From Isamu Noguchi and Ingo Maurer to Audo Copenhagen and Crate & Barrel, the lantern's legacy continues to inspire timeless design expressions.
Design trends are the stuff of the aspiration. From Herman Miller's eternal popular Eames lounge chair to Ligne Roset's distinctive Togo sofas, many of the most famous and most sought-after design pieces remain the stuff of our dream-like not our living room. As frustrating as the unaffordable high costs for great design can be, the price is for a good reason: quality and craft is worth paying. Fortunately, there are also exceptions from the rule. A typical example? Japanese inspired paper and linen lamps.
The fundamentally minimalist mating of a light source with a paper or a fabric tone facilitates with its elegant simplicity and makes an accessible entry point for an extraordinary design. And there is a rich legacy to boot. Isamu Noguchi's landmark from 1951 called Akari as Akari made the young American designer a well -known name. Inspired by the Japanese tradition of the paper lanterns and the crafter of the GIFU region, Noguchi's “Light Skulptures” paved the way for new design expressions today. Today Japanese lamps are a trend at home and an easy way to hug refined design without breaking the bank. Here we look at six outstanding designs.
Akari 1n by Isamu Noguchi
What could be nicer than the original? Noguchi's original designs in Gifu, Japan, are still handmade and are now the origin of a namesake in New York and can be bought via the online shop. And while the museum maintains an impressively eclectic collection of Noguchi shapes and coloring, the Akari 1n is a typical expression of the style. Handmade Washi paper and bamboo ribs are carried by a slim metal frame, which emphasizes the elegantly irregular “Wabi-Sabi” shape of the lamp. Over 70 years later, it remains an affordable synthesis of modernist design and Japanese heritage.
Toro square honeycomb lamp from Crate & Barrel
Inspired by Japanese paper lanterns, the newly published Toro Square Weave table lamp is a calm and deliciously understated presence. Fixed from its subtly rounded rectangular shape, the structured and pleasantly tactile linen shadow is located on a simple wood -based base of two crossing oak veneer panels. While the wood fighter of the base offers another allusion to the Japanese design heritage, the subtle contrast between the straight base and the gently curved shadow ensures a dynamic but sophisticated whole.
Hashira portable table lamp by norm architects for Audo Copenhagen
Pure, functional and versatile, the compact design by norm architects on a Copenhagen base combines a cylindrical linen shadow with an essential intersection structure. The Harisha lamp is anchored by a stable cylindrical wood -based and has a warm white, dissolvable LED. Its gently diffuse light promotes a calm and calming ambience, while the wireless design ensures an elegant and unmoved presence that is particularly suitable for minimalist interior.
James Mankoff design table lamp
“This lamp was originally created from the need to give me more warmth and mood lighting at home,” says American designer James Mankoff. However, the manual, handcrafted teak or walnut lamps, which are available in a white or gold color, are themselves statement pieces. As Mankoff explains: “The lampshade is handmade by a multi -day process of the steam, which bends the wooden edge and the oilens of customer -specific parchment paper. In contrast to conventional lamp umbrellas, the oiled paper process enables the light to penetrate its half -transparent sides and create a warm, soft glow in all directes.”
Nelson tripod bulb from Herman Miller
Just a year after Noguchi debuted the Akari collection, George Nelson George Nelson presented another light collection for the centuries. The Nelson collection may be best remembered for the legendary bladder lamp trailer and is described by designer Jonathan Adler as a “atomic view of the Japanese paper lantern”. For a more brave alternative to more traditional Japanese styles, they are just right than the shape of the baked space age of the tripod pearb. And although the shadow is technically made of plastic, its delicate presence is reminiscent of the simple beauty of the (much more expensive) Japanese lamps that inspired Nelson's design.
Yoruba rose table lamp from Ingo Maurer
While the paper is suitable for simplicity, the art of origami folding shows a complicated world of complexity. Inspired by Noguchi's original series Ingo Maurer and Dagmar Mombach's “Mamo Nouchies” reef about the forms of the designer to create better -winding sculptural paper forms. The Yoruba Rose table lamp is an enchanting expression that uses an organic, pearl -like shape that extends up to the sun like a flower. The lamp enables Dagmart Mombach's studio through a customer -specific manufacturing process. But the stuff of the dreams remains.