juan cappa’s basketlamp + straw stool reference traditional craft techniques and materials

juan cappa’s basketlamp + straw stool reference traditional craft techniques and materials
images courtesy of siri wahlstrøm

from an early age, colombian born designer juan cappa discovered traditional craft techniques, as he was always surrounded by family members creating beautiful objects from natural materials. these influences are what have come to drive his own process of designing and making, as seen in his ‘basketlamp’ and ‘straw stool’.

‘straw stool’ by juan cappa

though it was widely used in the past as a building material in thatched roofs, employed as wall insulation and as a filler for furniture such as in mattresses, straw is a generally forgotten material. with this in mind, cappa wanted to bring renewed life to the dried stalks of grain. his ‘straw stool’ is derived from our familiarity with sitting on wooden or upholstered surfaces, in which he tightly packs the fibres into a metal structure; ultimately transforming the dried grain material into a compacted arrangement which offers a strong and comfortable shape. the lower end of the straw is left loose within the seating frame in order that the sitter can flexibly move around when sitting upon it. because of straw’s insulating properties, the result creates a warm and breathable design; and as the fibres are fast growing and very resistant when held tightly, the can be easily replaced when needed.

straw, metal and plywood are combined to create a comfortable and flexible seating surface

straw is packed tightly at the top of the stool, and left loose below, allowing the sitter to move easily on the surface

one seater ‘straw stool’

top view of the tightly packed straw which offers a comfortable surface for sitting

cappa employs a material that historically was widely used, but has become a forgotten material

‘basketlamp’ by juan cappa

cappa draws on the principles of basketry, whereby the repetition of a form brings shape and stability to a structure, experimenting with solid wood and veneer to create his ‘basketlamp’. the design draws not only on the shape of the woven containers, but also in the way that we use them. realized as a table, floor or ceiling version, the ‘basketlamp’ is topped by a handle, as in a basket, making it easy to move it from one place to another, or hang. cappa has realized the lighting object as flat packed and easily assembled.

ash and pine veneer, along with solid pine, ash and oak are used to create the ‘basketlamp’
the design draws from the form of baskets and the way in which we use them
like many baskets, the light has a handle which makes it easy to carry, or hang from the ceiling
the ‘basketlamp’ has been designed to be flat packed

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