Xuân Phân

Xuân Phân, named after the Spring Equinox, is four pendants hung as a group, each at its own height. Two linen shades alternate with two square-weave rattan shades. The set is made for one long table.

Who makes it, and how

Lâm Văn Lộc bends four brass frames, softening the rod with a torch and shaping it on a wooden jig, about half a day each. Huỳnh Thị Mến weaves the two rattan shades on the same mould so they match exactly, seals them with a matte moisture coat, and stretches linen over the other two. Tô Minh Khang wires four cables between 1.2 and 1.8 m long, fits four E27 sockets and runs the whole set for 24 hours. The four lamps get consecutive numbers in our ledger.

What the light does

Each lamp takes a 6 W LED at 2700K, the yellow-white of an old incandescent, 24 W for the set, with spares. Because the heights are staggered, the four pools do not line up in a stripe; they overlap along a 1.8 m table so neither end is left in the dark. Linen gives a soft, even light. The rattan lets light through its squares and prints a grid on the ceiling.

Which room, which table

A dining table for six, any table from 1.6 to 2 m long, a homestay’s shared lobby, a café entrance. For a table of four, a single Hạ Chí is simpler.

In Khoa and Uyên’s apartment the ceiling is 2.7 m and the outlet sat 60 cm off the centre of the dining table. We hung Xuân Phân from an offset swag hook so the set lands dead centre without drilling: VND 9,800,000 plus 150,000, VND 9,950,000 in all. In the lobby at Nhà Chín Phòng in Đà Lạt, a set hangs over a six-seat table, with linen kept because the air there is damp.

How high to hang it

The lowest lamp sits 70 to 80 cm above the table and the other three step up from there. Khang cuts the cables on site to suit the ceiling and the table. Our note on pendant height over a dining table covers long tables and spacing.

Care

Rattan: a dry cloth or soft brush monthly, no sprays (see the rattan page). Linen: brush off dust; dab a small mark with a barely damp cloth and let it dry fully before switching on. Dó paper: a feather duster only, and never in a damp room.

Options people usually pick

• Dó paper instead of linen (+VND 800,000 for the set, VND 10,600,000 total): for air-conditioned apartments, when you want two shades to glow like lanterns. See the dó paper page.
• Offset swag hook (VND 150,000): nearly every apartment whose outlet is not over the table.
• A wall dimmer (VND 350,000) and four dimmable bulbs (4 × 90,000 = VND 360,000): bright for dinner, low afterwards.
• Matte black frames: four frames close together look tidier in black.

A staggered set is the hardest thing to picture from a product photo. Send a photo of your table through the light mock-up page; the drawing shows the height of each lamp.