Hokke Långstedt
”The element of darkness is as important as the light, if not more so.” – It’s all about the mood, according to lighting specialist Långstedt.”
At the SAAS Instruments showroom, the mood is cozy, mixed with an air of shadow and mystery. A variety of interesting light sources line the walls and the ceiling, creating an inviting feel – all created with lighting, of course.
Lighting solutions company SAAS Instruments has been in business since the mid-80s. In addition to various projects, they create lighting for plug & play installation kits and also make design lights. Their views on products and how to operate are quite different from others.
”We operate somewhere between technical lighting and art,” Långstedt describes.
Although crafts and handiwork have always been close to Långstedt’s heart, part of his journey to where he is today involves a series of random events.
”I always thought I’m going to grow up to be a tailor or an architect. At the age of twenty, I took a course in sewing at the adult education center together with housewives and pensioners. I made a pair of pants that turned out so awful that I thought no, this isn’t my thing,” Långstedt laughs.
When he gets into the subject of lighting, Långstedt’s passion is evident. All lighting solutions are designed at the SAAS Instruments workshop. But the appearance of a product is not what’s most important.
”What it evokes is our actual product, and light is our instrument for creating it.”
Långstedt highlights three primary elements in the qualities of light that he considers most important when designing lighting for a space.
”Volume, tone and direction. These are the three elements you work with. You need to have enough light sources, and they need to reproduce colors well. If a regular living room has eight light sources instead of one, you can achieve a lot of variation.”
Delving deeper into the mysteries of lighting, Långstedt gets caught up in the subject. Most regular users are surprised how little light is actually required, as long as the light sources are in the right places. If there is light everywhere, it kills the mood of the space and makes it less interesting.
”What you choose not to light is as important as what you actually light.”
”Typically, we end up removing lighting rather than adding more. At my house, the total lighting power is under 100 watts while in a house of similar size it’s typically about six or seven times that.”
The best thing about my line of work is that I get to see the end result where not only we but also architects, interior designers, and electrical engineers have contributed. At Hotel Mestari, for example, SAAS Instruments designed the lighting to meet the specific needs of the hotel.
Långstedt enjoys his work, remarking that his working days sometimes seem to consist of him simply amusing himself. But he is quick to remind that the team is indispensable.
”It’s sort of a family business. My sister and my eldest son work here, but almost everyone employed here is one big family. I couldn’t do all this on my own.”
Långsted’s inspirations:
01. People
”It’s cool how one plus one is way more than two when your thought processes really take off. It’s my greatest source of inspiration.”
02. Nature
”For us Finns, the nature and its light are good inspirations for almost anything. In nature, interesting things occur in the twilight zone between light and shadow.”
03. Junk
”Cars, boats, bikes. A single detail can get me excited, or it can be something larger that gets me worked up.”
Mestari stories
Mestari Stories is a place for showcasing various masters in their respective fields, for sharing opinions, and for cherishing modern craftsmanship. These masters from across Finland are driven by their unwavering vision and virtuoso talent in their craft.
