Patchwork Pina Lamp

Project Info

Reviving a natural material once widely used around the world, the Patchwork Pina Lamp explores the potential of pine resin for contemporary craft and design.

Part of a wider body of work entitled Explorations in Pine Resin, the project investigates how this remarkable material can be reimagined for modern applications. Like timber, pine resin stores carbon and is biodegradable, but it also offers a unique combination of properties: it is waterproof, antibacterial and can be repeatedly melted. Harvested without felling trees, pine resin can support healthy forest ecosystems, preserve biodiversity and add to profitable outputs.

The table lamp celebrates the resin’s alluring amber colour and the warm glow it emits when illuminated. A hand-formed paper shade is attached to a turned white oak base before being dipped into molten pine resin, sourced from the Pampilhosa da Serra region of Portugal. As the resin cools, it bonds with the paper to create a remarkably thin, translucent composite material, transforming the opaque paper into a glossy lampshade.

Although conceptually simple, the dipping process requires considerable skill to achieve an even coating without compromising the delicate paper structure. The result is a beautifully crafted object composed of 100% biodegradable materials that are all naturally derived from one renewable source; the tree.