This lamp doubles as a pouf and can support an adult’s bodyweight. The effect is a surprising feeling of lightness – and the lamp will warm your seat too!

Fibreglass has, of course, been around for some time. It’s been used in design for many years (the Eames fibreglass chair came out in 1948), but it is still the subject of research, and with good reason, as its specific characteristics give it huge potential. Because it is a composite, it combines the best of two worlds: strength and stiffness. It is used increasingly in heavy-duty applications, such as boat hulls and bridge decks.

The innovation here is in the specific consistency, which makes for a highly translucent finish. Further research was performed by the designers to get stabilise the consistency of the material. That was needed to ensure that the fibre-glass density is equal all over. This is apparent from the even lighting through the finished product.

The material is a composite, using a polymer matrix, often epoxy, that is reinforced with fine fibres of glass in a random orientation. By playing with this composition, the designers, Italian firm Sandro Santantonio, were able to create lamps that have a translucency of around 85%.

Richly coloured finishes make the lamps visually entertaining. Matte or glossy blacks and whites on the exterior combine with gold or silver leaf on the inside. These lamps are hand-painted.

But the most appealing are the naturally coloured shades, which have a naturally greenish-white colour to them. This allows maximum light to pass through. This variant is also suitable for outdoor use.

The lamps are large, too. At 600mm around and almost as high, they are large enough for anyone to sit on, and luckily they’re strong enough, too. The size helps keep the lamp a safe distance away from the fibre-glass, reducing the risk of fire.

 

Images via the designers.