Circular Lamp

This project started as a small sketch of a convenient lamp to have before bed. Being a fan of cozy ambient lighting, I wanted a lamp that would allow for a full surrounding warm non-direct light. One of the main goals was for this light to be consistent and uninterrupted. I started with a preliminary sketch giving me the general idea of what I wanted the light to look like. With that I thought a mid-century modern look would be fitting. I wanted to use thick walnut for the top and bottom and use a natural fabric for the diffuser.

The first design hurdle I wanted to tackle was how to support the top, while not interrupting the light. I figured a central support would make sense for this application, with that, I would be able to wrap an LED strip on the outside. With the addition of some mounting holes, this worked great. The second hurdle I needed to work on was how to support the fabric while giving it structure. I designed rings that would be able to lock onto the central support. This entire assembly went through many iterations, with the goal of fine tuning the specifics for easy assembly. 

The central support was a great task for 3D printing. After a test print to ensure the LED strip, and other hardware would fit, I was able to print the full support. For the fabric rings, I figured laser cutting would be my best bet, to minimize creep for the prolonged stress. In addition to laser cutting the rings, I also laser cut router guides for the caps of the lamps. The lamp shade was made from two overlapping layers of muslin, while I tested a few other materials, I liked the texture that it present when illuminated as well as when it was turned off.