, they change slightly. When you walk by, you see tonality. It’s an opportunity to play with different finishes.
You know when we use words like calm and comfort – adds Karim Rashid –, we need to physically and functionally do this. And I what I mean by that is, right now I see a lot in the world of, for example, beiges and browns and wood and, how can I say, trying to look like nature. But these objects, if they’re not designed in a way that they’re comfortable and let’s say unobtrusive, for example, you can make objects of bliss, objects that make your space feel uplifted. If they are not doing this, they are really just obstacles, regardless of their finish, regardless of whether you’re trying to speak about sustainability, regardless of whether you’re trying to communicate nature. Calm can be a colour. It depends on how it’s applied and what the actual form or the object is. You know, I think I think illumination changed drastically in this time that we live in.
In fact, I think the future that illumination will be built in to surfaces, walls, architecture. And we may not even need a light fixture. But at this temporary time, it is still in this next 10-15 years, we still need fixtures, and we need fixtures for restorations or for existing projects, existing buildings. In other words, new architecture may not need a fixture at all anymore. That’s the reality of the future we’re moving into because our technology has moved that way. So, they start to blend into the walls and into the ceilings and into the space. And that’s the reality of the world we live in. Somehow, we’re still so nostalgic that we’re still pushing the idea of physical, large objects to give us light. And we know, like technology, dematerialization. Technologies dematerialize it will disappear. This is the future.
