German designer Johannes Kiessler has created a sleek hanging lamp which is predominantly made from cardboard. Dubbed, Numerouno, the eco-friendly lamp weighs a mere 600 g (21 oz) and features a low consumption 21 W fluorescent tube that emits the same amount of light as a traditional 150 W light bulb.
"I am a lecturer for packaging design and was always fascinated by cardboard as a material," Johannes Kiessler tells Gizmag. "It is cheap, extremely versatile, quite resistant and consists of about 80 percent recycled material."
The Numerouno lamp, which hangs from the ceiling and can be suitable for the kitchen, dining room, home workspace or office, is currently available throughout Europe, where it is delivered already mounted and ready for hanging but without the light tube.
"Customers don’t have to assemble it," says Kiessler. "However, I am considering a cheaper, flat DIY version for the US." That being said, the construction of the lamp is quite simple. "The steps are: folding of the cardboard, attachment of the light fixture and attachment of the hanging wires," says Kiessler.
Kiessler also has plans to create a "Numerodue," which is a version of the Numerouno that is designed to be wall mounted. "I love the idea of combining things that partly already exist into something unique, rather than always producing new stuff," says Kiessler.
Numerouno is available for purchase in Europe for €89 (US$120), which some might consider a little pricey for a cardboard lamp. Italian competitors Fattelo have a DIY cardboard lamp on the market with plans that are free to download, or you can order a prepared kit for €40 (US$54).
IKEA could knock something like this out for less than the price of a burger.