Copenhagen-based design duo Daydreaming Objects has unveiled the Soft Solids series of lamps, which combine restored vintage bases with lampshades made from natural wax. Designer Ruta Palionyte and architect Ieva Baranauskaite wanted to highlight the reproducibility, plasticity, and light-diffusing properties of wax.
The designers were looking for a material that would complement the vintage lamps they had collected, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s. They settled on a mixture of soy wax and stearin, a more environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum-based paraffin. The combination of materials, which are derived from vegetable or animal fats, makes the lampshades durable and reliable, and the light warm, and soft.
“We chose wax because it can diffuse light delicately,” says Palionit. “The collection is inspired by the organic nature of the material and its ability to transform from a shapeless mass into a tangible form.”
Each vintage base was given a custom lampshade using computer technology and 3D printing. Using silicone molds to cast molten wax, Soft Solids can be recreated exactly over and over again. The biomorphic shapes and milky, soft blue, and green shades of the pieces evoke nature.
Perhaps the most striking model in the collection is the elongated Stem pendant lamp, in which conical modules are connected to form a totem. The designers used low-heat LED light sources to avoid distortion of the wax molds. In addition, the lampshades have voids that allow air to circulate freely inside.
Ruta Palionit and Ieva Baranauskaitė are originally from Lithuania and have a solo creative practice in Copenhagen, as well as releasing joint projects such as Daydreaming Objects. The Soft Solids project was presented at an exhibition at Galerija Vartai in Vilnius and then in Copenhagen as part of the 3 Days of Design festival.
Wax Shade Lamps
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