We accepted long ago that virgin birth does not exist. The question is how copying and imitation become productive processes. The answer comes from enlightened talents and subversive minds like those carried around by the German designer Ingo Maurer, who, mind you, is 80 years old.
This time he has teamed up with his compatriot Fabien Dumas, and together they have created the “Light au lait” wall lamp, which consists of a cup and saucer set with the obligatory teaspoon. The roles are shared out fairly: the saucer serves as the wall-mounted base, the cup as the (rotating) lampshade and the teaspoon as the on/off switch.
It is a project that has already made its way through design circles, with its world premiere at the Light & Building fair in Frankfurt in 2004 and a prominent place in the Café Drechsler in Vienna, after its renovation in 2007 by the Englishman Sir Terence Conran.
But Fabien is challenging himself once again, putting forward the idea of two new, “lively” shades: black (black traffic) and brown (brown fawn).
A few more examples of creations inspired by… the strong aroma of coffee
The Coffee chair by the Korean designer Sunhan Kwon and the colourful Teaspoons wallpaper by the Dutch studio Ditte.
The Morning Coffee mug by Tony Wong, with a saucer that imitates the shadow of the mug in the morning sun, and the Low tech no tech lamp by Iulius Lucaci, with a coffee tin as its base.
The English designer Peter Ibruegger brings humour into our everyday lives with his Moustache Mugs series.
Edited by: Ioanna Pavlopoulou
