the special edition version of a production lamp for booo!, ‘surface tension lamp’ uses an ephemeral bubble as its lampshade image © designboom

for milan design week 2012, dutch design company booo! studio asked three designers to each create two pendant lamps: a special edition and a production model (costing under 100 euro to make) that share an interesting approach to design. swedish design group front developed ‘surface tension lamp’ and ‘lampshade bulb’, drawing their ideas from the long life of an LED bulb, which generally lasts for almost ten years.

‘surface tension lamp’, the special edition model, comprises only a metal base, from which bubbles are blown to grow and ultimately drop or pop away. ‘we wanted to create a constantly changing lamp that combines the most ephemeral of lampshades with an LED light source,’ explains front. ‘in the time it takes the LED to burn out, the lamp will have had 3 million different globe shades.’

lamps for booo! by front over the course of the life of its LED, ‘surface tension lamp’ will have had 3 million different globe shades image © tatiana uzlova

video of ‘surface tension lamp’

lamps for booo! by front ‘lampshade bulb’, the production model for booo! image © tatiana uzlova

the production version ‘lampshade bulb‘ takes the opposite approach, combining the bulb and lampshade into a single object.

an inner dome structure softens the light to strengthen the illusion of a lampshade.

both pieces are on exhibition at spazio rossana orlandi for milan design week 2012. ‘lampshade bulb’ is expected to be in production by july to august of this year.

lamps for booo! by front full view of one of the three bulb/shades in the collection image © tatiana uzlova

the designers of front discuss their work for booo! studio