Interior design major Hollis Machala from Mount Ida College, Newton, Mass., is the winner of lighting manufacturer Luraline Products Co.'s fourth annual “It's Your Light” student design competition.

Machala took top honors for “120 Mystery,” a pendant fixture that provides uplighting and downlighting through creative use of materials and construction. The fixture is intended primarily for use in restaurant installations, part of the broad category of retail lighting that was the focus of this year's competition.

“The 120 Mystery pendant consists of two symmetrical curved sides, which direct light both up and down without producing glare,” Machala said. “The mystery of the luminaire stems from the way the light is blocked on the symmetrical curved sides of the fixture. The viewer should see the fixture and say, ‘What is making that glow?’”

More than 100 students entered the contest. Machala received a $1,500 cash prize for her winning design.

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