For my final project, I’m aiming to create a contemporary desk lamp. I’ll be constructing the lamp in a contemporary aesthetic, with a few mid-century modern cues. My design will in general follow the key aspects of contemporary styling, mainly being minimalist, sleek, and highlighting material choice prominently. I also want to incorporate aspects of the mid-century modern aesthetic through my material choice, which will be wood. Contemporary and mid-century modern will go great together for my project and its desired aesthetic since contemporary design will emphasize the mid-century modern construction material well.

I was inspired to create a contemporary desk lamp since I personally have one, however it and almost every example available on the market are made of plastic or metal. I appreciate how most of these lamps also have a very warm light calibration, and I think this would work fantastically with warm wood tones to create an aesthetically pleasing desk lamp.

I plan to make the general shape of my lamp similar to the slim complementary lamps already available on the market. This means that I’ll have two pieces of wood with a hinge or cantilever in the middle, connected to a base. I’m not sure on the exact wood I’ll be using or what varnish (is any) I’ll be applying to it, but to help decide I first plan to order soft white LEDS with a warm color temperature and place some samples of various woods and coating under it, seeing what works best with the lighting.