castaldi lighting, ’rosebud’ outdoor, design by neil poulton, 2022.

in design thinking, “rose-bud-thorn” is an approach to identify what works (rose), what doesn’t (thorn) and what has potential (bud). the idea is to remove the thorn.

the outdoor lamp “rosebud” was inspired by the thorn of the rose bush – or more specifically, the branch when the thorn has been broken off.
it’s the simple idea of an outdoor lamp designed as if it were a branch of a tree, a part of the garden, an outdoor light hiding in the underbrush, destined to light gardens, terraces, paths and open spaces.

any similarity with the last word of citizen kane in the classic orson wells film is purely coincidental.

rosebud – tubular hydroforming

a first for the lighting industry, rosebud is manufactured using tubular hydroforming – a cutting edge process often used for automotive and high-end bicycles as “a cost-effective way of shaping ductile metals into lightweight, structurally stiff and strong pieces” (wikipedia).

the manufacturing advantages are reduced tooling costs, less energy consumption (no high molding temperatures), less material and less wastage.
the design advantage is to be able to create a complex part with no welding – lightweight, one-piece, of a uniform thickness and with a smooth-surface.

for rosebud, tubular hydroforming makes it possible to cost-effectively shape and manufacture a complex form which would otherwise have been near impossible with traditional techniques.

good design

in january 2023, rosebud was awarded the prestigious “good design” 2022 prize from the chicago anthenaeum : museum of architecture and design and the european centre for architecture art design and urban studies.

“founded in chicago in 1950 by eero saarinen and charles and ray eames, ’good design’ remains the oldest and the world’s most recognized program for design excellence worldwide…’good design’ represents the best consumer design for sustainability, superior design and unparalleled function” — the chicago anthenaeum/good design press release.

complimenti ! to everyone at castaldi and bravo ! for this well deserved win.