• Francesca uses a special paper from Japan
• She is fascinated by how artificial light can transform a room
• Her creations are influenced by the exactness of origami art

“I made my first lamps for a flat I had just moved into when I was living in Switzerland,” explains London-based Francesca Schiavello. “Being an architect, I was familiar with building scale models using different materials, so the idea of using paper came to me quite naturally.” Fascinated by paper’s three-dimensionality and the way in which it diffuses light, the budding artisan started to produce lampshades on request, engaging in a relentless search for new shapes. “The making of these paper sculptures, which are pleated and folded as an origami, offered me the opportunity to explore how to shape light in a personal way. I also experiment with different geometries that generate a metamorphosis of the lamp itself, depending on the angle from which it is observed.”