Italian designers Paolo Lucidi and Luca Pevere have created the new 'Aplomb' pendant lamp for lighting giants Foscarini.

Translating the material of concrete from large-scale architecture to a small pendant light has resulted in a piece with simple formality, inspired by the world of construction.

This sphere of industry is what also inspired its name: 'Aplomb' - referring to a plumb-bob traditionally used by masons.

However, aplomb also means ‘self-possessed, confident’, rather like this lamp which distances itself from aseptic minimalism via the material richness of concrete.

Combining the need to obtain highly reduced dimensions and thickness, detailed finishes and smooth surfaces with the characteristic viscosity and lack of flexibility of concrete was apparently the greatest challenge in developing Aplomb.

The result was achieved thanks to the use of a special amalgam, which is particularly fluid in the mould and produces a surface that appears rough, but which is gentle to the touch, and refined by a transparent layer finish. Click here to have a look at a video showing how the light is made.

The lamp has an airy design, shaped like an upside-down funnel, and it comes in three colour finishes: from the classic grey of rough concrete, to elegant white or a warm and earthy brown.