NICHIBOTSU
Let the sun in.
Creating a new sunset lamp…
Nichibotsu is the result of a project I completed at the end of my sophomore year of Product Design. The goal of the project was to design a luminaire of our choice with intention and reasoning for its creation. My approach on the product was to target the popular sunset lamps seen all over the internet that I had dissected at the beginning of the semester.
Creating the form
The most common theme in most Japanese sun art was the presence of clouds cutting through the sun almost like blades. I wanted to implement this into the design as a way to diffuse the light and create unique projections of light around the room.
Materials and Lighting
With the form and shape finalized, I began collecting diverted pine from project scraps and local businesses to create the body and “clouds” for the light. Frosted acrylic was used on the front to hide the LED’s circling the inside of the light.
The boring and ugly sunset lamps popular at the time.
While the original lamp was functional, it lacked the form and nature of the sun. In order to create a better version of this lackluster lamp, I looked towards Japanese art which depicts sun in an elegant and unique way due to its cultural significance. This is also where I created the name “Nichibotsu” which is the Japanese translation of “sunset”.
The Final
The final version of the luminaire features a circular body resembling the sun with 2 parallel wooden pieces obscuring the light acting as “clouds”. Slits on the side of the lamp allow for the light to flood creating rays and adding to the genuine feel. The lighting element is a dimmable orange COB LED strip circling the interior.
