WOVEN STRING LAMPS

My new house has plenty of large windows, which fills it with light on most days. However, there are very few hardwired lights. Those that are installed don't let off enough light for the size of each room. So, one of the first things I have been on the lookout for is unique lighting. I saw Ana Kras' Bonbon lampshades quite a few years ago and knew I wanted something similar someday! 

THE BRIGHT COLOR-BLOCKED GEOMETRIC FORMS PAIRED WITH THE SOFT TEXTURE OF YARN IS SUCH A NICE JUXTAPOSITION.

Ana was born in Belgrade, but currently lives in NY. She made the first Bonbon lamp as a student project in 2009. And, in the years to follow made more one of a kind lamps. She no longer makes custom pieces, however they are available through Hay using the same process and yarn as she would use for her handmade pieces. 

Pop & Scott makes similar woven string lights in a little more neutral colors, in varying shapes, and with open spaces on many of the designs to let the light through. Here are some samples from their Cosmos Collection...

And, others from their Dream Weavers Collection...

The Design Files featured Poppy Lane and Scott Gibson's house - it's so fun to see them in a real environment! 

POP & SCOTT MENTIONED THEIR LAMPS ARE "INSPIRED BY THE FOG & MORUP WOVEN LAMPSHADES OF THE 50'S AND 60'S."

Fog & Morup was a Danish modern company that was started in the 1950's, merged a few times, and then went out of business in 2005. On 1st Dibs, I found examples of the Fog & Morup teak wood and jute string lamps and I can definitely see why they created the urge for others to craft something similar!

 You can buy your own at Hay or Pop & Scott. Or, make your own following DIY's here or here.

  

Fabrica de Imaginacion shares so many more versions of woven string lamps if you are eager to take a peek! 

MOLO

Molo Design, based in Vancouver Canada, invents and creates amazing expandable structures including a folding wall system, paper furniture, and lighting made from layers of flexible paper honeycomb that can be shaped in any way. If you can imagine the beautiful geometric shape of the honeycomb bells and pumpkins we are familiar with putting up around the holidays. As well as the fun in transitioning those decorations from a flat shape into a fully formed three-dimensional one. 

IMAGINE THE FUN OF BUILDING A WALL, LIGHT, OR PIECE OF FURNITURE OUT OF SUCH A HONEYCOMB SHAPE!

They have an assortment of high paper walls that can form a free-standing partition room divider or backdrop, as well as thinner snake-like pieces that can be stacked to create more of a wave like installation. Smaller blocks can be stacked for textural interest as well. All are connected with magnets inside the paper.

The urchin softlight is one of my favorite pieces of Molo's. And, at only $250, a very affordable piece to add interest, art, and conversation into the home versus an ordinary light fixture. It can be manipulated with your hands to make an abundance of different shapes - get tired of one, and change it to another! There is a video over at Design Milk that is mesmerizing.

At one point, it seems Molo made floor lamps, which were beyond amazing as well. But, I am not sure those are being produced anymore.

They do, however, also make a cloud softlight pendant, which is a suspended paper honeycomb light. And, a cloud softlight mobile that is a grouping of the suspended paper lights hung by a modern wire structure.

I'll never look at a honeycomb bell or pumpkin the same way after seeing these you can be sure!