PD26 Winner

Category:	Table Lighting Units
Location:       Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
Designers:      Unlit Design
Design Team:    Mikayla Liang and J He
Manufacturer:   Unlit Design
Photographers:  Courtesy of the Designers

Poppy is a table lamp that is inspired by the flower of the same name, a plant that is known for its resilience.

With the help of 3D software, we were able to plant our idea of Poppy into splines and pot it into the form of polygons, mixed with motion graphics. This unfamiliar route of the design process helped us shape the organic form that translates fabric, drape, and pleating into Poppy, one that matches our contemporary design language.

3D printing became the medium through which we explored digital fabrication beyond prototyping, pushing it toward production-ready objects. When Poppy first landed on the print bed, it reflected the viability of this unusual collaboration. It brings two different designers together, but more importantly, it translates the softness and movement of fabric into a sculptural object with a single, quiet form.

For Poppy, the organic petal form is not merely aesthetic. It functions as a true shade, carefully shaping and directing light.

This design language presented significant challenges, not only conceptually but technically. The bold overhang angles and the rounded closure at the top push the limits of manufacturing. Printing the shade without internal infill further intensified the difficulty, creating structural challenges during the printing process.

Yet through extensive research and refinement, we were able to overcome these constraints. What began as a technical obstacle ultimately became part of Poppy’s identity.

The growing popularity of 3D printing has led to some iconic designs, but it also raises the question of sustainability. Recycled filament has always been a meaningful step toward sustainability. In fact, Poppy Midnight Black is crafted using recycled PLA and recycled Carbon Fiber PLA. But we found ourselves wondering how much further we could go, and what sustainability could look like through our own hands as designers.

That reflection led us to slow down and rethink our practice, merging two design disciplines into the realm of interior objects. We were drawn to how art transforms space and shapes atmosphere. It was at this intersection that our design languages converged, where pleats meet polygons, and where Poppy came into being.