Cylindrical Lamp Design Preview

Introduction

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.

Light Source

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.

 

Materials

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.

Originally, I wanted to construct the base out of wood to make the lamp more organic. This would add a natural element to the otherwise inorganic composition of the lamp. After some thinking, I have decided to abandon this idea. Adding this would detract from the overall simplicity of the design. Constructing the base out of PLA will conform to the materiality established by the dynamic lampshade, and will allow me to incorporate the central core structure into the base as one piece. The main bearing will be attached to the base, and the central core will pass through the inside diameter of the bearing.

Alternative Aesthetics

There are many aesthetics that directly oppose the aesthetic chosen for my lamp. Some that immediately come to mind are the Brutalist and Industrial aesthetic. Aside from the electronics and fastening hardware, my lamp does not use metal. 

If I decide to go with the LED filament solution, it could be interesting to use metal rods to support the interior structure. The polished look of the metal could be visually appealing against the plastic background of the base and shade. These support rods would run parallel with the led filament, mirroring existing elements of the lamp.

I have also considered the idea of using a color palette inspired by brutalist design. Using a warm concrete adjacent shade of grey could add variation without losing the previously defined aesthetic character. This color could also go well with the metallic structure and I will definitely keep it as an option.

Design Progress

The outer shade of the lamp will have a thin vertical slit allowing some light to escape. I will test this idea in real life and refine the size and orientation of slits/holes in the surface of the lamp shade to alter the throw of the light. I am still experimenting with the proportionality of the base and lamp shade. I want the lamp to appear slender and somewhat soft at some angles, and rigid at others. Ideally the height of the lamp would be three to four times the diameter of the base. The diameter of the base will be dictated by the space on the inside of the main bearing as well as the outer diameter of the sunset lamp housing. The total height of the lamp will be constrained at a maximum, as to not raise the center of gravity and reduce stability.

 

At the moment, I am leaning toward using the LED sunset lamp as my light source, which is plug and play and easy to implement. If I do choose to use the LED filament instead, I will house its supplemental circuitry in the base of the lamp. I have also been considering the idea of placing a potentiometer in the base with its input shaft geared to the rotation of the outer shade. Making a custom input for the sunset lamp would be more difficult, as it is powered by a premade pcb and harder to tap in to. In this case, I am planning to use the remote control that came with the sunset lamp. Although incredibly functional, the remote control itself is an eyesore and is sure to detract from the aesthetic of the lamp. I am in the process of creating either an enclosure for the existing remote or a custom remote using an IR transmitter.

I am also in the process of incorporating another dynamic element into the lamp, a movable (up and down) parabolic reflector. I will create this reflector based on the dimensions of the lens of the sunset lamp. This will hopefully result in interesting lighting effects which will change as the element is moved. I will use the central metal rods as shafts for this “carriage”. This carriage will slide up and down on the metal rods using linear bearings. I was originally planning to use two rods, but I am adding a third for more stability. These rods will be inserted into the base and will be arranged in a triangle. The parabolic reflector and sunset lamp will fit in between these rods at the top and bottom of the central assembly. Eventually, I want to attach this mechanism to a pulley and counterweight, so that adjustments are predictable and balanced. Below is a sketch illustrating this concept.

 

I still want the lamp to have a simple, streamlined silhouette so I plan to hide most of the dynamic elements behind the outer shell of the lamp. The main support structure will sit in the center of the lamp, and the top of this structure will be shorter than the top of the lamp shade cylinder. This structure will be visible from the top, but will be hidden from every other angle. Although the interior structure will be visible through the vertical opening on the lampshade itself, only a few elements will be visible at once preserving its outward simplicity.

Timeline

I plan to have more sketches and the initial 3D model done by March 20th, and I will start construction of the lamp after printing the components, ideally by April 1st. Since I will not be able to do any physical fabrication while on break, I plan to complete any remaining peripheral tasks during this time. I will finish printing components after the week of spring break, and hope to have a working prototype by April 7. I will then use the remaining time to make refinements and prepare, sand and paint the parts.

To Do:

-Complete 3D model for lamp base and shade

-Design Reflector Carriage and Counterweight system

-Create supporting circuitry to power light source

-3D Print Components

-Install bearing onto base, and upper part of bearing into the lamp shade

-Construct and mount central assembly, and install light

-Test light throw and direction without outer shade

 

After constructing this prototype, I will conduct some experiments to see how the light interacts with the dynamic shade. At this point I will design a new lamp shade with a reflective interior.

Image Sources

Sunset lamp

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

LED Rope Light

INDUSTRIAL Aesthetic

https://artfasad.com/18-interior-decorating-colour-schemes-to-elevate-your-industrial-chic-space/#google_vignette

BRUTALIST Aesthetic

https://www.creativebloq.com/features/10-iconic-examples-of-brutalist-architecture