Last year, a very special lamp called the Wagasa Lamp caught everyone’s attention and won an award at the Tyvek Design Awards. What makes this lamp so special is not just its looks but how you can play with its light. Inspired by the traditional umbrellas or parasols seen in many Asian countries, the lamp uses a special kind of fabric called Tyvek, made by a company named DuPont, and it’s attached to wooden rods. The coolest part is that you can open or close it just like an umbrella. When you open it, it lets out more light, and when you close it, it dims the light down. This fun way of controlling the light has made the Wagasa Lamp a favorite for many people, and it also fits perfectly in homes that love a simple, Asian-inspired style.
Solenn Roch, a designer from Switzerland, is the brain behind the Wagasa Lamp. The lamp is pretty simple in its design, using only two main materials besides the lightbulb and its housing: the Tyvek fabric for the shade and the wooden structure. The Tyvek fabric is really interesting because it looks like paper but it’s strong and lets light pass through in a beautiful way, making the room feel warm and cozy.

The idea for the lamp is kind of like those tiny umbrellas you find in drinks, but much bigger and for lighting your room. It has a base with a knob that you can twist to open or close the umbrella part, and this action changes how bright or dim the light is. If you open the lamp all the w...