Cylindrical Lamp – Main Project Plans

Many aesthetics define my personal design style. In the past, I have drawn inspiration from Mid Century Modern, Space Age/Atomic Design, Biophilic Design and Bauhaus-esque functional minimalism. It is difficult to choose one style over the others; I believe that every style has merit depending on its context.

Fortunately, many of my favorite aesthetics share elements with one another; I believe that it is possible to combine aspects of each aesthetic without creating a final design that fundamentally contradicts itself.

I want to incorporate smooth flowing lines taken from Space Age design, and some materiality from Mid Century Modern. Natural light and shadow play a big role in Biophilic Design, and I wish to incorporate a dynamic element which can manipulate and alter the light and shadow around it. Overall, I want to keep my final design free from excessive ornamentation and focus mainly on functional features without straying from the aesthetic character defined previously.

I have decided to create (another) lamp for my final design project. I am leaning towards a cylindrical design, consisting of a structural core and a diffuser/shade that rotates around it. The light source itself will not rotate and will be placed in the center of the core. The dynamic element is supported by a lazy susan bearing with a large interior diameter. This diameter is large enough to allow the central core, light and wiring through the center and attach to the base. The dynamic element should be balanced and have a smooth and controlled rotation.

Below are a few sketches exploring this idea.

I am still deciding between a few lighting options. One thought is to modify/harvest parts from a sunset lamp. This lamp, powered by a cluster of LEDs, comes with a semi spherical outer lens that projects a diffused circular glow onto a surface. Tilting the lamp itself results in an elliptical glow, stretching along its axis as the light source becomes more oblique. I am interested to see how this light interacts with a dynamic shade. The main con of this setup is visual complexity. The housing and lens of the sunset lamp are visually unappealing, and would detract from the overall effect of the lamp as a whole.

Another thought is to use LED light ropes. These lights would run from the top of the core structure to the bottom, aligned with the axis of the cylinder. These ropes are visually unobtrusive and could provide some subtle aesthetic variation.

I am still in the process of figuring out what materials I will build the lamp shade and base from. I will either construct the lampshade from 3d printed PLA or from one sheet of acrylic, heated and bent to follow the radius of the cylinder. I am leaning towards a fully opaque outer shade to fully control the light which radiates from the center. 

I plan to construct the base of the lamp with wood in a mid century modern/organic style, but I have been considering the idea to build the base with the same material as the lamp shade to preserve aesthetic simplicity.

Image Sources

Sunset lamp

https://theoriginalsunsetlamp.com/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAA-QxPcpjOhzWGgmJNqJQ-BimHuhlR&gclid=Cj0KCQjwm7q-BhDRARIsACD6-fUg7WFHoPJsodu89qOfE3MwOrR5u3vgq5ef7_LPbznDiccKjGM5gkQaAj8HEALw_wcB

LED Rope Light

https://www.amazon.com/Flexible-Filament-Edison-Diodes-Accessories/dp/B0CDWZB5T6/ref=sr_1_4?crid=31BTLHI73O8XX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.hYCUTX7o3tPWQ70DPwvO6YL-v18U5PKK5i938DAHL0Ue576-Ud1ogl1p1jAk6Re54J710glS0CPN15nIIFst4FbxrkbWRb4ry0btl-mILWVxADexwcSfc_msQ9EuYr1czFgZqekZy8wwmIGaP4hlWhZkoiDhA6IZ5vUgTiw0BPKQ5AOM7lHk1DxpILKrmfMYoww2vi3oehE32mZ9WA2iTXILc-27pLSrKn2ts2wVt8bP2QpT0X2UO_IsguulC9Go-RCAuFVuTv2q1onjsy_nKv2qb2HNvuu7qXosZNW0GldS-M7QE1HO3NAEEN_qLeWeceufMx44ytt9_zZbkCXFNul-bJEucFAjCvygtDJOzTYww7Qz0zhqIRHmrE4_6rNYwIFVz3B78FpXcVQ7gUSFQVOa_7ridhHCTqbmPrEKqaKVLFqH1ef6ZruikIej8-cZ.nllVCRwnrQjE-EJQRG4eHU2EHmMKophlzBbGTLENnt0&dib_tag=se&keywords=led%2Blight%2Bfilament%2Bflexible&qid=1741629027&sprefix=led%2Blight%2Bfilament%2Bflexibl%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-4&th=1