Remodelista Reconnaissance: Sculptural Table Lamps Made From Scrap Paper
An otherworldly table lamp keeps catching our attention. Curved and plant-like, it’s made from a material reminiscent of plaster. After spotting the design in chic settings in France over the last two years, we had to find out more.
The Sightings
Above: The lamp first appeared in the Merci department store’s showcase apartment: see Lessons in Mixing and Matching: Merci Reinvents an 18th Century a Family Home in the 5ème. Photograph courtesy of Merci.
Above: The light cropped up again in artist Heather Chontos’s 17th century Barn Studio in Southwest France. She told us she bought it in Morocco from a French artisan named Henri Dejeant. Photograph by Heather Chontos.
Above: Another Henri Dejeant lamp stands bedside in Heather Chontos’s Stone Farmhouse. Photograph by Heather Chontos.
The Source
Above: Henri Dejeant started making his lamps more than a decade ago while running a hotel in a Berber village in southern Morocco with his cousin. Inspired by Moroccan craftsmanship and upcycling practices, he began experimenting with scrap paper and developed his own moldable version of papier maché; it was the material that led him to try his hand at lighting design.
Dejeant has since moved back to the south of France, where he grew up; his workshop, Henri Atelier, is in the small town of Béziers. He’s been building things since he was a boy—for his 11th birthday, he received a workbench that he still uses.
Above: Dejeant makes his paper creations out of a proprietary mix of binders, which include plaster of paris and flour, and finishes them with a combination of waxes. “My goal,” he says, “is to maintain an ecological approach from creation to delivery.” His creations are now available via Merci Paris.
Above: The Invider Medium, €468, is shown here in Dejeant’s own home. He sells his designs on his web shop and through a number of stores in France.
More of our design sleuths:
- Remodelista Reconnaissance: Traditional Blankets, Rugged Enough for the Cabin
- Remodelista Reconnaissance: The Paint Colors in an Ever-Changing French Kitchen
- Remodelista Reconnaissance: The Ideal Coffee Cups, Sans Handle
N.B.: This story originally ran on November 3, 2023 and has been updated with new links and pricing.
