Art Deco Brass Collection

Manhattan

A fluted brass column drawn from the skyline of New York, in polished or aged brass.

The Manhattan is a cordless table lamp in CNC-milled solid brass, drawn from the vertical ornamentation of New York's art-deco skyscrapers. Designed by Gabriel Tam in 2023, its fluted column and stepped base reference the Chrysler Building, the Empire State and 30 Rockefeller Plaza, translated to table scale. It is offered in two finishes, a polished lacquered brass that holds its shine and an unlacquered aged brass that keeps developing in service, each with a choice of five handmade shades in cotton, pleated silk or hand-blown glass.

The same fluted column, finished two ways. Polished lacquered brass holds a bright, fixed lustre. Aged brass is taken through a real ageing process worked into the metal, left unlacquered so it settles further with use. Both take any of the five handmade shades.

Manhattan Brass table lamp for Sumosan Japanese Restaurant Bahrain
The Design Story

A skyline, translated to the table

The Manhattan was designed by Gabriel Tam in 2023, drawn directly from the art-deco skyscrapers that gave the lamp its name. The vertical ornamentation of the Chrysler Building, the stepped silhouette of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the long uninterrupted lines of the Empire State, all distilled into a 275mm column on a small brass plinth.

The form is symmetrical and almost architectural in feel. The column is CNC-milled from a single piece of solid brass and grooved with fine vertical fluting that catches the warm LED at the base and carries it up the body of the lamp. The result is a piece that reads as a small piece of sculpture as much as a lit object, particularly at lower dimmer settings where the brass holds more visual weight than the light itself.

That architecture reads differently in each finish. In polished lacquered brass the fluting is bright and reflective, and the column asserts itself on the table. In aged brass the darker tone sinks into the grooves and leaves the raised edges catching the light, so the same form gains depth and sits more quietly in rooms built from timber, leather and aged stone.

Since launching in 2023, the Manhattan has been specified across rooms that share its visual register: at The Wilde in Milan, the Prime Steakhouse at Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Sumosan in Bahrain, and Beef and Liberty in Chicago. It is at home wherever classical proportion and warm metal still hold a room together.

Materials & Craftsmanship

CNC-milled solid brass, finished two ways

The Manhattan's column is machined from a single block of solid brass, milled on a CNC lathe to the fluted profile that defines the design. The base is a small stepped brass plinth, and the top cap reflects the same proportion. From there the two finishes diverge.

The polished lacquered brass is buffed to a soft, lustrous shine and sealed under a clear lacquer, which holds the metal at its intended colour through years of nightly handling. It does not patina, and it is not meant to.

The aged brass is the opposite intent. Every piece is first cleaned through several ultrasonic and rinsing stages so the bare metal takes colour evenly. A deep brown-black base tone is applied, then a restrained touch of verdigris, the soft blue-green that brass and bronze develop naturally over years, held back on purpose so it stays a trace rather than a heavy patina. The surface is sealed with a rinse and a coat of wax rather than lacquer, so it is a genuine, individually aged finish that continues to settle with use.

The shade is the other variable, and both finishes take all five. Two are handmade fabric: the cotton shade is the classical pairing, soft and uniform, while the pleated silk lifts the lamp into a more formal hospitality register. The other three are hand-blown glass: a frosted opal that holds a clean, even white glow, an amber that warms the column into something closer to a 1930s speakeasy, and a green that turns the same lamp into a quietly dramatic piece for a darker room. Fabric shades carry an IP30 rating for indoor service. Glass shades are rated IP52 for terraces and indoor-outdoor settings.

Powered by N1

One platform. Endless design.

The sixth generation of our proprietary N1 cordless light engine powers every NEOZ lamp in this collection. Designed and manufactured in Sydney, N1 brings together the LED module, lithium battery system, dimming electronics and charging interface in a single serviceable unit.

Engineered for all-day battery life, fast charging, and the rigours of a busy service environment.

17.5h+
Usage per charge
3.5h
Fast recharge time
2600K / 1800K
93+ CRI warm white / warm candle
5 Year
NEOZ Warranty
Technical Specifications

Download the spec sheet

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