Naturalist-Inspired Bamboo Lamp

Lighting plays an integral role in shaping the ambiance of a space. For the longest time, I used only an overhead light. As I grew and matured, I realized that lighting influences the warmth, balance, and overall feng shui of a room. My maturity caused me to seek a harmonious light balance to my space, which was disrupted when a friend reclaimed a lamp she had lent me. Inspired by the aesthetic and the functional qualities of the lamp, I decided to create my own—one that would maintain the warmth and earthiness of the previous light source while adjusting it to my personal tastes as well.

Laid out in this post is a full breakdown of the conceptualization, material selection, design process, and fabrication plan of my naturalist-inspired bamboo lamp. I will document the project through sketches, photographs, and a timeline that shows my goal for completing different aspects of the project.

The inspiration for my project came from a short reflection while sitting in my desk chair. During junior year, one of my friends lent me a lamp while she was abroad. This lamp had a gourd-like shape with ornate designs etched into its clay-like base. The lampshade featured a vintage, coarse, twilled texture. It provided a warm orange light that complemented another lamp positioned in the opposite corner of my room. The combination created a balanced lighting arrangement that I found both functional and aesthetically pleasing. However, once she returned and took back her lamp, I was left with an unbalanced lighting setup—something I have wanted to fix ever since. This project finally provided the perfect opportunity to do so.

While I could have simply attempted to recreate the original lamp, I wanted to maintain its essential elements while shifting the general aesthetic. Instead of a traditional, vintage lamp, I was looking for something more standout and unique while also blending in with the sleek and timeless furniture in my room. This led me to consider naturalist aesthetics, which emphasized organic components, shapes, and materials. The naturalist aesthetic itself aims to create art that remains true to nature. No alterations, simply putting down what can be seen in nature.

Aesthetics

I explored a few other aesthetics as well during the brainstorming phase.

The naturalist approach (my chosen aesthetic) saw a design made of natural materials like bamboo and wood. Utilizing bamboo to create the neck of the lamp and a wooden base to create a simple but truely natural design that accents the earthy brown tones of my room. I like this idea as the bamboo takes a natural element and organizes it into something else. This creation is something I have not seen before and I also felt it would be a good way to hide a lamp cord. I took inspiration for this from a photo that I saw online shown below.

An alternative approach within this aesthetic that I considered was focusing more on the look of the lamp. I pondered creating a lamp that looked like a mushroom. While similar in aesthetic I saw this as something I would have made out of clay or 3D printed plastic and would mimic nature instead of taking natural materials. This playful idea would also fit my exisiting color palette. I loved this idea and the inspiration photos I found online sparked a lot of good ideas. I felt however that I wanted something made of natural materials, plastics and other synthetics did not resonate as much in regard to my aesthetic.

Some alternative aesthetics that I considered included the steampunk aesthetic. While my room features wooden cabinets and a red oak desk the lighting and color scheme fit this aesthetic pretty well. Using metal, piping, and other industrial materials was a fun avenue to consider. However, I felt that the mechanical components felt out of place from the softer feeling of everything in my room. I also decided that the materials and fabrication techniques were not consistent with my initial vision.

As we were asked to consider opposing aesthetics, this immediately came to mind. Creating a bold, colorful lamp with extravagant details like a jewelry-wearing lampshade, fishbowl base, and frills was possibly the furthest thing from the original lamp I had in mind. I liked the idea of having a fun art project where I could add whatever I wanted, and the design would still feel true to the aesthetic, but it felt disruptive to my room. I think that there is a common ground for this type of design and my room, but it did not feel true to me.

Design and Materials

To start visualizing my design I drew some initial sketches I will iterate upon after talking with the woodshop lead. This will allow me to refine my design based on his professional knowledge. So far the design features the following parts:

• A square wooden base with through holes for press fitting pieces of bamboo to create the lightbulb holder
• A natural bamboo structure made of 3 bamboo sticks to hold the lampsocket, lightbulb, and cord
• A simple and grainy lampshade to enhance the soft warm light of the lightbulb
• A hidden wiring system that utilizes the hollow shell of one of the bamboo sticks

To construct the lamp I will need the following materials:

• Bamboo sticks
  • Used to create the structural portion of the lamp. I have found reasonably priced bamboo sticks on amazon that I think would work well for the project.

• Stock wood to use for the base of the lamp
  • This will be my mounting plate for the bamboo sticks and will need to be secure enough to hold the lighbulb and lampshade
• Lamp cord and socket
  • So far, I have found these either come together in one piece, or I can choose to buy them seperately. I found one shown below that features hemp strands used for the cord which would be a nice touch to the naturalist look.

• A lampshade
  • I have thought about sourcing this a couple different ways. I will first look online to see if there is one that perfectly fits my vision but I also have plans to visit local thrift stores in hopes of a secret find.
• Lightbulb
  • I plan to use warm lighting since it fits better with the woody earth tones of my room.

Fabrication

I have broken up my fabrication into a couple parts. The wood base must be cut into a square shape and three holes must be drilled to fit the bamboo securely. The bamboo itself must be cut to size (the affordable pieces come in 6ft poles) and I need to make sure that there is enough diameter to thread a cord through. This may alter the cord/socket that I buy to make sure I do not have to cut away material at the side to fit the cord in. I also have considered that I may be able to cut into the side and rotate the cut so that it is covered by the other bamboo sticks in the design. I will need a consultation with the woodsop lead to fully flush out this idea. My biggest worry for manufacturing is that the bamboo will not have a large enough hold to fit a light socket. My plans in this scenario are to create a 3D printed adapter that could fit into the bamboo hole and then widens to fit and secure the lamp socket. This design will come into place if necessary once I have more information on the bamboo hole size and different lamp socket sizes at well. There is only a little bit of manufacturing to do so this gives me ample time to source materials that I believe will truly exude the aesthetic I am aiming for.

 

Timeline

I created a GANTT chart that gives a rough outline of when I hope to complete different aspects of the project.

 

This project is a personal journey toward restoring balance in my space through a thoughtful and well-designed lighting solution. Drawing inspiration from nature, I am crafting a bamboo lamp that complements the warm, earthy tones of my room while maintaining a sleek and modern aesthetic. The fabrication process involves a combination of woodworking, electrical assembly, and possibly 3D printing to ensure a polished final product.

As I progress, I will continue documenting each step, refining the design as necessary, and troubleshooting any challenges that arise. Through this process, I hope to create a functional and beautiful lamp that embodies both form and function—bringing back the harmonious light balance I once had in my room.

Stay tuned for updates on the fabrication process!

 

Sources:

Figure 2: bamboo lamp
https://www.selency.nl/c/lighting/table-lamp/bedside-lamp-and-table-lamp?materialTitle=zinc~bronze~rattan%20and%20wicker&sortBy=PRODUCTS_EN_BS2&page=16

Figure 3: Mushroom lamp
https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/reverse-table-lamp

Figure 4: Steampunk lamp

Figure 5: Maximalist Lamp
Maximalist Lights

Figure 6: Bamboo

Figure 7: Hemp lamp cord and socket
https://www.build.com/product/summary/1443478?uid=3398700&jmtest=gg-gbav2_3398700&inv=1&&source=gg-gba-pla_3398700!c1710655145!a67979306878!dc!ng&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwvr–BhB5EiwAd5YbXqu0yjt1vhRBp2DXs1Lv6R1cxRjEMXLPmP6BQCQ3XkY98ti2NuXn5xoCVkkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds