{"id":1528,"date":"2025-05-18T09:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T09:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/?p=1528"},"modified":"2025-10-02T16:27:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T16:27:28","slug":"eight-homes-illuminated-by-isamu-noguchis-sculptural-akari-lamps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/18\/eight-homes-illuminated-by-isamu-noguchis-sculptural-akari-lamps\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight homes illuminated by Isamu Noguchi’s sculptural Akari lamps"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Noguchi<\/div>\n

The paper Akari lamps<\/a> by Japanese-American designer Isamu Noguchi<\/a>\u00a0have become modern classics that work in many different settings and interiors, as seen in our latest lookbook<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although first launched in 1951, the lamps are still made today using Japanese washi<\/a> paper and a traditional method from Japan’s Gifu region.<\/p>\n

Akari lamps come in many different shapes and colours, as seen in the interiors below, which range from a London house with a small playful orange light to a Kyiv home with a spaceship-like floor lamp.<\/p>\n

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring poured resin floors<\/a>, statement-making staircases<\/a> and kitchens with open shelving<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Living<\/a>
Photo is by Lorenzo Zandri and Christian Brailey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Energy-saving home, UK, by Architecture for London<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This home in north London<\/a>‘s Muswell Hill area was designed to save energy, with solutions such as lime plastered walls to mitigate heat loss.<\/p>\n

Its minimalist interior<\/a> is enlivened by details such as Noguchi’s orange Akari 1AY light, which keeps watch over the hallway entrance.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the energy-saving home \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Bathroom<\/a>
Photo is by Justin Chung<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Duane House, US, by OWIU<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Design studio OWIU<\/a> refurbished this 1926 home in Los Angeles using mid-century modern and traditional Japanese design touches.<\/p>\n

In the airy bathroom, two Noguchi lamps have pride of place. A smaller light sits on a wooden side table next to a large bathtub<\/a>, while the large cloud-shaped 25N model was placed on the floor next to the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Duane House \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"S\u00e3o<\/a>
Photo is by Denilson Machado<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

S\u00e3o Paulo apartment, Brazil, by BC Arquitetos<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This 1970s S\u00e3o Paulo apartment<\/a>, renovated by BC Arquitetos, showcases a large asymmetrical Akari light with decorative black dots.<\/p>\n

Its graphic design stands out against the flat’s monolithic concrete columns and walnut<\/a> panelling, adding a fun touch to the elegant space.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the S\u00e3o Paulo apartment \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Powerscroft<\/a>
Photo is by Jake Curtis and Elliot Sheppard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Powerscroft Road townhouse, UK, by Daytrip<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Design studio Daytrip<\/a> renovated and expanded this London home by excavating its basement, which it turned into a light-filled kitchen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A lopsided Akari lamp sits on the room’s wood-fired stove, while gleaming stone floors match a white marble table.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Powerscroft Road townhouse \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Shelving<\/a>
Photo is by Yevhenii Avramenko<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kyiv apartment, Ukraine, by Yana Molodykh<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The spaceship-like shape of Noguchi’s Akari 9A lamp complements the many decorative objects on show in this Kyiv<\/a> apartment, which also features plenty of storage.<\/p>\n

With a colour palette of natural wood and cream, interior designer Yana Molodykh<\/a> wanted to create a bright and eclectic space in the attic flat.<\/p>\n

Find out more about the Kyiv apartment \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Reading<\/a>
Photo is by Fran Parente<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Flat 6, Brazil, by Studio MK27<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Vintage and contemporary furniture pieces by designers including Lina Bo Bardi<\/a>, Jorge Zalszupin<\/a> and Giuseppe Scapinelli<\/a> decorate this S\u00e3o Paulo flat.<\/p>\n

Among the many recognisable pieces is a small Akari lamp that illuminates a reading corner in the four-bedroom flat, which features ipe wood wall panelling and basalt stone flooring.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Flat 6 \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"Oku<\/a>
Photo is courtesy of Freight Architects<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oku House, Singapore, by Freight Architects<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Local studio Freight Architects referenced Singapore<\/a>‘s traditional shophouses for its design of Oku House, which also draws on the Japanese spatial concept of oku or inwardness.<\/p>\n

The minimalist interior was kept sparse and uncluttered but is decorated with Akari lamps in specific places, including the staircase<\/a> (above) and the light-filled kitchen (main image).<\/p>\n

Find out more about Oku House \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"House<\/a>
Photo is by Adolf Bereuter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

House B\u00e4umle, Austria, by Bernardo Bader Architekten<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Akari 9A lamp flanks a wood-fired stove in this Austrian home, which stands out for its blackened timber<\/a> cladding.<\/p>\n

Inside, designers Bernardo Bader Architekten<\/a> used lots of pale wood to create a light, airy interior.<\/p>\n

Find out more about House B\u00e4umle \u203a<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring poured resin floors<\/a>, statement-making staircases<\/a> and kitchens with open shelving<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Eight homes illuminated by Isamu Noguchi’s sculptural Akari lamps<\/a> appeared first on Dezeen<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The paper Akari lamps by Japanese-American designer Isamu Noguchi\u00a0have become modern classics that work in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-color-design"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1528"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1582,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1528\/revisions\/1582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.scientificmediagroup.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}