Eight lights that will change the way you see 3D-printed design

Could a 3D-printed lamp become a design classic? We look at some recent examples of how this technology can produce timeless objects, not just throwaway products.

With so many 3D-printed products now on the market – typically manufactured in plastic – these pieces are often seen as cheap and disposable.

Now, designers are out to prove that additive manufacturing can produce objects with long-term value, with qualities that aren't possible through other forms of production.

This is most apparent in lighting design, where 3D-printed plastics or bioplastics can offer surprising mixes of form and translucence.

"When it comes to visual effects and transparency, the geometries and forms enabled by 3D printing are difficult to achieve with other transparent materials," said French designer Lucas Zito.

"Plastic will never be marble, oak, metal or glass, but it allows us to explore everything that lies beyond those categories."

"The narrative creates emotional resonance"

Zito, who specialises in 3D-printed lighting, believes the key to making additively manufactured designs that people actually want to keep is by triggering emotion or memory.

"The essence of durability lies as much within the user as in the object itself," he told Dezeen. "The narrative behind an object, whether spoken or unspoken, is what creates emotional resonance."

"A plastic lamp will last as long as any other, as long as the user still wishes to keep it."

Some designers are exploring a softer side of 3D printing, using the technology to create designs that are evocative of paper or textiles, but inherently more durable.

Others are eschewing complex geometries, a common trend in 3D printing, and instead reinterpreting timeless forms.

Norwegian designer Daniel Rybakken adopted both approaches in his latest design, a translucent version of a classic table lamp. He hopes to show that complexity is not always the best approach in 3D printing.

"Since the first 3D-printed objects started selling over 20 years ago, the main trend has been in adding complexity to the geometry," he said.

"I wanted to design something that felt both familiar and unique, giving a hint of a more complex substructure without falling into the enduring trend of overly intricate design."

Here's a look at eight lighting designs that suggest a bright future for 3D printing:

Daniel Rybakken's Stillas is translucent version of archetypal table lamp 

Sweden-based Rybakken designed Stillas for Czech 3D printer company Prusa Research, based on the form of a classic table lamp and shade.

It features a PLA plastic body so thin that the slender "scaffolding" frame is visible through the material.

Lukas Zito's Buoy Lamps are a series of fluted totems

Paris-based Zito has launched an array of striking 3D-printed lamps over the past four years.

The Buoy lamps have become his signature. Available in vertical and horizontal configurations, these fluted PLA lamps are designed to resemble buoys bobbing around in the sea.

Raw Edges turns 2D mesh into ethereal sculptures with LightMass^

Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay of London studio Raw Edges have launched their own lighting brand, LightMass^, offering lightweight mesh pendants that are lit from within.

Made from a PLA and biopolymer​ blend, their designs are printed in 2D, then folded and clipped together, creating 3D shapes that look like line drawings suspended in space.

LightMass^ is shortlisted in the lighting category for Dezeen Awards 2025.

Crème Atelier draws on ice cream with Soft Serve lamps

Stockholm-based Crème Atelier was inspired by the swirling forms of ice cream with its sorbet-coloured Soft Serve lamps, which featured on Dezeen in 2023 and were nominated for Dezeen Awards the same year.

The designers have since expanded the range, introducing both extra-large and portable versions.

Pascal lamp by 91-92 looks like an inflatable

Copenhagen studio 91-92 used 3D modelling tools to develop the soft, squishy form of the Pascal lampshade, which is printed from flexible TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) plastic.

As Dezeen's Jennifer Hahn pointed out, the result "looks vaguely like the blow-up armbands that kids wear for swimming", even though it's not actually inflated.

ObjetFormt's STL Series lamps take cues from paper boxes

With their matt PLA surfaces, the STL Series lamps were designed by Dutch studio ObjetFormt to look like ubiquitous cardboard storage boxes.

The paper-like surfaces are embossed with an edition number, encouraging you to think of them as valuable art objects rather than anonymous containers.

Sheyn creates delicate fabric-like creases in Fald Pendant

The pleated garments of fashion designer Issey Miyake are resonant in the fluid forms of this droplet-shaped pendant lamp.

Designed by Nicolas Gold, co-founder of Vienna-based studio and brand Sheyn, the PLA Fald pendant is intended to evoke a sense of subtle rippling.

Squish Totem by Emmanuel Hugnot puts a spin on the hourglass

French designer Emmanuel Hugnot has developed a technique for shaping 3D-printed objects, using woven-like surfaces that bend like textiles when heated.

The Squish Totem is a floor lamp formed of stacked modules, with the bends allowing for double curvatures.

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