Design Sleuth: A Minimalist Hanging Light, Spotted in an English Rental

Photograph by Jefferson Smith

Creative director Sandy Suffield’s Engine House is a romantic ruin in Suffolk, England, that she turned into a modernist’s dream vacation rental. Readers were transfixed by the pair of circular metal lights hovering spacecraft-style over the dining table. Where did they come from and what is the story behind them?

The lights hang in the double-height kitchen/dining room at The Engine House.

Photograph by Jefferson Smith

Sandy supplied us with this vintage ad: her twin saucers are from Hans Due’s Optima collection introduced in 1972 by Fog & Mørup, a pioneering Danish modern lighting company.

The Hans Due Optima Light has been out of production since the mid-1980s, but an online search turns up many, including this example, listed by glō Miami on Chairish as the Hans Due “Optima” Light Fog & Morup on Chairish for $810.

White is the easiest color to come by, but there are also bright, striped versions: this Optima Ceiling Light is $690.31 (with free shipping) via Star Seller of Denmark on Etsy.