Humour often intertwines with the culture of design and innovation. A playful object can help break free from the routine, used instinctively without intimidation. Irony can be a lens through which objects are reinvented, as long as they don’t lose their functionality. Subtle humour belongs to both the creator and the user, enriching daily life with a smile and fueling the imagination.
Pendant, Table, Wall, and Floor Lamps
Many classic design lamps embrace the duality of light and humour. The Castiglioni Brothers designed the Toio lamp as a ready-made piece, resembling a fishing rod with a car headlight at the end of the line. Bruno Munari created the Falkland pendant lamp using women’s stockings, while Ingo Maurer’s signature style is built on irreverence.
Here are 9 examples of design lamps, both classics and lesser-known pieces, that fully embrace the balance between light and humour.
1. Martí Guixé | Do Scratch | Droog Design | 2002
In an email to Renny Ramakers and Gijs Bakker of Droog Design, the Spanish designer requested to buy a standard Philips square wall light and paint it matte black. The result is a “chalkboard” lamp, where users can draw or scratch the surface, revealing parts of the paint and intuitively adjusting the light output.
Denis Santachiara | Notturno Italiano | Yamagiwa | 1985
The idea of counting sheep to fall asleep inspired this designer. He created a lamp that projects a slow, continuous stream of sheep moving across the wall – an amusing design gag that also promotes relaxation.
Ingo Maurer | Bulb | 1968
An example of pop culture’s typical hyperbole, this oversized bulb plays with ironic allusions to its shape and purpose. The oversized form is both a lamp and a source of light.
4. Hector Serrano | Clothes Hanger | Droog Design | 2001
This wall-mounted coat hanger with a light bulb nods to the ready-made concept. Clothing becomes the lampshade, turning this chameleon-like lamp into a witty design piece that seamlessly blends into any space.
5. Front Design | Surface Tension Lamp | 2012
Delicate and imaginative, this pendant lamp resembles an iridescent soap bubble, just waiting to pop. It takes the play between the material and the immaterial to a higher level.
6. Tejo Remy | Milk Bottle Lamp | Droog Design | 1991
Small and minimalist, this lamp is a sculptural device that emits an unexpected glow.
7. Marcantonio | Idea | Slamp
Magically suspended on a satin brass structure or hung directly on the wall, Idea plays with comic strip imagery, where a light bulb symbolizes a great idea. Its irony is more conceptual than formal, but its minimalist aesthetic hits the mark perfectly.
8. Lorenzo Damiani | Packlight | Autoproduzione | 1995
In this adorable design lamp, the packaging and the product are the same. It cleverly plays with irony and unexpected gestures, offering a solution that breaks away from traditional design language.
9. Paul Cocksedge | Life 01 | Flos | 2009
This vase goes beyond its decorative role in interiors, becoming an allegory for the transience of life. It lights up when a flower is placed inside, but the light slowly fades as the flower wilts. Life 01 combines light, water, and organic life, creating an atmosphere that stimulates reflection, much like a vanitas or still-life painting.
