Kartell Planet LED pendant lamp, yellow

Designer LED pendant light Planet with a fascinating crystal effect

Can a lampshade which is made of resin, or rather thermoplastic polymer, sparkle in just the same way as a crystal lampshade? It is precisely this question that the designer Tokujin Yoshioka asked himself when he addressed the development of a new series of lights. The challenge which Yoshioka faced was to process a plastic to make it produce a sparkling effect similar to that of crystals. A number of prototypes were created before the right way of moulding the lampshade was found. The crystal effect is primarily created by using materials and resin layers of different thicknesses.

Tokujin Yoshioka designed the LED hanging light Planet for the Italian company Kartell, which is known for its designer pieces made of plastic, including both furniture and household items such as lights. Kartell’s lighting division started with the model 4006 by Achille and Piergiacomo Castiglioni in 1959. Another classic series of lights is the Tic Tac series, which was created in 1970. Many of Kartell’s designer pieces have not only won various awards, but can now also be admired in museums as modern classics.