Interview about Nest Lamp Lighting, winner of the A' Lighting Products and Fixtures Design Award 2025
The entire light structure is intricately crafted into an organic form using advanced metalworking techniques. Two nest-like metal sheets intertwine, creating a dynamic pattern that shifts from different angles when suspended. At the center, a doughnut-shaped light hangs, casting illumination through the circular aperture between the metal layers. Soft glimmers filter through the interwoven metal threads, adding depth and warmth to the ambient lighting.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsThe journey began with an emotional reflection on family and belonging during the pandemic. I was drawn to the bird’s nest as a symbol of fragile protection—a place built from fragments yet full of warmth. Translating this into metal required rethinking rigidity; I used dual-layered aluminum sheets with manually bent perforations to simulate woven threads. The process combined digital precision with intuitive handwork, allowing the cold material to express something innately human and nurturing.
In Chinese culture, the circle symbolizes harmony, completeness, and reunion. The Nest Lamp, with its circular form, embodies the idea of a close-knit family coming together to create a warm and unified home. In nature, many animals build nests as a way of establishing their homes, and these nests are often inherently circular in shape—a form that resonates deeply with Eastern philosophy. This cultural perspective profoundly influenced my design thinking, leading me to create a work that, while made with modern technology and techniques, remains rooted in traditional values. It is a design that is universal in geometry yet intimate in meaning.
The greatest challenge was calibrating the shadow density and light diffusion. Each perforation and bend in the metal alters how light escapes. I prototyped dozens of patterns using varying perforation ratios, adjusting curvature and spacing by hand to ensure the shadows weren’t too harsh or distracting. The goal was to let the light breathe through the metal—like sunlight through woven straw—while retaining a warm, cohesive glow.
Silk is historically tied to longing in Chinese poetry—its threads often metaphorically used to describe emotional ties across distance. During lockdowns, I revisited this symbolism and found a parallel in the act of weaving—both physical and emotional. The lamp’s metal “threads” mimic silk strands in tension and flow. This duality—delicacy and strength—mirrors the invisible emotional threads that bind modern families, especially when separated.
I wanted to create a piece that reveals new layers with movement—an object that changes like a living organism. Inspired by the way light filters through bird nests or dense foliage, I engineered a design where the interlaced metal surfaces refract and scatter light in unpredictable patterns. Aluminum was chosen for its malleability and reflectivity, and the hand-bending process ensured each unit would have slight variations, much like nature never repeats itself exactly.
Rather than relying on literal or decorative mimicry, I pursued abstraction. Most bird’s nest-inspired designs emphasize external form, but I focused on internal structure—how layers interact, how light passes through tension. The dual-layer sheet system avoids obvious curvature or twig-like imitation, favoring instead a poetic reinterpretation through geometry and material. The design is emotionally evocative but visually restrained—subtle yet conceptually rich.
The dialogue between the sheets emerged through iterative physical modeling. Working in my Brooklyn studio, I laser-cut aluminum sheets and manually manipulated their edges to explore interaction and shadow behavior. The overlaps, gaps, and misalignments became crucial—each imperfection contributed to a richer texture. This hands-on exploration helped me shift away from symmetry and embrace asymmetrical layering, mirroring how intimacy is often imperfect yet beautifully interdependent.
The project blends digital and analog processes. It starts with vector-based parametric patterning and laser cutting, enabling precision in perforation. From there, each sheet is hand-bent without jigs, allowing me to retain the human touch—variation, nuance, intention. The light source is then embedded discreetly to avoid visual interference. The harmony lies in balancing predictability with unpredictability, using tools as extensions of both machine logic and tactile intuition.
I see Nest Lamp as a symbol of soft connection in a fragmented world. It emits not just light, but a sense of intimacy—a quiet, enveloping presence that encourages reflection. Whether in a home, gallery, or lounge, I hope it evokes emotional grounding, reminding viewers of the spaces and people they cherish. Its layered transparency encourages stillness, and in that stillness, perhaps a bit of healing.
Nest Lamp embodies my belief that good design should transcend function and speak to emotion, memory, and place. It creates an atmosphere, not just illumination. By drawing from nature, culture, and personal narrative, it shows how design can reconnect us with ourselves and with each other. In an era of overstimulation, I see this kind of emotional minimalism as essential—design that simplifies the environment while enriching the spirit.
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