We’ll be the first to admit that our infatuation with Rick Lee’s Night Owl lamp might have something to do with it’s resemblance to our local Inhabitat mascot, Habby, — but you have to admit this 3D printed lamp is pretty charming, even to non-Inhabitants, right? Who wouldn’t want this friendly face lighting your way come nightfall?
Made of a poluamide polymer, the 3D printed Night Owl Lamp perches itself atop a steel tripod and charmingly blends humor and design, craft and new technology. For the past few months, it has been making its way through multiple international furniture fairs including New York’s ICFF during Design Week. For those of you along the pacific side of the states who missed the opportunity to spot it at ICFF -have no fear. Rick Lee is a San Francisco local, and last month the Night Owl Lamp made an appearance in his own personal loft with his fasionista designer wife Colleen Quen in a show they called “Ouroborus – a visual interpretation of the five elements, the endless powers of creation and the natural cycle of life.”
13 Responses to “RICK LEE’S NIGHT OWL LAMP”
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Ooooh! I so want one of those!
this is FAR TOO SIMILAR>>> i think HE COPIED US… we need to tell on rick lee NOW!
that was sarcastic.
Wow, that’s so cute. I want to stop being materialistic, but this really picks on my love for owls. Quite a nice resemblance to Habby.
curious to what lamp source is being used – no doubt a CFL right?
Where can I get one of these lovely owls? Are they available for sale locally in San Fran or any website merchants? I didn’t see anything that allowed purchasing or showed pricing on his website. Thanks
what does this has to do with sustainability??
Or in inhabitat just another lifestyle mag??
Hi Aknownymouss-
We were pretty taken with Rick Lee’s production process in all of his work. Lee uses digital fabrication to produce items with less energy and much more efficiently than traditional manufacturing processes. In this case he uses 3D printing to create the owls himself which has positive implications for sustainable design, recycling and embodied energy. However, another part of our interest in this product is also its ‘Owliness” and its resemblance to the Inhabitat owl – as we stated clearly in the post above.
This owl lamp is amazing. Is it available for purchase?
Love, love the owl lamp
How do I order one?
I love this owl lamp?!! how do i by two …..please let me know …beautifullllll….
love the lamp
There is a disconnect re: “green lighting”
Hello there! I am a 3d artist who specializes in 3d printed and virtual game art. I love this lamp with it’s simple, meaningful design. What distinguishes it from run of the mill cutesy pendant lamps that hang needlessly or sit on a table is the treatment of it’s stand. When you see it, you instantly think of a bird perched on something aerial. The point here I’m making is that I love it from a design standpoint.
However…
Despite its manufacturing process, it is still created with a non biodegradable, unnatural, chemical based material called nylon plastic. Once the material is gone, it’s gone. It’s not renewable. The light source depends on the electricity that everyone else pumps into their homes – not solar or wind powered or any other kind of alternative source. The light bulb it uses is not restricted to fluorescent or LED – you could just as easily use an incandescent.
I struggle with this as an artist when I design with this material as much as I love it for it’s strength, flexibility and diffuse transulcency.
CAUTION: You will be told that the creation process of 3D printed creates no waste, but you are misled if you believe it implicitely. Because I know the process, I know that every 3d printing process produces waste that is at the moment largely unrecyclable.
There is really only one *widely used* material in 3D printed that is close to what I feel comfortable using and calling a “green product” and that is called PLA – Poly Lactic Acid – a plastic made with corn. I say *widely used* because there are other 3d printing processes in development using things like wood flour, paper, and even sugar, that are not yet particularly useful or touted. PLA is available for use mostly by hobbyists with smaller home-built machines. This is not what this lighting pieces, or what the majority of 3d printed design products are made from.
So … why, if my income relies on the use of the same kind of materials that this lamp is made from, do I tell you all of this? Well, I guess I have a nitpicky peeve about truth. All media stretches it just enough to make the read interesting or persuasive. The writers want you to love this product, because they love it – fair enough.
The product is lovable! It’s an owl! It speaks to the inhabitat logo. It promotes wilderness through it’s theme. So it does belong here. It’s just not what you could call green lighting.