Paper, Light, and Chance — DIY Lampshade

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A Coincidence That Changed Everything

The idea for this lampshade came completely unexpectedly. While working on a completely different project, I was left with a few thin strips of paper pulp. They were lying next to some dried plants I hadn’t used at the time — and something about that combination suddenly clicked. I picked up a cardboard tube, laid one of the strips over it, and started experimenting. I wasn’t thinking about a lamp yet. I was just testing what might happen. That’s how the first rings were created — light, irregular, a bit accidental. But they had something in them that wouldn’t let me walk away.

A Second Life for Leftovers

More and more often, what’s left behind — scraps, leftovers, things without a function — becomes the most interesting starting point for me. This project was made almost entirely from materials that were supposed to be thrown away: remains from earlier paper pulp forms, coffee from my morning cup, dried plants that had sat on a shelf for too long. Everything that was "too small," "too plain," or "no longer useful" became part of this object. Working like this — with limits and without buying anything new — opens the door to experimentation and teaches a deeper respect for materials. It’s not just about ecological recycling, but also about seeing what’s already around us with new eyes. And giving it new meaning.

Between Function and Sculpture

At first, I treated this form as a decorative detail — something light that could be hung up and watched as it moved in the air. It wasn’t until I started connecting the rings and searching for the right light that I thought: what if it’s a lampshade? On one hand, it’s a functional object — it casts a shadow, filters light. But on the other, it’s so sculptural that it could just as well hang in a space without any purpose. I love when the line between design and art gets blurred. When something looks like part of an installation, but can simply hang above the table. The light only enhances that ambiguity, playing with shadow and structure.

What Remains After Creating

This project taught me something important: sometimes what is created by accident is the closest to who I am as a maker. I didn’t plan this lampshade. I had no sketch, no idea, no concept. I just had things left over that I didn’t know what to do with — and that opened a door. I started seeing differently. Instead of controlling every step, I just watched what was happening. And it’s in those "in-betweens" — during drying time, in a random bend, in an imperfect circle — that things are made which truly remain. Maybe not always as objects, but as traces in my mind. As a direction for the next step.

Step 1: Reuse or Make New Strips

If you have leftover paper pulp strips like the ones in the photo, feel free to reuse them — nothing goes to waste here.
If not, move on to the next step: roll out fresh paper pulp between two sheets of plastic.

Form long, thin strips, but be mindful of their thickness.
If they’re too thin (like regular paper), they’ll tear easily.
If they’re too thick, they might crack when shaped around something round like a tube or a pot.

Step 2: Shape the Rings

Wrap the paper strip around a round object to create a circular form. You’ll need three rings in different sizes — I used a cardboard tube and two cooking pots.

Overlap the ends and secure them with a small amount of fresh paper pulp to hold the shape in place.

Let the form dry completely before moving on to the next step.

Step 3: Add Decorative Coffee Stains (Optional)

Once your paper rings are dry, you can add some brown decorative marks using coffee.
This step is optional, but it works beautifully with dried plants and enhances the natural, aged look of the surface.

Simply brush on the coffee and let it soak in.

Step 4: Prepare Holes for Dried Plants

Use a sharp tool to gently pierce small holes in your paper rings. These holes will hold the dried plant stems, so make sure they’re placed where you want to build your composition.

Think about the shape and direction of your arrangement before inserting the branches.

Step 5: Secure the Dried Plants with Wire

Use a thin craft wire to gently connect the stems of the dried branches. I paired each branch with the one opposite to it, creating tension that holds them in place.

Wrap the wire carefully around the paper ring to make sure everything stays secure, but don't overtighten — keep it light and organic.