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 10 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.
10. Gaetano Pesce | Moloch | Bracciodiferro | 1970-71
With its oversized dimensions, this floor lamp challenges traditional design conventions. Its exaggerated size is always amusing, especially when it replicates common everyday objects.
