The FLOS String Light reimagines the pendant as an architectural tool: one fixture whose cable travels across a room to set light exactly where a space calls for it. That single idea is what let three designers solve three very different problems with the same piece.
Most lighting fixtures have a limited number of possibilities for how they can be installed and used. A pendant is a pendant, a task lamp is a task lamp. But then there are those rare lighting designs that can take on not only a number of different applications, but a near-infinite choice of decorative configurations.
One such design is the String Light Pendant by FLOS. Designed by Michael Anastassiades, this pendant includes a choice of shape (sphere or cone) and installation type (hardwire or plug-in). But where the design really sets itself apart is with its cord. The shortest available cord length is 39 feet, with the intention being to make the cord part of the finished design by swagging and stretching it up, down and across a space.
To see the full capability of FLOS’ String Light, we tasked three Lumens Trade partners with using this infinitely configurable String Light Pendant fixture to solve specific interior design challenges. As expected, the pendant was able to achieve 3 very different solutions, and then some.
About the FLOS String Light
Michael Anastassiades designed the String Light for FLOS, first showing it at Euroluce in Milan in 2013 before it entered production in 2014. The premise is simple: a slim cable, offered up to 39 feet, suspends one diffuser and routes it across walls, ceilings, and corners on a set of anchor points. The collection comes in two shade shapes. The sphere casts all-round, ambient illumination, while the cone directs a focused downlight. Both carry a warm 2700K integrated LED, dimmable through a soft-touch control on the cable, and both are available in hardwire or plug-in versions. Construction follows FLOS’ standards, pairing a die-cast aluminum body with an opal polycarbonate diffuser, made in Italy.
- Designer: Michael Anastassiades for FLOS
- Shades: Sphere for ambient light, cone for focused downlight
- Light source: Integrated 2700K LED, dimmable via soft-touch control
- Installation: Hardwire or plug-in
- Materials: Die-cast aluminum body, opal polycarbonate diffuser
- Origin: Made in Italy
Solution #1 Bringing a Huge Room Down to Size
More recently, a sense of openness in living spaces has grown more and more popular in design. While openness is desired, so is the feeling of being grounded and not overwhelmed by these grand, over-sized spaces.
For Virginia Navid at Navid-Oster Design in Baltimore, MD, the design challenge she faced was to create a sense of intimacy and brighter light in a large-scale room without closing it off and reducing the original intended design. The String Light proved itself well-suited to the task.
“The length of cord allowed us to make linear connections between inside and outside corners of walls, ceilings and a second-floor overlook that enclosed the room,” said Navid. That way, “the fixture created a smaller scale, single-use program space with architectural rather than decorative elements.”
The String Light’s cord was able to provide a more defined outline of the room’s unique architectural details. Additionally, the cord was strung in an open, horizontal configuration, which both drew the eye to the middle of the tall wall and placed the spherical pendant in ideal reading light height behind the sofa.
With the String Light floating in the space, the 2-story room remains impressively expansive. A suggested lower visual ceiling is created and, at night, a bright all-around glow that keeps the space feeling warm and cozy.
“…the fixture recreated a smaller scale, single-use program space with architectural rather than decorative elements.”
— Virginia Navid from Navid-Oster Design in Baltimore, MD
Solution #2 Out-of-the-Way Task Lighting
Maria Bortugno’s client: a lawyer, very tall, not great eyesight, looking for something unique and easy to use to take the place of the 3 task lamps cluttering up his desk.
As a certified interior designer for more than 20 years—and current owner and lead designer for B Designs in Albany, New York—Bortugno is used to meeting all kinds of design challenges. In this case, she determined the best way to free up space on her client’s desk was to have the task lighting hang from above.
Maria Bortugno used a String Cone LED Pendant in place of three task lamps that had previously cluttered up her client’s desk space. The overhead fixture provides focused light on the space below (the configuration seems to be puppy-approved).
Of the two shapes, the cone-shaped String Light offered the most direct downlight. By swagging it over and behind the desk, Bortugno was able to keep the cord out of the way. Yet it still allows the cord to be a fun visual detail in the clean, modern office space. The pendant is easily controlled with a touch dimmer on the shade, provides more than ample lighting and doesn’t hit Bortugno’s client in the head.
Bortugno’s praise for the pendant extends beyond its clear convenience and functionality. She chose the plug-in version of the pendant, which translates into flexibility. You can take it with you if you move, or create a “built-in” design, even if you’re in a rental. The cord configuration can be changed on a whim.
The best part about it for Bortugno (besides a very happy client)? “I was able to install it myself!”
Solution #3 Having Light Where Light Could Never Be Before
Alison Keene, lead designer and owner of Slant Design in Berkeley, CA, used the String Light Pendant because there wasn’t direct access to a junction box in the space for which she was designing the interior.
For the overall project, Keene was tasked with opening up a “mid-century modern with good bones.” This involved taking down walls and removing dropped ceilings in the kitchen, living room and the stairwell, which is where the String Light found its home. The closed-off stairwell was opened up, with steel posts and a guardrail installed to provide structural stability (and a cool industrial look) and a skylight above for added natural light. In that newly opened space, the spherical String Light addressed both that pesky no-electrical-access issue and added an intriguing design element.
“The String Light has just the flexibility that we wanted for this space, as it is able to span the width of the stairwell and attach to both the walls and steel posts,” said Keene.
“The ‘string’ cable adds a three-dimensional, sculptural interest to the space.”— Alison Keene of Slant Design in Berkeley, CA
In addition to the aesthetic of the pendant itself, Keene added, “The light quality is just what we were looking for in that spot. It is both subtle and a good, clear LED light. The fact that it is dimmable is a bonus.”
The Verdict
Across three very different projects, the String Light answers the same question in three ways. In an oversized great room, its cable traces the architecture and brings the volume down to a human scale. In a tight workspace, it places task light precisely where it belongs, drawing on the flexibility of a plug-in connection. In a mid-century stairwell, it carries light into a spot conventional wiring could never reach. That range comes from one idea: a light released from a fixed point, shaped to the space rather than the space shaped to it. It is why the String Light reads as architecture as much as lighting, and why it keeps earning a place in the work of designers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is FLOS lighting good?
FLOS is a leading Italian lighting house founded in 1962, known for design-led fixtures and long-running collaborations with figures such as Achille Castiglioni and Michael Anastassiades. Its reputation rests on craftsmanship, engineering, and a catalog of pieces that hold up as modern design classics. The String Light sits firmly in that lineage.
What is the best brand of string lights?
The term covers two different products. Decorative festoon or fairy lights are strands of small bulbs used for outdoor and party settings. The FLOS String Light is something else: an architectural LED pendant designed by Michael Anastassiades, with a configurable cable that routes a single sphere or cone diffuser across a room. For a designer pendant rather than seasonal decor, it stands on its own as a configurable, made-in-Italy fixture.
Where is FLOS lighting made?
FLOS was founded in Merano, Italy, in 1962, and produces the String Light in Italy. Italian design and manufacturing remain central to the brand’s identity and quality control.
Are string lights safe indoors?
The FLOS String Light is engineered for interior residential and commercial use, offered in hardwire and plug-in versions with an integrated, low-heat 2700K LED and a soft-touch dimmer on the cable. The designers featured above installed it in a family great room, a home workspace, and a residential stairwell. It is a permanent architectural fixture, not a temporary decorative strand.
