My first lighting design: Block Lamp

After designing a few gadget-related projects, I decided to take on a new challenge: designing a lighting from scratch. Lighting is an area of fascination for me. I have an ongoing draft post about the various designer lamps in my home that I plan to publish soon. In the meantime, let me share my latest work.

I was curious to explore something truly unique. While there are countless 3D printed lamps available, they tend to resemble one another. Of course where is the joy of creating something yourselves. And I like to push my limits. I had a different vision in mind—something bold and industrial that could be utilized in various ways.

My espresso bar has two shelves, which is the only poorly lit area in my office room. So, I had to design something versatile that could be used in multiple ways:

• Ambient lamp, where the light reflects from the wall
• Ambient lamp, where the light reflects from the desk
• Task lamp, where the light hits the objects directly.

After several iterations, I come up with the "Block Lamp"

The Block lamp has several distinct features, and appears quite different from various perspectives. It's a single, unassembled piece. There are no glues, bolts or any parts that needs to be hold together. This significantly extends the lamp’s lifespan. Initially, the plan was to use CNC-machined aluminum in the long run, but to achieve that, I wanted to test its durability and usability by using it in my office for a few months (or even years).

The handle on the front of the device is designed to be pulled, pushed, and even rotated. It's an invitation to the user. There’s a hole behind the handle, which is small enough to prevent light from leaking out but large enough to highlight the handle.

The base is heavy. While working on it, I ensured that the part had 95% infill to create weight. Normally, people use sand or steel infills, but I wanted to experiment with using the filament as an infill. Surprisingly, it worked perfectly fine.

Some friends have asked about a portable version of it. The design is perfectly fine to be converted to a portable lamp. The front handle allows you to carry it easily as well. And the base is actually a placeholder for a battery. So when I designed it, I already made sure it can be also converted to a portable lamp in the future. However, I don't like battery-powered lamps because you have to constantly charge them.

My plan is to continue working on lamp designs this year. I also plan to work on several other things. Looking forward to share more. For now, you can see all my past and current works so far from my "Works" page.