DEVELOPING DESIGNS

The primary research I conducted helped me decide -

-  I will design a light shade that was multifunctional, when it wasn't being used as a lightshade it unfolds into a decorative piece for the home. I felt this made my design innovative and different to lighting products I had looked at.

- The materials I could potentially use where mirrored polypropylene, Self adhesive mirrored vinyl, mirrored card or acrylic. This was because these materials where pliable, accessible, affordable and would withstand the heat from the light bulb. The mirror would reflect and manipulate the light casting interesting reflections in a space.

- I would need to consider the fixtures, how would the lightshade be attached to a frame then be detached when user prefers to use it as a decorative piece. I thought of using small hooks or Velcro depending on the weight of the material.

- The design would be made from one sheet of material for a contemporary appeal, and would be around 40cms high 30cms wide (large enough for it to be the main focal point in a room)





Taking into account all the factors from the research I began to sketch my ideas and developed paper mock ups, which helped me visualise the designs and whether I needed to make any changes or improvements.

These designs developed when I started thinking of how the shade would reflect the light and hold the circular form. This linked to a previous project I did for a cat sculpture which manipulates a 2D sheet into a 3D/geometric design using a line bender. I used this concept and did a series of folding and manipulating paper and plastic experiments.